Frutours

Original text from: Harleian MS. 4016, ab. 1450 A.D.

Frutours

—Take yolkes of eggs, drawe hem thorgh a streynour, cast there-to faire floure, berme and ale; stere it togidre till hit be thik. Take pared appelles, cut he thyn like obleies, ley hem in pe batur; pen put hem into a ffrying pan, and fry hem in faire grece or buttur til pei ben browne yelowe; then put hem in disshes, and straw Sugar on hem ynogh, And serue hem forthe.

Modern English

—Take egg yolks, draw them through a strainer, cast fair flour, barm and ale thereto, stir it together until it is thick. Take pared apples, cut them thin like obleies (these are small cakes or wafers, often defined as "sacramental wafers"), lay them in the batter; then put them into a frying pan and fry them in fair grease or butter until they are yellow-brown; then put them in dishes, and straw enough sugar on them, And serve them forth.

Breakdown:

Apple Fritters (test sized batch)

Make a batter from:
-2-3 egg yolks whisked until light
-1 package of yeast (2 1/4 tsp) softened in about 3(liquid)oz of water with a little sugar
-about 1(liquid)oz of ale
-2 1/2 oz of flour
This should make a batter sticky enough to stick to the apple slices. If the batter is too thin, add more flour, if it is too thick, add a bit more ale.

Have your apples peeled and cored and then slice them fairly thin and lay on a towel
Heat clarified butter in a deep pan.
Lay your apple slices in the batter and then carefully place the battered apple rings in the hot fat.
Cook the fritters until golden brown
Lay your fritters in dishes and sprinkle with sugar and serve

(added note: depending on if you used packaged yeast, or home-made style yeast (use about 6 spoonfulls instead of yeast/water mix btw), and the age of the yeast... if it is left to sit too long, it will froth up considerably)

Caudele

15th century cookbook, LAUD MS. 553 (Bodleian library)
Ab. 1420 A.D.

Caudele

—Nym eyren, & sweng wel to-gedere / chauf ale & do therto / lie it with amydon̛, do therto a porcion̛ of sugur, or a perty of hony, & a perti of safron̛; boille hit, & ȝif hit forth.

Modern English

—Take eggs, and swing well together [mix it]/ heat ale and put therein/ lay it with amydon [a wheat starch], do therein a portion of sugar, or a part of honey, and a part of saffron; boil it, and [give] it forth.

A goos in hogepotte

Two 15th century cookbooks
Ab. 1420 A.D.

A goos in hogepotte

—Take a Goos, & make hure clene, & hacke hyre to gobettys, & put yn a potte, & Water to, & sethe to-gederys; þan take Pepir & Brennyd brede, or Blode y-boylyd, & grynd y-fere Gyngere & Galyngale & Comyn, & temper vppe with Ale, & putte it þer-to; & mynce Oynonys, & frye hem in freysshe grece, & do þer-to a porcyon of Wyne.

Modern English

A Goose in Hodgepotte

—Take a Goose, and make her clean, and hack her to pieces, and put in a pot with water, and boil together; then take pepper and hot bread, or boiled blood, and grind together ginger and galangal and cumin, and temper it up with ale, and put it thereto; and mince onions, and fry them in fresh grease, and add to this a portion/quantity of wine.

A Potage on Fysshday

Two 15th century cookbooks
Ab. 1420 A.D.

A Potage on Fysshday

—Take an Make a styf Poshote of Milke an Ale; þan take & draw þe croddys þorw a straynoure wyth whyte Swete Wyne, or ellys Rochelle Wyne, & make it sum-what rennyng an sum-what stondyng, & put Sugre a gode quantyte þer-to, or hony, but nowt to moche; þan hete it a lytil, & serue it forth al a-brode in þe dysshys; an straw on Canel, & Gyngere, and ȝif þou [supplied by ed.] haue Blank powder, straw on and kepe it as whyte as yt may be, & þan serue forth.

Modern English

A Pottage on Fishday

—Take and make a stiff Posset of milk and ale; then take a bring the curds through a strainer with white sweet wine, or else Rochelle wine (a French wine), and make it somewhat runny and somewhat thick, and put a good quantity of sugar therein, or honey, but not too much; then heat it a little and serve it forth all abroad in the dishes; and strew on cinnamon and ginger, and if you have (some) white powder. Strew on (the white powder) and keep it as white as it may be and then serve it forth.

Bowres

15th century cookbook I
Ab. 1420 A.D.

Bowres

—Take Pypis, Hertys, Nerys, Myltys, an Rybbys of the Swyne; or ellys take Mawlard, or Gees, an chop hem smal, and thanne parboyle hem in fayre water; an þan take it vp, and pyke it clene in-to a fayre potte, an caste þer-to ale y-now, & sawge an salt, and þan boyle it ryȝth wel; and þanne serue it forthe for a goode potage.

Modern English

Bowres
—Take Pipes (likely being the lungs), Hearts, Kidney, Myltys [said to be the spleen], and ribs of the swine; or else take mallards, or Geese, and chop them small, and then parboil them in good water; and then take it up, and pick it clean (remove it from the liquid and add to another pot) into a good pot, and cast thereto enough ale and sage and salt, and then boil it right well, and then serve it forth for a good pottage.