Peers in Confyt

The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Forme of Cury (by Samuel Pegge)
original text from about A.D. 1390

Peers in Confyt

—Take peeres and pare hem clene. take gode rede wyne & mulberes oþer saundres and seeþ þe peeres þerin & whan þei buth ysode, take hem up, make a syryp of wyne greke. oþer vernage with blaunche powdour oþer white sugur and powdour gyngur & do the peres þerin. seeþ it a lytel & messe it forth.

Modern English

Pears in Confit

—Take pears and pare them clean. Take good red wine and mulberries or saunders (both being for red food colour) and cool them in this and when they are cooked enough, take them out. Make a syrup of Greek wine or Vernage (possibly a sweet Italian wine) with white powder (a sweet powder with ginger) or white sugar and powdered ginger and put the pears in this. Cook it a little while and serve it forth.

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.

Eyron en poche

15th century cookbook
Ab. 1420 A.D.

Eyron en poche

—Take Eyroun, breke hem, an sethe hem in hot Water; þan take hem Vppe as hole as þou may; þan take flowre, an melle with Mylke, & caste þer-to Sugre or Hony, & a lytel pouder Gyngere, an boyle alle y-fere, & coloure with Safroun; an ley þin Eyroun in dysshys, & caste þe Sewe a-boue, & caste on pouder y-now. Blawnche pouder ys best.

Modern English

Poached Eggs

—Take Eggs, break them, and boil them in hot water; then take them up as whole as you can; then take flour, and meddle/mix it with milk and cast into this sugar or honey and a little powdered ginger and boil well/strongly and colour it with saffron; and lay the eggs in dishes and cast the broth above (the eggs) and cast on enough powder (spice). White powder is best.

(there's lots of theory to what exactly white powder is, from sugar to a spice mixture that has ginger and cinnamon)

Cawdelle Ferry

15th century cookbook 
Ab. 1420 A.D.

Cawdelle Ferry

—Take ȝolkys of eyroun Raw, y-tryid fro the whyte; þan take gode wyne, and warme it on þe potte on a fayre Fyre, an caste þer-on ȝolkys, and stere it wyl, but let it nowt boyle tylle it be þikke; and caste þer-to Sugre, Safroun, & Salt, Maces, Gelofres, an Galyngale y-grounde smal, & flowre of Canelle; & whan þow dressyst yn, caste blanke pouder þer-on.

Modern English

Cawdelle Ferry

—Take raw egg yolks, separated from the white, then take good wine, and warm it on the pot on a fair/good fire, and cast therein yolks and stir it well, but let it not boil until it be thick; and caste therein sugar, saffron and salt, mace, cloves, and galengale ground small and powdered cinnamon (cassia) and when you serve it, cast with "blank powder" (white powder, said to be a sugar-ginger combination but that might just be an optional flavouring. It could possibly be made up of ginger, cinnamon and/or nutmeg as well.)