Crustade

PERIOD: England, 15th century | SOURCE: Harleian MS 279 | CLASS: Authentic

DESCRIPTION: An egg & chicken pie, topped with chicken pieces

ORIGINAL RECEIPT:

.xxxiiij. Crustade. Take a cofyn, & bake hym drye; þen take Marwbonys & do þer-in; þenne nym hard yolkys of Eyroun, & grynde hem smal, & lye hem vppe with Milke; þan nym raw yolkys of Eyroun, & melle hem a-mong chikonys y-smete, & do þer-inne; & yf þou luste, Smal birdys; & a-force wyl þin comade with Sugre or hony; þan take clowys, Macez, Pepir, & Safron, & put þer-to, & salt yt; & þan bake, & serue forth.

- Austin, Thomas. Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books. Harleian MS. 279 & Harl. MS. 4016, with extracts from Ashmole MS. 1429, Laud MS. 553, & Douce MS 55. London: for The Early English Text Society by N. Trübner & Co., 1888.

GODE COOKERY TRANSLATION:

Crustade. Take a pie shell, & bake it dry; then take marrow & do there-in; then take hard yolks of Eggs, & grind them small, & thicken them up with Milk; than take raw yolks of Eggs, & mix it with diced chicken, & do there-in; & if you like, Small birds; & strengthen well your filling with Sugar or honey; then take cloves, Mace, Pepper, & Saffron, & put there-to, & salt it; & than bake, & serve forth.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pre-baked nine-inch pie shell
• Marrow, diced
• Hard-boiled egg yolks
• Milk
• Raw egg yolks
• Chicken meat, diced
• The "drumstick" sections of chicken wings, or any other very small cut of chicken with the bone included, roasted or boiled. The idea is to imitate small, whole birds.
• Sugar or Honey
• Cloves (powder)
• Mace
• Pepper
• Saffron or a few drops of yellow food coloring
• Salt

Mash the hard-boiled egg yolks; smoothly blend in enough milk to make a thick, gravy-like mixture. Thoroughly mix the diced chicken with the raw egg yolks and the milk-yolk gravy - this needs to be a moist, thick filling suitable for a pie. Add sugar or honey, spices, & salt to taste. Place the diced marrow in the bottom of the pie shell then add the filling. Arrange the cooked chicken pieces on top. Bake until filling has set. Serve forth!