A Boke of Gode Cookery Presents

Sauge

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

DESCRIPTION: Sage and Egg Sauce


ORIGINAL RECEIPT:

Take Gyngere, Galyngale, Clowys, & gynde in a morter; than take an handfulle of Sawge, & do ther-to, grynd wyl to-gederys; take Eyroun, & sethe hem harde, nym the yolkys, grynde hem with the Sawge & with the spycis, & temper it vppe with Venegre or eysel, or with Alegere; take the whyte of þe Eyroun, & sethe hem, & mynce hem smal, & caste ther-to; when it is y-temperyd, take Brawn of hennys or Fyssches, & ley on dysschys, & caste thin mete a-boue.

- 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.


MODERN RECIPE:

  • 6 hard-boiled egg yolks
  • 1 T rubbed sage
  • 1/2 tsp powdered ginger
  • 1/4 tsp allspice
  • 1/8 tsp cloves
  • 4 T dry wine
  • 5 T wine vinegar
  • 3 hard-boiled egg whites
  • Salt to taste
1. In a bowl, combine egg yolks and wine and vinegar, blending them smooth with a fork.

2. In a bowl, with a fork, mash the egg whites to a coarse paste.

3. Stir mashed egg whites and spices into egg yolk mixture, and blend smooth. Pour over, or serve with chicken, fish or pork. Stir well before serving.

Yields one and a half cups of sauce.

Notes on the Recipe:

A variant of this sauce is recommended for pork. This recipe actually calls for hard-boiled egg whites as well as yolks, which is unusual in medieval cuisine. I substitute allspice for galingale. I have also cut the vinegar with a little wine, and I add salt.

Sauge is featured in In Festo Sancte Trinitatis in Cena

Metric, Celsius, & Gas Mark Equivalencies

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Sauge © 2000 Rudd Rayfield | This page © 2000 James L. Matterer

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