Leche Frys in  Lentoun

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

DESCRIPTION: Fruit and Almond Milk Pie

ORIGINAL RECEIPT:

Take Wyne & Fre[e]ssche brothe, Clowes, Maces, & Marow, & pouder of Gyngere, & Safroun, & let al boyle to-gederys, & put ther-to creme, (& yif it be clowtys, draw it thorwe a straynoure,) & yolkys of Eyroun, & melle hem to-gederys, & pore the licoure that the Marow was sothyn yn ther-to; than make fayre cofyns of fayre past, & put the Marow ther-yn, & mynce datys, & strawberys in tyme of yere, & put the cofyns in the ovyn, & late hem harde a lytel; than take hem owt, & put the licoure ther-to, & late hem bake, & serue f[orth].

- 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:

• Pastry dough for 1 nine-inch pie crust
• 1 pear, cored and cut up small
• 1 medium apple, cored and cut up small
• 1/2 C each dates and pitted prunes, cut in two, and currants
• 1 C double thick almond milk
• 1 T melted butter
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp each mace, powdered ginger and allspice
• 6 whole cloves
• Pinch salt

2. Line a pie pan with the pastry dough and fill it with the cut-up apple and pear. Put it in the oven and bake it for ten minutes to harden it. Remove, and reduce heat to 350°.

3. In a bowl, combine the apple and pear from the pie crust with all the remaining ingredients except the almond milk and melted butter, and mix thoroughly.

4. Stir in the almond milk and melted butter, mixing thoroughly. Spoon the mixture into the pie crust. Put it in the oven and bake for forty-five minutes, or until a toothpick draws out clean. Refrigerate before serving.

Serves six to eight.

NOTES ON THE RECIPE:

The name of this pie (literally "fried slices") is rather odd; nothing is blatantly sliced in it, or fried. Maybe the name is a corruption of "cold slices", referring to how it is to be served. There is a second leche frys recipe in Forme of Cury, a plain egg and cheese quiche, also neither sliced nor fried. Both are for fish days; this one, without eggs, is specifically for Lent. For "good powder" I use ginger and allspice. In place of oil I substitute melted butter.

Leche Frys in  Lentoun is featured in Servise on a Fisshe Day