Custad Lombard on a Fishe Daie

PERIOD: England, 15th century | SOURCE: A Noble Boke Off Cookry | CLASS: Authentic

DESCRIPTION: Spiced Pear and Almond Cream Pie

ORIGINAL RECEIPT:

. . . and on fishe daies boille wardens or other peres paire them and hole them at the crown then fill them full of blaunche poudur and torn them in blaunche poudur and skoche them all about that the poudir may abid ther in then set the stalks upryght and ye may mak your coup of creme of almondes and shak up your custad as ye did of flesche and when they be bak gilt the stalkes of the peres and serue them.

- Napier, Robina. A Noble Boke off Cookry ffor a Prynce Houssolde or Eny Other Estately Houssolde. London: Elliot Stock, 1882.

MODERN RECIPE:

• Pastry for one nine-inch pie crust
• 1 ½ C Almond Cream
• 4 pears
• ¼ C sugar
• ½ tsp each powdered ginger and cardamom
• Gold leaf or gold colored foil (optional)

2. Peel the pears and core them from the bottom, leaving the stems on. With a knife, cut each pear all over with criss-cross grooves.

3. Line a pie pan with the pastry dough, and put the pears in it. Then put the crust in the oven for ten minutes to harden the crust a little. Remove from oven and immediately reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Allow pears to cool enough to handle.

4. In a bowl, thoroughly blend sugar, ginger and cardamom.

5. Fill each pear with at least one teaspoon of sugar and spice mixture, and set them upright in the pie crust. Sprinkle the remaining spice mixture over the pears.

6. Fill the spaces between the pears with almond cream.

7. Return pie to oven and bake for thirty minutes. Allow to cool completely before serving.

8. Wrap the stems with gold leaf or gold colored foil for presentation.

Serves eight to twelve.

NOTES ON THE RECIPE:

This is a continuation of the previous recipe, Custad Lombard. I have made my blaunche poudur with sugar, powdered ginger and cardamom. I have also cored the pears from the bottom, leaving the stems intact, rather tan from the top, and replacing the stems.