mediaeval saffron recipes

The Mediaeval Period was perhaps the heyday of saffron use in Europe and they certainly used it in some interesting recipes!

Apple Muse

A lovely mediaeval recipe called Apple Muse dating from 1420.(We like the idea of making apples “seethe’!)

 

Take Appelys an sethe hem                           

Take some apples and boil (seethe!) them

an serge hem þorwe a Sefe in-to a potte   

Strain them through a sieve into a pot

þanne take Almaunde Mylke & Hony an caste þer-to

Then take almond milk and honey and cast them into the pot

an gratid Brede, Safroun, Saunderys, & Salt a lytil, & caste all in þe potte

and grated bread, saffron, sandalwood and a little salt and cast it all in the pot

& lete hem sethe;  & loke þat þou stere it wyl, & serue it forth.

And let it cook and look that you stir it well and serve it forthwith.

 

(þ is pronounced like "th"' in "the")

Town charter of Saffron Walden, decorated with purple saffron crocuses. Saffron was so important that the town changed its name from Chipping Walden.

Auter Tartus

Mediaeval Saffron Cheesecake

 

The original recipe involves grinding a soft, buttery cheese in a mortar, mixing it with cream and milk, adding salt and saffron and then cooking it in a coffin! We hope the coffin was a pie crust…

 

This is our take on the recipe. It is egg-free and can be made with a gluten-free base.

 

Ingredients:

 

For the “coffin”:

140g ground biscuits (digestives, gluten-free ginger cookies, Graham crackers etc)

2 tbsp sugar

4 tbsp melted butter

 

For the filling:

500 g/17.5oz/2.5 cups cream cheese

75ml/1/3 cup cream

4tbsp sugar

A few strands of saffron

 

Method:

1.         Grind the saffron with a pestle and mortar and add to 2 tbs of the cream to infuse for 20 minutes. 

2.         Preheat the oven to 180C.

3.         For the coffin, mix the ground biscuits with 2 tablespoons of sugar and the melted butter in a mixer.

4.         Press the biscuit mixture evenly into a pie dish.

5.         For the filling, beat the cream cheese and sugar together.

6.         Add the saffron-infused cream, the rest of the cream and the cornflour to the cheese mixture.

            Whisk until smooth.

7.         Pour filling into the crust and bake in the centre oven at 160C for 1 hour to 1.5 hours depending on

            the size of your pan. It is done when the top is firm to the touch, though the very centre will still wobble.

Oysters in Gravy Bastard

 

The Original:

 

Oystrys in grauy bastard

Take grete Oystrys, an schale hem;

an take þe water of þe Oystrys,

& ale,

an brede y-straynid,

an þe water also,

an put it on a potte,

an Gyngere, Sugre, Saffron, powder pepir, and Salt,

an let it boyle wyl;

þen put yn þe Oystrys þer-to, and dresse it forth

Balloke Brothe

 

(No, we weren't joking!)

 

This recipe is similar to the Flemish Paling in 't groen.

 

Take Elys and fle hem, an kytte hem in gobouns, an caste hem in-to a fayre potte with fayre water;

þan take Percely and Oynonys, an schrede hem to-gederys nowt to smal

take Clowes, Maces, an powder Pepyr

an caste þer-to a gode porcyon of wyne

þen take 3est of New ale an caste þer-to an let boyle

an when þe Elys byn wyl y-boylid, take fayre stokfysshe, an do a-way þe skyn,

an caste þer-to, an let boyle a whyle;

þen take Safroun and Salt,

an a lytil Venegre, an caste þer-to, an serue forth.

Oysters in Gravy Bastard

 

Our attempt:

 

75 ml of beer

1 tsp grated ginger

1/2 tsp sugar

1 tsp ground saffron

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbs toasted breadcrumbs

12 oysters

 

1. Pour the beer into a glass and add the ginger, sugar, saffron, black pepper and salt. Leave it to sit for 15-20 minutes.

2. In a hot saucepan, pour in the beery spice mixture and boil off the alcohol for a few minutes.

3. Reduce the heat to a simmer and reduce the sauce for 10 minutes.

4. Grill the oysters under a hot grill for about 2 minutes.

5. Pull out the oysters and cover with the beer sauce. Grill for another 2 minutes until the oysters look cooked.

6. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and grill again until browned.

Bollock Broth

 

Our attempt (rather than flaying the eel ourselves, we went for already skinned ones!:

 

1kg/2.2 lbs skinned eel

125 ml of white wine (or beer)

300 ml fish stock

50g butter

1/2 onion, finely minced

2 tbs parsley, finely chopped

1/4 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp mace

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp ground saffron

drizzle of balsamic vinegar

 

1.Take two tablespoons of fish stock, warm it and add the ground saffron to infuse. Set aside.

2. Put the rest of the fish stock into a saucepan and boil it so that it reduces.

3. Melt the butter in a frying pan. Add the onions and fry until soft and translucent.

4. Cut the eel into pieces (or gobouns!) and fry it in the butter until golden brown. Remove the eel and set aside on a warm plate.

5. Add the wine (or beer), bring to the boil for a couple of minutes. Reduce to a simmer.

6. Add the cloves, mace, pepper and the saffron-infused fish stock. Simmer and reduce.

7. Pour the fish sauce over the eel. Serve drizzled with balsamic vinegar.

Oysters in Gravy Bastard

 

Our Verdict: Eat oysters kilpatrick and drink beer!

Bollock Broth

 

Our Verdict: Not bad! We felt it was better with white wine than with beer.