Tag Archives: medieval

Medieval Black Pepper Sauce

Poivre Noir : Black Pepper Sauce

ORIGINAL RECEIPT:

165. Poivre noir: Black Pepper Sauce. Grind ginger, round pepper and burnt toast, infuse this in vinegar (var.: and a little verjuice) and boil it.  – Le Viandier de Taillevent, 14th century

This recipe makes a lovely, rich sauce that pairs well with robust red meats, such as venison, boar, and beef.  The quantities of ingredients can be tweaked to make the sauce thicker or thinner to your preference, and you should also feel free to adjust the amount of pepper to taste.  The tartness of the vinegar might surprise you on first taste, but after a little acclimation, we think you’ll like it as much as we do.  The charred tasted of the bread combined with the bite of the pepper rounds out the flavor sensations that go with this sauce.

Ingredients

  • 1 slice bread, toasted until black
  • 1/3 cup verjuice, or equal parts cider vinegar and water
  • 1 Tbs. wine vinegar
  • 1 Tbs. ground black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
Soak the burned bread in the liquid until it has fallen apart; mash with a fork.  Stir in the spices and slowly bring to a boil.  For a thinner sauce, add more liquid; for a smoother version, press through a sieve.

Cold Fruit Soup

“There were great joints of aurochs roasted with leeks, venison pies chunky with carrots, bacon, and mushrooms, mutton chops sauced in honey and cloves, savory duck, peppered boar, goose, skewers of pigeon and capon, beef-and-barley stew, cold fruit soup.” -A Clash of Kings

Medieval Fruit Soup

Medieval Cold Fruit Soup

Our Thoughts:

On first taste, the medieval soup comes across with just a strong honey taste.  The color tells one’s brain to expect a different flavor, a strawberry, perhaps, but once over that initial surprise, you can begin to really appreciate it for its own merits.  With a little  cinnamon on top, the soup reminded us of a candied apple, yet the almond milk lends it just a bit of exoticness.

This recipe, along with the modern version, is available in the Cookbook.

Plum Wine

The Queen took a flagon of sweet plum wine from a passing servant girl and filled Sansa’s cup.  “Drink,” she commanded coldly. “Perhaps it will give you courage to deal with truth for a change.” (II: 621)

Sweet Plum Wine

Our thoughts:

Your first sip of this wine will make you feel like you’ve been punched in the face by a plum, in a good way.  The first sensation is of biting through the skin of a plum, a little coarse, then a burst of flavor.  There then follows a quick whirl of tart-sweet-tart, followed by a lingering taste of pure dark plum.  It feels as though it should be a heavy wine, but is surprisingly light, and would be perfect for summer picnics.

For our plum wine, we selected a local variety from Nashoba Vineyards.  Highly recommended!

Poached Pears from Highgarden

“The war had not touched the fabled bounty of Highgarden.  While singers sang and tumblers tumbled, they began with pears poached in wine…” -A Clash of Kings

Modern Poached Pears

Thoughts:

These are utterly delicious.  

Imbued with a vibrant pink color from the wine, the medieval pears have a soft, warm texture, and aren’t overly sweet.  The taste is reminiscent of mulled wine, redolent with spices.  This is an authentically medieval dessert that will transport you to a seat at a long trestle table in a huge stone hall, with hounds fighting for scraps in the corner, and the buzz of mead-inspired conversation all around.

The modern recipe produces an absolutely exquisite dessert. The caramel sauce  is warm and gooey, and somehow gives the impression of butter and spices that aren’t actually there, all of which is underlain by the subtlest of orange flavors. It tastes of autumn, of crisp days spent in an orchard, and evenings in by the fire.

Both of these recipes are winners, and can be found in the Cookbook.

Salladhor Saan’s shipboard Dinner

“Salladhor Saan got to his feet.  ‘My pardons.  These grapes have given me a hunger, and dinner awaits on my Valyrian.  Minced lamb with pepper and roasted gull stuffed with mushrooms and fennel and onion.” (II: 115)

Medieval Lamb Meatballs and Modern Roasted “Gull”

Our Thoughts:

This is a really nice, comparatively easy meal.  The lamb meatballs are simply made, soft and spicy.  Because they only have pepper in them, the delicious flavor unique to lamb really comes through.  The eggplant puree only adds to the experience of the meatballs.  In the “gull” corner, the stuffing is what really makes it special.  The fennel stays a little crunchy, providing a nice textural counterpoint to the flavor combo of the other ingredients.  Pop a few grapes for dessert, and you’ll be feasting like a pirate king.

Make it at Home!

Spiced Plum Mousse w/Honey

I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox 

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast 

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold

-William Carlos Williams, 1934

Thoughts:

Ohmygoodness, but this is GOOD.  Like, crazy delicious.  This is an instant favorite, and will probably be made several times during every holiday season for the rest of our lives.  The recipe is simple, the texture is smooth, and the flavor can’t be beat. The strong spice mixture leaves just a slight tingle on the lips. And with the onset of summer, and with it fresh fruits, this dish is a must!

Why it should be in the Next Book:

Didn’t you read that?  Or look at the photo?  This is a phenomenally good dish, one that is authentically medieval, yet interesting and exotic enough that any character in Westeros would be delighted to partake.  We imagine it in Highgarden, down on The Arbor, or over in Pentos.

 

Spiced Plum Mousse with Honey- Recipe

Take bolas and scald hem with wyne, and drawe hem thorow a straynour; do hem in a pot.  Clarify hony, and therto with powdour fort and flour of rys.  Salt it & florissh it with whyte aneys, & serve it forth. -Forme of Cury, 1390

Prep time: 15 minutes     Cook time: 10 minutes

Makes around 4 servings

Cook’s Notes: Yellow plums and white wine yield a golden-colored mousse, while purple plums and a red form a quite different but equally delicious mousse.  We opted to leave the anise out of our mousse, but have included it in the ingredients to keep consistent with the original recipe.  We also think that some candied orange peel garnish would be a fantastic addition to this dish.

Ingredients:

  • ~1 pound of plums, purple or yellow
  • 1 1/3 cups wine, red for purple plums, white for yellow plums (we used a syrah)
  • 4 Tbs. honey
  • 1 Tbs. rice flour
  • pinch of salt
  • pinch of Powder Forte (see below)
  • 1 Tbs. candied anise seeds (optional)

Candied anise seeds can be purchased inexpensively in Indian groceries or, at great cost, in fancy French groceries as anis de Flavigny.

Wash and pit the plums, cutting them in half, or pieces. Meanwhile, bring the wine to the boil in a stainless steel or other nonreactive pan. Add the plums and simmer for about 5 minutes or until the plums are very soft. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the wine.

Press the plums through a sieve into a heavy saucepan. Place this saucepan over low heat and stir in the honey. Stir the rice flour into the 1/4 cup of the reserved wine, then stir this mixture into the plum puree and add the salt and spices. Cook over low heat for about 10 minutes, until thickened. Pour into a serving bowl and cool slightly before serving. If you like, decorate with the candied anise seeds just before serving. 

Powder Forte: 
Mix equal parts black pepper, ground nutmeg, and ground cloves.  You may also include long pepper, but it is very hard to come by.  The most determined of cooks may find it in Indian markets.


Salad in Castle Black

“‘From the Lord Commander’s own table,’ Bowen Marsh told them.  There were salads of spinach and chickpeas and turnip greens, and afterward bowls of iced blueberries and sweet cream.” (I: 372)

Medieval-ish Salad

Our thoughts:

This salad is earthy and quite tasty.  The different greens provide a wide variety of flavors; the splash of lemon from the sorrel, the refreshing crispness of the mint, and the classic tangy pairing of oil and vinegar.  That said, we weren’t crazy about the oniony greens in the mix. Our big change? Swap out the mushy chickpeas for the crunchy Middle Eastern snack kind.  Yum!

Make it at Home!

Sansa Salad

“All the while the courses came and went.  A thick soup of barley and venison.  Salads of sweetgrass, spinach, and plums, sprinkled with crushed nuts.” -A Game of Thrones

Medieval-ish Salad

Our Thoughts:

This was a tasty, tasty salad.  All the elements of it work beautifully with one another both texturally and aesthetically.  Pack this for a lunch, or have as a light afternoon meal, and you won’t be disappointed.

Make it at Home!

Leek Soup

“The wedding feast began with a thin leek soup, followed by a salad of green beans, onions, and beets…” -Storm of Swords

Medieval Leek Soup

Thoughts:

This was a simple, tasty recipe pairing.

The medieval leek soup took all of 5 minutes to prepare, and the result was an interesting, tasty broth with a bit of kick.  The pepper and ginger lengthen the feeling of heat in your mouth, transitioning from the temperature of the hot soup to the warm sensation of the spices.

If you were a monk traveling the open road and cooking over campfires, the modern recipe would be your dinner of choice. The citrus flavor makes the soup wonderfully fresh-tasting, perfect for a spring evening with a chunk of sourdough bread. Leeks are a gem of a veg, underused in cooking these days.

Try both recipes and let us know your favorite- viva la leek!

 

Medieval Leek Soup

Take funges and pare hem clene and dyce hem; take leke and shrede hym small and do hym to seeþ in gode broth. Colour it with safroun, and do þerinne powdour fort. -Forme of Curye, ~1390

Ingredients:

  • 1½ handfuls of mushrooms
  • 6 threads saffron (or a pinch of ground saffron)
  • 1 leek
  • ¼ tsp. ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp. ground pepper
  • 2 c beef broth (or chicken broth)
  • ¼ tsp salt

Wash the vegetables; slice the leek finely and dice the mushrooms. Add saffron to the broth and bring it to a boil. Add the leek, mushrooms, and powder fort to the broth, simmer 3-4 minutes, remove from the heat, and serve.We prefer to use beef broth, but it is also good with chicken.

Modern Leek Soup

Ingredients:

  • 3 medium leeks
  • 1 medium carrot
  • 1 stalk celery
  • 4 hand fulls spring greens
  • 1 lemon
  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • 1 litre vegetable stock
  • 2 bay leaves

Trim the green end of the leeks to about 3 inches above the white, and cut root end. At root end, slice a cross to about halfway up the stalks, and rinse. Slice the leeks into thin rings. Melt the butter in a large saucepan and add the leeks. Cover and simmer over a low heat until the leeks are softened, but not colored.

Chop the celery and carrot and add to the pan. Pour in vegetable stock, add bay leaves, salt, and pepper, and leave to simmer for 20 minutes or until veg is soft but sill vibrantly colored.

Rinse the spring greens and shred into thin ribbons.

Grate the lemon zest and drop into thepot with the shredded greens. Simmer for 2-3 minutes until the greens are just tender, juice the lemon into the soup and serve.

White Beans and Bacon

Medieval White Beans and Bacon

“Then came lamprey pie, honeyed ham, buttered carrots, white beans and bacon, and roast swan stuffed with mushrooms and oysters.” (A Clash of Kings)

Modern White Beans and Bacon

Our thoughts:

Both of these recipes are absolutely wonderful. The medieval recipe really soaks up the bacon taste in the beans. Roughly chopped lardons paired with the buttery beans make for a lovely mouthful. The onions offer a bit of caramelized sweetness at the end of every bite.

The modern recipe is incredible. Curly endive is reminiscent of the broccoli rabe when wilted, balanced out phenomenally by the sweetness of the bacon and onions. We could eat this as a meal in itself! These dishes take about 10 minutes to make, and can easily be scaled up for more people.

Beans are indeed the magical fruit.

Get the Recipes!