Bryndons

This recipe contains an early reference to cakes (cakys) although here "cakys" are fried pieces of dough that have a fruit sauce poured over them.

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

DESCRIPTION: Small cakes in a sauce of wine, fruit, and nuts

ORIGINAL RECEIPT:

.xlix. Bryndons. Take Wyn, & putte in a potte, an clarifyd hony, an Saunderys, pepir, Safroun, Clowes, Maces, & Quybibys, & mynced Datys, Pynys and Roysonys of Corauns, & a lytil Vynegre, & sethe it on þe fyre; an sethe fygys in Wyne, & grynde hem, & draw hem þorw a straynoure, & caste þer-to, an lete hem boyle alle to-gederys; þan take fayre flowre, Safroun, Sugre, & Fayre Water, and make þer-of cakys, and let hem be þinne Inow; þan kyte hem y lyke lechyngys, an caste hem in fayre Oyle, and fry hem a lytil whyle; þanne take hem owt of þe panne, an caste in-to a vesselle with þe Syrippe, & so serue hem forth, þe bryndonys an þe Sirippe, in a dysshe; & let þe Sirippe be rennyng, & not to styf.

- 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.

GODE COOKERY TRANSLATION:

Bryndons. Take wine, & put in a pot, and clarified honey, sandalwood, pepper, saffron, cloves, mace, & cubebs, & minced dates, pine nuts and currants, & a little vinegar, & boil it on the fire; and boil figs in wine, & grind them, & pass through a strainer & add, and boil all together; then take flour, saffron, sugar, & water, and make cakes, and make sure they're thin; then cut them in thin slices, and put in oil, and fry a little while; then take them out of the pan, and place in a dish with the syrup, and so serve it, the Bryndons and the syrup, in a dish; & make sure the syrup is runny, & not too stiff.

MODERN RECIPE:

4 1/2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup (or more) cold water
few drops yellow food-coloring
1/4 tsp. salt
vegetable oil
1 bottle (750 mll) of an inexpensive sweet red wine
1 1/2 cups honey
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
few drops red food coloring
1 tsp. each pepper, cloves, & mace
1/2 cup each chopped dates, currants, & pine nuts (or slivered almonds)
1 cup figs, diced

Simmer the figs in a little wine; set aside. Bring the wine & honey to a boil; reduce heat and skim off the scum until clean. Add the vinegar, red coloring, pepper, cloves, mace, fruits, figs, & nuts, return to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer.

In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, & salt. Dye the water yellow with a few drops of coloring, then slowly work into the flour enough of the water to make a smooth dough, similar to pie pastry. Roll out on a floured board, then cut in strips about 1 inch wide and 4 inches long. In a deep skillet or pan, fry the strips in oil until lightly browned and very crisp. Drain. Place the cakes on a serving platter, then spoon on the fruits & nuts, being generous with the syrup. The yellow cakes and the red topping make an interesting contrast in colors, and the wine will soften the cakes.

Similar Recipes

Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books (England, 1430)

Prenade. (Note: Called Brewes in D)--Take wyn, and put hit in a potte, and clarefied honey, sawndres, pouder of peper, Canel, Clowes, Maces, Saffron, pynes, myced dates, and reysons, And cast thereto a litul vinegre, and sette hit ouer the fire, and lete hit boyle; and seth figges in wyn and grynde hem, and draw hem thorgh a streynour, and cast thereto, and let boile al togidre. And then take floure, saffron, sugur, and faire water, and make faire kakes, and late hem be thyn ynogh; And then kutte hem like losinges; And then caste hem in faire oyle, and fry hem a litul while; And then take hem vp oute of the pan, and caste hem to the wessell with the sirippe, altogidre, in a dissh; And therefore thi sirripe most be rennyng ynow, and no3t to stiff; and so serue it forth fore a good potage, in faire disshes all hote.

A Noble Boke off Cookry (England, 1468)

To mak Breney, put wyne in a pot and clarified hony saunders canelle peper clowes maces pynes dates mynced raissins of corans put ther to vinegar and sett it on the fyer. and let it boile then sethe fegges in wyne grind them and draw them through a strener and cast ther to and let them boile to gedur then tak flour saffron sugur and faire water and mak ther of faire cakes and let them be thyne then cut them bigge lassengis wise and fry them in oile a stonding sewe for sopers and strawe ther on annes in comfets and serue it.

Breney (fruit compote or potage)
from http://medievalcookery.com/greneboke/

This recipe is a period version of our modern "fruit salsa and cinnamon chips." The result resembles that of a fruit compote with sweet chips.

Fruit

1 cup red wine
6 figs
1 cup red wine
1/2 cup minced dates
1/4 cup curants
1/4 cup chopped pine nuts
2 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. mace
1/4 tsp sandalwood

Chips

2 cups flour
2 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp lard
1 1/2 tsp water
Oil
Anise in comfit

Cook figs in 1 c. wine until the wine has boiled down into a syrup. Once cooked, grind figs into a paste. Put all other ingredients to cook, and add figs. Simmer until mixture has thickened.

Mix flour, eggs, lard and water. The dough should be fairly dry, though you can add more water if necessary. Roll dough out as thin as you can and cut into diamond shaped pieces and fry. Sprinkle anise in comfit over fried dough. (*Sugar can be substituted for anise in comfit)

*Please note. The original recipe calls only for water, sugar, and flour for the chips. This recipe would have most likely been eaten during lent and therefore would not have included any animal products. In the interest of making this recipe more palatable, I based the chip recipe on another similar recipe from period, which is included at the end of this text.

Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books, T. Austin

Cruste Rolle. Take fayre smal Flowre of whete; nym Eyroun & breke þer-to, & coloure þe past with Safroun; rolle it on a borde also þinne as parchement, rounde a-bowte as an oblye;*. [Oble, sacramental wafer.] frye hem, & serue forth; and þus may do in lente, but do away þe Eyroun, & nym mylke of Almaundys, & frye hem in Oyle, & þen serue forth.

Diuersa Cibaria in Curye on Inglysch, C. Hieatt, C. Butler (eds.)

Anoþur mete þat hatte cresterole. Nim flour of corne and ayren & make past, icoloured wyþ saffron þe halue dole þe past, & þe halue dole qwyttl & soþþe rolle on a bord ase þunne ase parchemin, & rolle tounde al aboutee as a kake; & make ase wel in leynteen ase in oþur tyme, wyþ alemauns in oile ifried.