Hennes in Bruette

15th Century Reciept For "Chykonys In Bruette," 1430 A.D. (Harleian MS. 279)

Chicken In Bruette (or Bruet) is a medieval broth or meat cooked in a broth, but do note it is generally thicker than a normal broth. Most of the recipes use an ale broth thickened with breadcrumbs. This is great as a side dish to a platter of roast meats etc. and it is very easy to prepare. In a medieval feast several of these types of dishes would be placed at the table at once (within a course) and would be served with wooden spoons on to the trencher, (a bread plate).

The idea of having several dishes at once on a table to choose from, to ‘try a little bit of this and a little bit of that’ stays with us even today when we cook a large dinner or feast, and the numerous dishes and side-dishes which fill the table, particularly around Easter, Christmas and Thanks-giving. This Bruette would certainly be a great addition to those occasions, the yellow-golden colour from the saffron really enhancing the look of it.

Taillevent's Viandier (around 1300)

This recipe is for comparison. The broth in this recipe is thickened with almonds whereas those below are thickened with breadcrumbs.

To Make White Brewet Of Capons
Or poultry or veal, it is best to boil it and take the broth, once it is cooked, and to put it aside. Blanch the almonds, and crush them, and soak them in the broth of the poultry, capons or veal, and then strain the almonds through a cheesecloth, and take a reasonable quantity of powdered white ginger, and infuse with verjuice and white wine, and put a large quantity of large lumps of sugar to boil. When it is boiled, put the broth separately in a nice pot and also the meats (that is, the poultry, capon or veal), and, when serving it, put your meats in a dish with your broth.

Forme of Cury (1390)

VII - HENNYS IN BRUET. Schullyn be scaldyd and sodyn (boiled; soaked) wyth porke and grynd pepyr and comyn (cumin) bred and ale and temper it wyth the selve broth and boyle and colowre it wyth safroun and salt it and messe it forthe.

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

lxxxxvij - Chykonys in bruette. Take an Sethe Chykonys, and smyte hem to gobettys; than take Pepir, Gyngere, an Brede y-grounde, and temper it vppe wyth the self brothe, an with Ale; an coloure it with Safroun, an sethe an serue forth.

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

lxv - Hennys in bruette. Take the hennys, and skalde hem, and ope hem, and wasshe hem clene, and smyte hem to gobettys, and sethe hem wyth fayre porke; than take Pepyr, Gyngere, and Brede, y-grounde y-fere, and temper it vppe with the same brothe, or ale draft, and coloure it with Safroun, and sethe it to-gederys, and serue forth.

Liber cure cocorum [Sloane MS 1986] (1430)

Chekyns in browet. Take chekyns, scalde hom fayre and clene. Take persole, sauge, oþer herb3, grene Grapus, and stope (stuffed?) þy chekyns with wynne. Take goode brothe, sethe hom þerinne, So þat þay sone boyled may be. Coloure þe brothe with safrone fre, And cast þeron powder dowce, For to be served in goode mennys howse (men's house).

Liber cure cocorum [Sloane MS 1986] (1430)

Hennes in brewes. With porke þou sethe þo henne fatte, Grynde brede and peper and be not batte. And comyne (cumin) also þou schalle grynde, Seson hom with ale, þat is hor kynde. With þo brothe of hennes þou temper hit shalle, Boyle hit, coloure hit, salt hit withalle. Serve hom forthe, as þou may see, Þese er hennes in browet, levys þou me.

A Noble Boke off Cookry (England, 1468)

To mak hennes in Bruet sethe hennes and freche pork to gedure then grind pepper bred and comyne and sesson it and temper it with the hennes brothe boile it and colour it with saffron salt it and serue it.