Pies of Parys

Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books, Harleian MS 4016, c. 1450, as redacted in Pleyn Delit

Pies of Parys. Take and smyte faire buttes of porke and buttes of vele togidre, and put hit in a faire potte. And putte thereto faire broth, And a quantitie of Wyne, And lete all boile togedidre til hit be ynogh; And then take hit fro the fire, and lete kele a litel, an cast ther-to raw yolkes of eyren, and pouudre of gyngeuere, sugre, and salt, and mynced dates, reseyns of corence; make then coffyns of feyre past, and do it ther-ynne, and keuere it & lete bake y-nogh.

Pastry for a 9-inch pie pan (top and bottom) or ca 24 tart shells
1 1/2 pounds mixed ground meat, including at least two of pork, veal, beef
1 cup each meat stock or broth, red wine
3 egg yolks or 1 whole egg plus one yolk
1/2 tsp. each ginger, sugar, and salt
1/4 cup each minced dates, currants
optional: pinch of ground pepper or cubebs, and/or mace, ground clove

Put the ground raw meat in a saucepan and cover with the wine and water; bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Then drain all the cooking juices into a heatproof container, setting aside the meat. Let the cooking liquid cool (preferably in the refrigerator or freezer) until you can remove all the fat from the top.

When you are ready to assemble the pie, line a pie dish with pastry. Then bring the defatted juices to a boil; beat the egg yolks (or egg and yolk) in a bowl and beat in a littleof the hot (but not quite boiling) stock. Beat in the rest, still off the heat; then mix together meat, dried fruits, spices, and sauce and stir over low heat for a few minutes to thicken slightly. Put in the prepared pie shell and cover with a top crust (unless you are making individual tarts). Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 1 hour (less for individual tarts). As the mixture may tend to be pretty sloppy at first, be sure to slit the top crust to allow steam to escape; and it may also be wise to put a cookie sheet or a piece of foil under the pie pan.

A Noble Boke off Cookry (England, 1468)

To mak pyes of pairis tak and smyt fair buttes of pork and buttes of vele and put it to gedure in a pot with freshe brothe and put ther to a quantite of wyne and boile it tille it be enoughe then put it in to a treene vesselle and put ther to raw yolks of eggs pouder of guinger sugur salt and mynced dates and raissins of corans and mak a good thyn paiste and mak coffyns and put it ther in and bak it welle and serue it.