Poume d'oranges
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PERIOD: England, 13th century | SOURCE: B. L. Additional 32085 | CLASS: Authentic
DESCRIPTION: Pork meatballs made to resemble oranges

ORIGINAL RECEIPT:

1. Poume d'oranges. Ceo est une viaunde ke est apelé pomme de oranges. Pernez char de porc, ne mye trop gras ne trop megre, e festes couper creu, e festes braer en un morter, e metez dedenz le moel de l'oef cru; e pernez le bro, si festes boiller; e puys pernez le blaunc de l'oef e oyngnez vos meinz; e puys pernez hors la char e festes roundes soelez cume oingnun, taunt come vos volez, e festes boiller en cel bro; e puys pernez les hors e metez chescun parmy une broche ke nul ne tuche autre; e puys metez au feu pur rostir; e pernez deus esqueles, e metez le blaunc en une esquele e le moel, e festes oyndre les poumes kaunt it sunt charnis parmy; e pernez sucre e jetez desus kaunt il sunt tret hors de la broche; e puys dressez.

TRANSLATION FROM "TWO ANGLO-NORMAN CULINARY COLLECTIONS:"

1. Oranges. This is a dish which is called "oranges." Take pork, neither too fat nor too lean, and cut it up raw; grind it in a mortar and add raw egg yolk; then take broth and bring it to a boil; then take the white of an egg and rub it on your hands; then take out the meat and make round balls, like an onion, as many as you wish, and boil them in the broth; then take them out and arrange on spits so that they are not touching and put them to roast on the fire; and take two dishes and put the white of an egg in one and the yolk (in the other) and coat the "oranges" when they are rolled therein; take sugar and sprinkle it over them when they are removed from the spit, and then serve.
- Hieatt, Constance B. and Robin F. Jones. "Two Anglo-Norman Culinary Collections Edited from British Library Manuscripts Additional 32085 and Royal 12.C.xii." Speculum vol. 61, issue 4 (Oct. 1986): 859-882.

Combine the pork and egg yolks into a malleable mass - use approx. 4-5 egg yolks for every pound of meat. (Since modern tastes prefer salt & pepper, you may add these at this time if you wish.) The mixture should be the proper consistency with which to make meatballs.

Bring the broth to a soft boil.

Have a bowl of egg whites next to you while you make the meatballs. Dip your hands in the egg white before making each ball, which should be the size of an orange, or an oingnun, an onion. Or, if you prefer, make the meatballs and dip each one in the egg white just before boiling.

Gently boil the meatballs in the broth until just done. Remove and drain.

If it is possible for you to spit roast the meatballs, in a rotisserie or a modern oven, then do so, placing the meat on your skewers, leaving a slight gap between each ball - they must not be touching or you will have difficulty in thoroughly coloring them later on. Roast until they are just beginning to brown.

If you cannot spit roast, place the meatballs on a baking sheet and roast in an oven until they are just beginning to brown.

Thoroughly coat the meatballs in egg white. If using skewers, either dip & roll them in egg white, still on the skewer, or use a pastry brush to paint on the egg; if using a baking sheet, dip each meatball in egg or use a pastry brush.

Return to the heat just long enough for the egg white to set and turn white; this will take only half a minute or so. DO not overcook the white, as it will turn brown. This makes the inner white coating of the orange peel.

Now coat the meatballs in the egg yolk, the same manner in which you did the whites. (For a brighter, deeper orange color, add a few drops of yellow food coloring to the yolks.) Return to the heat just long enough for the egg yolk to set; again, this will take only half a minute or so. DO not overcook, as the yolk will turn brown and spoil the effect.

Remove the "oranges" from the skewers or baking sheets, sprinkle on a little sugar, & serve.

Serve with Blaunche escrepes (white crêpes).

Similar Recipe

Two fifteenth-century cookery-books (c. 1430)

lvj. Poumes.—Take fayre buttys of Vele & hewe hem, and grynd hem in a morter, & wyth þe ȝolkys of eyroun, & with þe whyte of eyroun; an caste þer-to powder Pepyr, Canel, Gyngere, Clowys powþer, & datys y-mynced, Safroun, & raysonys of Coraunce, an sethe in a panne wyth fayre water, an let it boyle; þan wete þin handys in Raw eyroun, þan take it an rolle it in þin hondys, smaller or gretter, as þow wolt haue it, an caste it in-to boyling water, an let boyle y-now; þan putte it on a Spete round, an lete hem rosty; þen take flowre an ȝolkys of eyroun, an þe whyte, an draw hem þorwe a straynowre, an caste þer-to pouder Gyngere, an make þin*. [Thine. ] bature grene with þe Ius of Percely, or Malwys, in tyme of ȝere Whete, an caste on þe pommys as þey turne a-boute, & serue forth.

46 - Poumes - Take fair butts of veal and hew them, and grind them in a mortar, and with the yolks of eggs, and with the white of eggs; and caste there-to powder pepper, cinnamon, ginger, clove powder, and dates minced, saffron, and raisons of Corrance, and boil in a pan with fair water, and let it boil; then wet your hands in raw egg, then take it and roll it (the meat) in your hands, smaller or greater, as you will have it, and cast it into boiling water, and let boil enough; then put it on a spit round, and let them roast; then take flour and yolks of eggs, and the white, and draw them through a strainer, and caste there-to powder ginger, and make thine batter green with the juice of parsely or mallow, in time of year wheat, and caste on the dumplings (pommys) as they turn about, and serve forth.

Forme of Cury (England, 1390)

XLII - FOR TO MAKE POMMEDORRY. Tak Buff and hewe yt smal al raw and cast yt in a morter and grynd yt nozt to smal tak safroun and grynd therewyth wan yt ys grounde tak the wyte of the eyryn zyf yt be nozt styf. Cast into the Buf pouder of Pepyr olde resyns and of coronse set over a panne wyth fayr water and mak pelotys of the Buf and wan the water and the pelots ys wel yboylyd and set yt adoun and kele yt and put yt on a broche and rost yt and endorre yt wyth zolkys ofeyryn and serve yt forthe.

Liber cure cocorum [Sloane MS 1986] (England, 1430)

For powme dorrys. Take porke and grynde hit rawe, I kenne, Temper hit with swongen egges. þenne Kast powder to make hit on a balle. In playand water þou kast hit schalle To harden, þenne up þou take, Enbroche hit fayre for goddes sake. Endore hit with 3olkes of egges þen With a fedyr at fyre, as I þe kenne. Bothe grene and rede þow may hit make With iuse of herb3 I undertake. Halde under a dysshe þat no3t be lost, More honest hit is as þou wele wost.

A Noble Boke off Cookry (England, 1468)

To mak pomes tak and grind raw pork and temper them with swonge egges caft ther to good poudurs and [quere, rolle omitted?] it in a balle and lay it in boillinge water to hardyn then tak it up and endore it with yolks of eggs and ye may make it grene or red with juce of erbes and serue it