Sauce Madame

Goose with Sauce Madame is a medieval recipe of roasted goose stuffed with quince, pears and grapes. Once cooked, the stuffing is then blended with wine and spices to make the fruity sauce. The effect was so impressive that the whole dish -- goose and sauce -- was known as sauce madame.

Traditionally, geese were eaten during Whitsun celebrations in May, at Michaelmas on 29 September and at Christmas. The birds were usually reared in Lincolnshire and East Anglia and then driven on foot to London markets.

Note: ysope = hyssop

This is an excerpt from Forme of Cury (England, 1390)

Sawse Madame. XXX. Take sawge. persel. ysope. and saueray. quinces. and peeres, garlek and Grapes. and fylle the gees þerwith. and sowe the hole þat no grece come out. and roost hem wel. and kepe the grece þat fallith þerof. take galytyne and grece and do in a possynet, whan the gees buth rosted ynowh; take an smyte hem on pecys. and þat tat is withinne and do it in a possynet and put þerinne wyne if it be to thyk. do þerto powdour of galyngale. powdour douce and salt and boyle the sawse and dresse þe Gees in disshes and lay þe sowe onoward.

Sauce Madame: Take sage, parsley, hyssop and savoury, quinces and pears, garlic and grapes, and stuff the geese with them. Sew the hole so that no grease comes out, and roast them well, and keep the dripping that falls from them. Take galyntyne [sauce or jelly of meat juices] and grease and add to a posset [see note below]; when the geese be roasted enough, take and smite [cut] them into pieces, and that which is within and add to a posset and put wine in it if it be too thick. Add powder of galingale, powder-douce and salt, and boil the sauce and dress the geese in dishes and put the sauce on them.

Note: A posset was a British hot drink of milk curdled with wine or ale, often spiced, which was popular from medieval times to the 19th century. In 14th- and 15th-century cookery manuals, a possibly-related word spelled variously "possenet", "postnet", or "posnet" is used to mean a small pot or saucepan. (wikipedia)

This is an excerpt from Fourme of Curye [Rylands MS 7] (England, 1390)

.xxx. Sauce madame. Tak sauge, persel, ysop. & saveray quinces, perus, garlek, & grapes & fylle the gees therwith & sowe the hole that no grece come out & rost hem wel & kepe the grece that fallith ther of, tak galentyne & grece & do in a possinet, whan the gees beth rosted y nowhgh, tak & smyte hem on pecys, and tak that is withinne & do hit in a possenet, & put therinne wyne if hit be to thick, do therto poudour of galyngale, poudour douce & salt, & boyle the sauce & dresse the geese in dishes & lay the sew onoward.

This is an excerpt from Liber cure cocorum [Sloane MS 1986] (England, 1430)

Sawce madame. Take sawge, persoly, ysope, saveray, Onyons gode, peres, garlek, I say, And grapes. go fille þy gose þenne And sew þy hole, no grece oute renne. Lay hur to fyre and rost hyr browne, And kepe þo grece þat falles doune. Take galingale and þo grece þat renne, Do hit in posnet, as I þe kenne. Whenne þo gose is rostyd, take hir away, Smyte hir in pesys, I þe pray. Þat is within, þou schalle take oute, Kest in þy posnet with outene doute. 3if hit is thyke do þerto wyne, And powder of galingale þat is fyne, And powder dowce and salt also. Boyle alle togeder er þou fyr go, In a dysshe þy gose þou close Þe sawce abofe, as I suppose.

This is an excerpt from Thomas Awkbarow's Recipes (MS Harley 5401) (England, 15th century)

Sauce Madame. Recipe sauge, percely, ysop & saueray, quyncis, gode perys, & garlic, & put in þe gosse, & sew þe hole agayn þat no grece go oute; & roste it & leye þe grece þat drops fro þe sawce & etc.

This is an excerpt from A Noble Boke off Cookry (England, 1468)

To mak sauce madame tak the tharmes of a gose and slit them and shave them clene then tak the gossern the wings the skyn and the soule of the gose and put them all in a pot with mynced onyons mynced wardens and grapes rostid then rost hir and smyt hir in peces and lay here in a chargiour and put the farser in a pot put ther to wyn and sesson it up with pouder and salt and venygar and thou wilt thou may tak yolks of egges sodene herd and cromyd smalle and put ther to and let it be salt and pour it on the peces and serue it.

Recipes with similar titles:

This is an excerpt from Ancient Cookery [Arundel 334] (England, 1425)

Sauce Madame. Take sauge and parsel, ysope, and saveray, and qwynses [quinces], and gode percs pared, and cut hom and garlyk and grapes; then take gees clene wasshen, and fyl the gees therwythe, and sowe wel the hole that no grees go oute, and rost horn wel, and kepe the gresc clene that droppes in the rostynge ; then take galentyne and the grees of the gees, and do hit in a postenet [pipkin]; and when the gees byn ynough, take hom of the fpitte and smyte hom on peces, and take that that is within smal hewen, and do it in the postenet; and do therto a litel wyn and raisynges of corance, and pouder of gynger and of canel, and let hit boyle, then dresse thi gees in platers, and poure the sauce above, and serve hit forthe.

Modern interpretation:
from http://medievalcookery.com/

This recipe is meant to be used for goose, though it works quite well with chicken - in fact, I like it better with chicken than goose. The fruit that was used as a stuffing during roasting becomes a sort of sauce or chutney for the meat.

1 roasting chicken, approx 4 lbs.
1 pear
1 quince
1 cup grapes
1 Tbsp. parsley
1 tsp. sage
1/2 tsp. savory
1 clove garlic

2 Tbsp. pan drippings from the chicken
2 Tbsp. wine
1/2 tsp. powder douce
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. galingale

Place whole chicken in a large roasting pan - preferably one with a cover.

Peel, core, and chop the quince and pear into quarter inch pieces. Parboil them until just tender and drain. The original recipe does not say to do this, but I find that the quince and sometimes the pear don't get cooked enough while the chicken is being roasted. If the pear is soft and ripe enough to eat raw then don't parboil it with the quince.

Place fruit, herbs, and spices into a large bowl and mix well. Stuff into the chicken, cover, and roast at 350° until done - about 2 hours.

Remove fruit from chicken and place in a saucepan over medium heat. Add drippings from chicken, wine, powder douce, salt, and galingale. Cook until heated through. Serve hot.