a definition:

Bore, n.: A person who talks when you wish him to listen.
Ambrose Bierce (1842 - 1914)

EDIEVAL FOODS

Here's a nice light dessert for the holidays.

PERYS EN COMPOSTE

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

DESCRIPTION: Pears in wine and spices

ORIGINAL RECEIPT:

.xxxv. Perys en Composte. Take Wyne an Canel, & a gret dele of Whyte Sugre, an set it on e fyre & hete it hote, but let it nowt boyle, an draw it orwe a straynoure; an take fayre Datys, an pyke owt e stonys, an leche hem alle inne, an caste er-to; anne take Wardonys, an pare hem and sethe hem, an leche hem alle inne, & caste er-to in-to e Syryppe; anne take a lytil Sawnderys, and caste er-to, an sette it on e fyre; an yif ow hast charde quynce, caste er-to in e boyling, an loke at it stonde wyl with Sugre, an wyl lyid wyth Canel, an caste Salt er-to, an let it boyle; an an caste yt on a treen vessel, & lat it kele, and serue forth.

(Remember that the letter "thorn" is similar to our "th." So just substitute "th" wherever you see a thorn () in the text.)

GODE COOKERY TRANSLATION:

Pears in Compote. Take wine and cinnamon, & a great deal of white sugar, and set it on the fire and heat it hot, but don't let boil, and strain; then take fair dates, and pick out the stones, and cut thin, & add; then take pears, and pare them and boil them, and cut them in thin slices, and place in the syrup; then take a little sandalwood, and add, and set it on the fire; and if you have quinces, add them, and look that it stand well with sugar, and well laid with cinnamon, and add salt, and let it boil; and put it in a wooden container, & let it cool, and serve.

MODERN RECIPE:

* 2 cups red wine
* 2 Tbs. cinnamon
* 1 Tbs. sugar
* 1/2 cup sliced dates
* 4-6 pears, peeled, cored, and sliced thin
* pinch salt
* drop or two of red food coloring

Boil the pears until they are tender but not too soft; drain well. In a separate pan heat together the wine, cinnamon, and sugar. Remove from heat, strain the mixture to remove the cinnamon (I recommend using a sieve or China cap lined with cheesecloth or paper towels), then return to the fire. When hot, add the dates, pears, salt, and food coloring. Bring to a boil, allow to cook together for several minutes, then remove from heat. Place pears and wine in a wooden dish and allow to cool slightly before serving.

Our modern pears, which can be purchased fresh from the grocery store, are softer & sweeter than the type available to the Medieval cook, and don't need to be boiled to soften before cutting; I also find cutting cooked, soft pears a little inconvenient. To "pare" (from the Latin parare - to prepare) means to either "pare" (remove outer skin) or "to prepare;" I have thus chosen "to prepare" my pears by slicing before boiling.

Composte is an Old French word meaning "stewed fruit." (Which has been taken into English as "compote." I make a stewed dried fruit compote every now and then. A dish, usually footed, is called a "compote," was originally used for serving cooked fruit compotes or for arrangements of fresh fruit. Ed. Ruth)

Wardonys were a type of English pear common in the Middle Ages - feel free to substitute any slightly hard, not-too-sweet variety.

Sawnderys, or sandalwood, was used primarily by Medieval cooks as a red food dye. It can taste rather nasty if not used properly, and is only recommend for authenticity's sake. Red food coloring is much cheaper and easier to find.

© James Matterer 2001

from Good Cokery website: http://www.godecookery.com

A FEW THOUGHTS FROM THE EDITOR (me, Ruth)

The leaves are well gone now, and cold rains, sleet, and even snow have already lashed some folks. But November isn't all about cold rains and sleet. There are many days of high overcasts and hazy sun, and even bright sunlight now and then.

Late October and the first weeks of November were prime backpacking days when I was in The North. Nature was just holding her breath, waiting for the blasts of winter. It was calm and quiet in the woods. You could see for great distances through the leafless trees and the forests had a whole new look. Summer's heat was gone. The bugs had all disappeared with the first frost. A carpet of newly fallen leaves stirred when we walked and gave a softness to our beds on the ground.

I remember one late fall trip when we had walked in grayness for a couple of days, a nice, quiet, breathless, grayness. Then one morning we crawled out of our tents into blazing warm sunshine. It was almost like reincarnation! We threw off our heavy coats, waved our arms, and almost danced down the trail in this last touch of summer.

Another trip in the gray of late fall opened the door to winter. A first snowfall came down during the night, covering the whole campsite like whipped cream had been spooned over it. I was in a bivouac bag snoozing away, not in a tent, and the others couldn't find me. From their tent doors, they called my name, along with selected epithets, until I moved. None of us came out of our shelters for a little while; we just admired and talked about the sight. The first snow of winter is a magical snow. There is sudden beauty in the snow-decorated woods and an icy cleanness in the air. We were as taken by the snow as we had been by the sunshine another year.

Out of the bosom of the Air,
Out of the cloud-folds her garments shaken,
Over the woodland brown and bare,
Over the harvest-fields forsaken,
Silent and soft and slow
Descends the snow.

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

R

And, as always, tell your aunts, uncles, cousins and friends about the novels of Clovenstone Chronicles. Give them an adventure!

Good Fate Be Yours —
Ruth

All art work and text © copyrighted by Ruth McIntyre-Williams unless otherwise noted.

ice photo (Samhuinn) courtesy Prostock Photos

medieval woodcut courtesy GodeCookery.com