SC - Byzantine Bread Stamps

[Decker, Terry D.]

Allison writes, and Adamantius responds:

>  > >>an than dresse   it on a dysshe in maner of mortrewys.<<
>  > 
>  > This, I find interesting.  When I think of a mortrews, and of those I've
>  > made, they are more like stiff meat pastes.  What do folks think the cook
>  > means, to serve the boiled cream in the manner of mortrews?
>  > 
>  > This cream should be in a small pudding dish, if I'm reading the recipe
>  > and preparation correctly.
>  > 
>  > Regards,
>  > Allison,     allilyn at juno.com
>  
>  Lok that it be stondyng.
>  
>  Adamantius

I have been serving dishes "in manner of mortrewes", by molding them and 
turning them out for serving.  There is do direct evidence for this in the 
recipes themselves, but in _Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery Books_ , the 
recipes that call for serving in manner of mortrewes (fride creme of 
almaundys (p. 7), creme boylede (p. 8), tayloures, (p. 15), mortrewes itself 
(p. 70), blamanger (p. 85), and others), are to be made "thikke".  Now I know 
this is not proof, only justification, but modern blancmange is a molded dish 
made or flavoured with almonds.  The medieval blamanger mentioned above 
featured almonds as a key ingredient.  Might it also have been molded?  And 
might serving a thick dish molded be "manner of mortrewes"?  I admit this is 
conjecture upon conjecture, but it can easily be done without deviating from 
the source recipes one jot.  (Besides, serving an elegant, garnished mold to 
the table looks nice.)

Rudd Rayfield