SC - Creme Bastarde

[Cindy M. Renfrow]

>>I'm sure it was good with strawberries, but has anybody tried this as
>>the recipe suggests, as a pottage, or, I assume, a filling for tarts?

>>I've never made this myself; don't the egg whites curdle?

>>Adamantius

Hello!  Yes, IMO the egg whites should curdle, since we're instructed to
boil the whites with milk.  The whites clot, and then you strain it through
a strainer to make it smoother.  My adaptation came out somewhat like
tapioca pudding in consistency.  It's a good pottage, but I haven't tried
it as tart filling. I added currants (as an option) to make it 'poignant',
since the recipe does not specify how we're to make this sweet dish
'poignant'.  Harl. MS. 4016, Fried creme de almondes, hides currants in
almond cream.


"Harleian MS. 279 - Potage Dyvers

Clj.  Creme Bastarde.  Take [th]e whyte of Eyroun a grete hepe, & putte it
on a panne ful of Mylke, & let yt boyle; [th]en sesyn it so with Salt an
hony a lytel, [th]en lat hit kele, & draw it [th]orw a straynoure, an take
fayre Cowe mylke an draw yt with-all, & seson it with Sugre, & loke [th]at
it be poynant & doucet:  & serue it forth for a potage, or for a gode Bakyn
mete, wheder [th]at [th]ou wolt.

151.  Creme Bastarde.  Take the white of Eggs a great heap, & put it in a
pan full of Milk, & let it boil; then season it so with Salt and honey a
little, then let it cool, & draw it through a strainer, and take fair Cow's
milk and draw it withal, & season it with Sugar, & look that it be poignant
& sweet:  & serve it forth for a pottage, or for a good Baked meat,
whichever that thou will.

4 egg whites
1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons milk
dash salt
1 teaspoon honey
1 Tablespoon sugar
Optional:  garnish with currants

Put egg whites and 1/4 cup milk in a saucepan and bring to a boil while
stirring.  Add a dash of salt and a teaspoon of honey.  Stir.  Remove pan
from heat as soon as the mixture solidifies; it should resemble tapioca
pudding.  Allow the mixture to cool.  Add 2 tablespoons milk to the egg
mixture and press it all through a strainer into a bowl.  Add 1 tablespoon
sugar and stir.  Pour into a serving dish and serve warm or cold.

Makes 3/4 cup.  Serves 2."
(From "Take a Thousand Eggs or More", 2nd Ed., Vol. 1 pp. 228-9. Copyright
1990. 1997, by Cindy Renfrow.)

Regards,

Cindy Renfrow/Sincgiefu
Author and Publisher of "Take a Thousand Eggs or More" and "A Sip Through Time"
http://www.thousandeggs.com
cindy at thousandeggs.com