Honey Custard was Re: [Sca-cooks] Camp Food)

[Terry Decker]

I think Bonne is speaking of the recipe for Tyropatinum, which is the recipe
preceding the one you give.  Giacosa refers to it as Honey Custard although
the actual title means "a dish with cheese."  What may be meant is "a
cheese-like dish" as there is no cheese in the recipe.

Apicius De Re Coquinaria, Book VII, Chapter XIII, Recipe 7.

7.  MILK AND EGG SWEET.  Take milk, measure it against the pan, mix the milk
with honey as if for milk-food, add 5 eggs to a pint or 3 eggs to 1/2 pint.
Work the eggs with the milk into a smooth mixture.  Strain into an
earthenware pot and cook over a slow fire.  When it is set, sprinkle with
peeper and serve.
[Barbara Flower and Elisabeth Rosenbaum translation, 1958]

Bear

>Also sprach Bonne de Traquair:
>>This all give me an idea of steam baking honey custard
>>from Apicius rather than oven baking in a water bath.
>>  Does anyone have instant access to the text and is
>>oven baking described in it?  Say I was a Roman woman
>>with a brazier or hearth but no oven, how would I cook
>>a custard?
>
>Apicius De Re Coquinaria, Book VII, Chapter xiii, recipe 8:
>
>8. EGG SPONGE WITH MILK. Mix together 4 eggs, 1/2 pint milk, 1 oz.
>oil. Pour a little oil into a thin frying-pan, bring to sizzling
>point, and add the prepared mixture. When it is cooked on one side
>turn out onto a round dish, pour honey over, sprinkle with pepper,
>and serve.
> [Barbara Flower and Elisabeth Rosenbaum translation, 1958]
>
>I'm seein' this as a soft, moist omelette, cooked just a bit slowly
>(to be at least partially cooked through without burning), maybe on
>embers or ashes, topped with honey and pepper...
>
>Adamantius