[Sca-cooks] Doreures et leschefrites

[Alex Clark]

Having just taken another look at the menus in _le Menagier de Paris_, I 
have a few questions about the identity of foods listed there.

The doreures are translated by Hinson as "browned [vegetables]", but 
literally the word indicates either gilding or browning (or both). In 
dinner menu X, they are specified as "doreures de pommeaulx et de pe`s 
d'Espaigne et de chastellier," which I guess might translate word for word 
something like: "gilders of meatballs and of land of Spain and of 
/chastellier/" (I haven't yet found corroboration of Hinson's translation 
of chastellier, nor any other translation). The first type could be the 
same thing as pommedorry; a recipe for pommeaulx (meatballs turned green 
with moistened parsley and flour) is on p. 222. Hinson's translation in 
menu X is "browned apples and Spanish peas and young lampreys," which 
doesn't seem to make sense -- how and why does one either brown or gild 
peas? So, does anyone happen to know what doreures are?

The other food that I have a question about is leschefrites, which Hinson 
translated as "fried bread slices". Assuming that lesche means the same as 
Middle English leche, this is consistent with the modern English phrase 
"fried slice" but not with the Middle English phrase leche frys. Leche frys 
means a tart made with cheese or thick almond milk. Since the Menagier's 
leschefrites often appear together with darioles, I am inclined to assume 
that they are like the Middle English leche frys. But does anyone know of 
any more conclusive evidence?

Henry of Maldon/Alex Clark