[Sca-cooks] "Custard" Crust?

[Johnna Holloway]

Way back in the dark ages-- PPC did a series of articles
on bakewell tarts in PPC 2 and 5. I used those articles then
as a basis for my first Period Palate column in 1980..... I guess
a quarter century ago now. Given it was limited to one half page
because that was all the room that TI could spare, it didn't really
have the room to explore the subject in a thorough manner.
Alan Davidson mentions another association besides those dishes mentioned
by Master A. Caudles and possets both, Davidson notes, have virtually 
been custards.

Johnnae

Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius wrote:

> Also sprach Jessica Tiffin:
>
>> This is an interesting point. I've just done a research paper on 
>> custards, and actually none of the recipes I looked at call 
>> themselves "custards" until the late 16th century - they're egg 
>> flans, darioles, doucetes, flathonys, whatever. snipped
>
>
> Well, it seems fairly possible that at some point, presumably around 
> 1600, the standard filling for crustades, which almost always seems to 
> involve, in part, a liquid thickened with eggs or egg yolks, became 
> the main identifying characteristic of the dish, whereas before, it 
> might be said to be a pastry whose filling usually contained eggs. snipped
>
> So maybe the concept of identity shift isn't as rare and surprising as 
> we might at first think...
>
> Adamantius