[Sca-cooks] Uses for fresh apricots???

[Stefan li Rous]

Doing a search in the Florilegium, I got about 80 hits. Here is an  
interesting recipe from this file:
roast-pork-msg    (60K)  1/21/07    Cooking pork roasts. Medieval  
recipes.
http://www.florilegium.org/files/FOOD-MEATS/roast-pork-msg.html

Pork Roast with Apricot & Prune Stuffing
by THL Gillian of Lynnhaven

"Allowes de Mutton: Take faire mutton of the Buttes, and kutte hit in  
the
maner of stekes; And then take faire rawe parcelly, and oynons shred  
smale,
yolkes of eron sodden hard, and mary or suet; hew all thes smale  
togidre,
and then case thereto pouder of ginger, and saffron, and stere hem  
togidre
with thi honde, and ley hem vppe- on the stekes al abrode; and cast
there-to salt, and rolle hem togidre, and put hem on a spitte and  
roste hem
until the be ynough."    "Take a Thousand Eggs or More",  vol. 1, Cindy
Renfrow, p. 107 (from the Harleian Ms 4016)

"A-nother manere: Take Fygys, Roysonys, and Porke, and a lytel brede
y-ground y-fere; tak hym vppe, and purt Pepir y-now ther-to, and Maces,
Clowys, and make thin in cofyn, and outte thin comade ther-on." "Take a
Thousand Eggs or More",  vol. 2, Cindy Renfrow, p. 215 (from the  
Harleian
Ms 279)

While not exact, the following recipe uses the same general idea of  
rolling
a roast with fruit, spices and breadcrumbs.  There are other examples  
using
apricots and prunes instead of figs and raisins.

1   3 lb Pork Roast (loin or shoulder)
4 ft. Butchers string
   Stuffing:
1/4  cup Apricots, dried and diced
2 Tbs. Prunes, dried, pitted and diced
3 Tbs. Triple Sec (orange liqueur)
3 Tbs. Onions, chopped
1 cup herbed dry Stuffing (Pepperidge Farm)
1/4 cup Chicken Broth
3 Tbs. Butter, melted
2 tsp. Orange peel, freshly grated
1/2 tsp. Pouder Fort*

   In a large saucepan, combine apricots, prunes, orange peel and pouder
fort with the Triple Sec. Heat to boiling, stirring frequently. Once
boiling, remove from the heat and let it sit, covered, for a half an  
hour.
Meanwhile, sauté the onion in one tablespoon of butter, until the  
onion is
translucent. Transfer the onions to a large mixing bowl. Add in the  
fruit
mixture and the dry stuffing crumbs. Mix thoroughly. Add the rest of the
butter and the broth. Toss together until everything is moist.

Take the pork roast and lay it out on a cutting board. Cut the roast  
open
and lay it out flat in a long rectangle. Spoon the stuffing evenly  
over the
roast, leaving about a half inch bare at the edges. Roll the roast up  
with
the stuffing within and tie it closed with butchers string.

Place the rolled roast in a pan and cover it. Roast in a 350 degree oven
for about 30 minutes. Then uncover the roast and continue roasting it  
for
another 30 minutes or until a meat thermometer registers 170 degrees.

Serves 6

*Poudre fort is a medieval spice combination of pepper and sweet  
spices. To
mix your own combine, 1/8 tsp. Black pepper, 1/4 tsp. Cinnamon, 1/8 tsp.
Powered cloves, 1/8 tsp. Ginger, and 1/8 tsp. Mace. Adjust the  
amounts to
taste. The flavor should be sweetly spicy but with a bite.
--------
THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
    Mark S. Harris           Austin, Texas           
StefanliRous at austin.rr.com
**** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:  http://www.florilegium.org ****