[Sca-cooks] Mirrauste

[Robin Carroll-Mann]

I know of two more recipes for mirrauste.  There is a recipe in de
Nola for Mirrauste of Pears (for invalids).  The almond milk is made
with meat broth and thickened with rice flour, and the cinnamon flavor
comes from suspending a stick of whole cinnamon in the pot with a
thread.

And then there is this one from Sent Sovi (Catalan, 14th century)

"Mig--raust with almond milk
If you want to make mig-raust with almond milk, it is made in this
manner: first put hens on the roasting-spit.  And then take broth of
other hens, and from the drippings of those on the roasting-spit make
a good broth with bacon; and after take peeled almonds, and make milk
with the said broth.  And take the livers and chop them well, and
distemper them with the said milk.  And set it to boil with good
spices: pepper, ginger, cloves, cinnamon; and then put in sour stuff
and white sugar.  And make it boil a lot in the said sauce, so that
you know that it is cooked.  And prepare dishes together with the
hens; and if you wish place the hens on cutting boards."
Translation by Barbara Santich

Note that this one is sweet-and-sour; in addition to sugar it contains
"sour stuff", which might be verjus or bitter orange juice or other
souring agents.  This recipe also has several hot spices in addition
to the cinnamon: black pepper, ginger, and cloves.

Brighid ni Chiarain