I know that I usually post my videos on Fridays but I'm flying to the UK on Thursday for Saturday's "An Evening with the Authors" in London and so won't be around. If you want to join in from afar then there are live-streaming tickets available - go to https://www.madeglobal.com/live-streaming-24-september
In this edition of Tudor Cooking with Claire, I make Lombard Slices, also known as Leche Lombarde, a medieval sweetmeat. In the video, I read the original recipe which is found in Two Fifteenth Century Cookery Books and here it is:
Take fayre Hony, and clarifi yt on the fyre tylle it wexe hard, then take hard yolkys of Eyroun, & kryme a gode quantyte ther-to, tyl it be styf y-now; an thenne take it vppe, & ley it on a borde; then take fayre gratyd Brede, & pouder pepir, & molde it to-gederys with thine hondys, tylle it be so styf that it wole ben lechyd; then leche it; then take wyne & pouder Gyngere, Canelle, & a lytil claryfyid hony, & late renne thorw a straynour, & caste this Syryp ther-on, when thou shalt serue it out, instede of Clerye.
You can read a transcribed version of this manuscript at https://archive.org/stream/twofifteenthcent00aust#page/34/mode/2up, where you will notice that there is a recipe for a date version above it.
Lombard Slices:
12 hard-boiled egg yolks
8 tbsp clear honey
175g/6oz fine white breadcrumbs
Pinch of ground black pepper
Syrup:
225ml/8 fl oz/1 cup red wine
A good pinch of ground cinnamon and ginger
5 tbsp clear honey
Recipe from The Medieval Cookbook (Revised Edition) by Maggie Black, Getty Publications. Based on a medieval recipe from Two Fifteenth Century Cookery Books, Harleian MS 279, p. 35 vj.
Alternative recipes, using dates and almonds rather than egg yolks can be found at http://www.susannagregory.com/bonus-material/recipes/
A savoury version with minced chicken or pork can be found at http://www.godecookery.com/nboke/nboke58.html
This is a fascinating dish Claire, thanks for sharing it. I had not come across it before. I just found a savoury pudding version in ‘Curye on Inglysch’ which seems to tie the various versions together – it has minced pork, currants and dates, pepper and cloves, and poached with almond milk and wine and seasoned again with cinnamon and ginger.
It’s a lovely recipe. Our son Joel had a massive slice of it today as he loved it so much. He skips the wine sauce, though, as he wasn’t keen on trying that even though the alcohol would have boiled off it.
That version sounds nice too, thanks!
Loved this Claire — trying to figure out other ways to use the egg yolks made so fine…. perhaps over some sauteed spinach…
May have to give it a go once the kids are off gluten restrictions. 🙂
I think the syrup with a little balsamic would make a great dressing as well.,