Recipe - Cream Custard Tart

Doucetes. Take Creme a gode cupfulle, & put it on a straynour, thanne take
yolkes of Eyroun, and put therto, & a lytel mylke; then strayne it throw a
straynour into a bolle; then take Sugre ynowe, & put therto, or ellys
hony forde faute of Sugre, than coloure it with Safroun; than take thin
cofyns, & put it in the ovynne letre, & lat hem ben hardyd; than take a
dyssche yfastenyd on the pelys ende, & pore thin comade into the dyssche,
& for the dyssche into the cofyns; & whan they don aryse wel, teke hem
out, & serue hem forth.

Pulverised dried saffron strands

Shortcrust pastry made with 225 g/8 ounce flour, 65 g/2 One half ounce butter, 40 g/1
One half ounce lard, and cold water to mix

6 egg yolks 350 ml/12 fl oz/ 1 One half cups double cream 125 ml/4 fl oz/ 1/2
cup milk 65 g/2 One half ounce white sugar One fourth teaspoon sea salt

I first noticed this version of the old recipe in The Babees Book, and it
seemed just right as a sweet dish for the youngsters being taught from that
book. There is a richer version made with almond milk for fast days
outside Lent.

Soak the saffron in 2 tablespoons water until the water is deep gold in
colour. Use the pastry to make a case 5 cm/2 inches deep in a 20cm/8inch
pie plate or cake tin with a loose bottom. Bake 'blind' in a preheated
oven at 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6 for 1520 minutes, then remove the filling of
dried beans and return the case to the oven at about 160C/325F/Gas Mark 3
for 68 minutes until dried out and firm. Remember a cake tin is deeper
than a pie plate so the case in it may need longer baking than usual.

Beat the egg yolks lightly in a bowl, then beat in the cream, milk, sugar,
saffron water and salt. Pour the custard into the pastry case. Bake it at
160C/325F/Gas Mark 3 for about 45 minutes or until it is just set in the
centre. Serve warm.

Make small tarts if you prefer. The full recipe quantity of pastry will
make 36 tarts, using a 7.5 cm/3 inch cutter. You will need two thirds of
the filling for them.

from The Medieval Cookbook by Maggie Black Chapter 5, "Of Manners and
Meals" posted by Tiffany HallGraham

Posted to MCRecipe Digest V1 #538 by Bobbi Zee zpegasus@tsrcom.com on
Mar 23, 1997