Happy Birthday to Richard of York; last Plantagenet King of England!

As part of my work for The History Girls I try to take time at the beginning of each month to research important points in history. It being October, my initial thoughts were of course stretching towards Halloween and how this celebration forged it’s way into the national celebration it has become. I found some fantastic recipes, and will be sharing a 17th century pumpkin pie recipe with you very soon.

During this sweep for information I discovered that 2nd October, 1452 was the date of birth of Richard III. This coincided with an article I found only a couple of days ago, stating that the recently discovered remains of King Richard seemed to indicate that he had a sweet tooth. I don’t think that came as much of a surprise!

As a small nod to our local royal celebrity I thought that I would share one of my favourite 15th century recipes. It’s a tasty, simple recipe which seems almost frugal by today’s standards. Two of the main ingredients indicate that this would have been a sweet dish for the upper classes though it’s quite possible that the poorer classes had their own, plainer version.

 Apple Muse

15th C recipe from http://www.godecookery.com

Take apples and seethe them, and serge them through a sieve into a pot. Then take almond milk and honey and cast them to; add in breadcrumbs, honey, saffron and salt a little. Boil it up and let it seethe though mind to stir it well. Serve it up when thick.

Simple! Although it isn’t mentioned in the recipe, you could always add extra warmth with a little ginger, cinnamon or even a zing of lemon zest. They are all appropriate to the period and allow you to experiment a little to suit your own tastes. The dish can be served warm or at room temperature but it doesn’t keep well so is really best eaten straight away. Eat out of little pewter dishes wearing your best jewellery for true decadence.