A Boke of Gode Cookery Presents

Payne Foundow

PERIOD: England, 15th century | SOURCE: An Ordinance of Pottage | CLASS: Authentic

DESCRIPTION: A bread pudding made with wine

ORIGINAL RECEIPT:

82. Payne foundow. Take bred; frye hit in grece or yn oyle. Put hit yn rede wyne & grynde hit with reysons, & draw hit. Claryfye honye with gleyr of eyron & watyr; scom hit clene & put hit to that othir. Do therto clovys, macez, & gynger mynsed & good poudyr & salt. Loke hit be stondyng, & floresch hit with annes in confite.

- Hieatt, Constance B. An Ordinance of Pottage. An Edition of the Fifteenth Century Culinary Recipes in Yale University's MS Beinecke 163. London: Prospect Books Ltd, 1988.

GODE COOKERY TRANSLATION:

Bread Pudding. Take bread; fry it in grease or in oil. Put it in red wine and grind it with raisins, and blend. Clarify honey with whites of eggs & water; skim it clean & put it with the other. Add cloves, mace, & minced ginger & good spices & salt. Look that it be thick, & garnish with candied anise seeds.

MODERN RECIPE:

  • 1 loaf slightly stale bread
  • 1/2 cup butter or cooking oil
  • whites of 3 eggs, slightly beaten
  • 1 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 cup red wine
  • 1 cup raisins
  • 1/2 tsp. mace
  • 1/2 tsp. "good poudyr" - any combination of pepper, cubeb, galingale, cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.
  • 1/4 tsp. cloves
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 cup candied ginger
  • candied anise seeds
Cut or tear the bread into small pieces. Sauté in the butter or oil until golden; drain. In a separate pan, bring the honey, egg whites, and water just to the boiling point; skim off any scum that rises to the surface. When clean, remove from heat. Add the honey mixture to the bread, along with all the other ingredients except the anise seeds. Blend well. (If using a food processor of blender, leave out the candied ginger, and only add after the pudding is removed from the machine. Candied ginger is extremely gummy and will jam the blades of a blender or processor.) The medieval recipe advises that it should be "stondyng," or thick enough to stand on it's own. If the mixture seems too thick, add a little more wine; if too thin, add more bread. Serve cold or at room temperature, garnishing each portion with a little candied anise seed.

OPTION: after preparing the Payne Foundow as directed above, place the pudding in a baking dish and bake at 400° F for approx. 20 minutes, or until the pudding is set and just begins to brown on top.

Payne Foundow goes exceptionally well with Caudell.

Candied ginger is the preserved ginger that is so commonly found in supermarkets today, often in the Oriental food section. It's also very easy to make, and many contemporary cookbooks contain recipes for it. It is both sweet and fiery, and adds a special delight to the Payne Foundow that can't be equaled with powder ginger or fresh ginger root. Candied anise may be a little bit harder to find; try a specialty food store, or an international market that specializes in Asian/Indian products.

Metric, Celsius, & Gas Mark Equivalencies

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Payne Foundow © 2000 James L. Matterer

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