Peti Pernantes

PERIOD: England, 15th century | SOURCE: Harleian MS. 4016 | CLASS: Authentic

DESCRIPTION: Currant Custard Tarts

ORIGINAL RECEIPT:

Take and make thin Coffyns as hit is a-for said; then take rawe yolkes of egges, tryude in sugur, pouder of Gynger, and resons of Corans, and mysed mary, but not to small, And caste all this into a faire boll, and medel all to-gidre, and put hit in coffyns, and bake hem, or fry hem as thou diddest be the tother.

- Austin, Thomas. Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books. Harleian MS. 279 & Harl. MS. 4016, with extracts from Ashmole MS. 1429, Laud MS. 553, & Douce MS 55. London: for The Early English Text Society by N. Trübner & Co., 1888.

MODERN RECIPE:

• Pastry dough for a nine-inch pie crust
• 12 egg yolks
• 2 C currants
• 1/4 C cream
• 2 T bone marrow, coarsely crumbled
• 1 T sugar
• 1 T powdered ginger

2. Roll the pie crust dough out thin, and line four 4" tart pans with it. Put them in the oven, and bake them about five minutes to harden them.

3. In a bowl, beat together egg yolks and cream. Stir in remaining ingredients. Spoon the mixture into the tart pans.

4. Bake them at 375º for twenty minutes or until a toothpick draws out clean.

Serves eight to twelve.

Notes on the Recipe:

This is the second recipe for peti pernantes in Harleian MS 4016; in the first recipe, the a-for said Coffyns are flavored with sugar and salt, and colored with saffron. I have chosen not to make my pie crust thus. The original recipe does not call for cream, but I have added some to make the filling more like custard than hard-baked egg yolks.

Peti Pernantes is featured in In Festo Sancte Trinitatis in Cena