FIG AND RAISIN ‘CREAM’

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Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00
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Amount Measure Ingredient — Preparation Method
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Rapey. Take half fyges and half raisouns; pike hem
and waishe hem in water. Skalde hem in wyne, bray hem
in a morter, and drawe them thurgh a straynour. Cast
hem in a pot and therwith powdur of peper and oother
good powdours; alay it vp with flour of rys, and
colour it with saundres. Salt it, seeth it messe it
forth.

125 g/4 oz well-soaked dried figs
125 g/4 oz stoned raisins
275 ml/10 fl oz/1 1/4 cups red wine (not too dry)
Good pinch of ground black pepper
1/3 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
Soft dark brown sugar to taste
3 teaspoons rice flour or cornflour
A drop or two of red food colouring
Salt to taste

Drain the figs, reserving the soaking liquid. Discard
the stalk ends of the fruit and put them in a saucepan
with the raisins and wine. Add the spices and a
teaspoon of sugar and bring to the boil. Take off the
heat and cool slightly, then turn the mixture into an
electric blender and process until smooth. Add a
little of the soaking water if the mixture is
stubbornly solid.

Cream the rice flour or cornflour with a little more
soaking water or wine and brighten the tint with a
drop of food colouring. Blend the ‘cream’ into the
dried-fruit puree. Then return the whole mixture to
the saucepan and simmer until it thickens slightly.
Season with salt and a little extra sugar if you wish.

The mixture can be served hot or cold over a sweet
cereal dish, firm stewed fruit or – best of all- ice
cream. Some versions in other manuscripts are stiffer
and make a good filling for tartlets or fried puffs.
One encloses the filling in pastry to make dumplings.

from The Medieval Cookbook by Maggie Black
Chapter 2, “Chaucer’s Company”
posted by Tiffany Hall-Graham

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