Writings: Katira al-Maghrebiyya (aka Kay the Innocent of Bel Anjou)

Wooden Spoon
12th Night A.S. XXXII
Entrant: Kay the Innocent of BelAnjou
Category: Recipe Cook-Off

Gingerbread

Documentation

Source: Recipe text provided for competition.

Original: Take goode honye & clarefie it on the fere, & take fayre paynemayn or wastel brede & grate it, & caste it into the boylenge hony, & stere it will tgyder faste with a sklyse that bren not to the vessell. & thanne take doun and put therin ginger, linge pepere & saundres & tempere it vp with thin handel; & than put hem to a flatt boyste & strawe theron suger, & pick therin clowes round about by the egge and in the myudes yf it plece you &c.

Using A Culinary Reference Manual published by the Madrone Culinary Guild, and the glossary in Curye on Inglysch published by the Early English Text Society, I translated the original recipe and created an ingredient list.

Translation: Take good honey & clarify it on the fire, & take fair white bread & grate it, & add it to the boiling honey, & stir it well with a flat-bottomed utensil to avoid burning, & take it off the heat and add ginger, black pepper & sandalwood, & mix it well with a thin handle; & then put it in a flat pan & sprinkle with sugar, & put cloves round about by the edge and in the middle if it please you

Ingredients:
honey
bread crumbs
ginger
black pepper - as a substitute for "long pepper"
sandalwood
sugar
cloves

A gingerbread recipe from Harleian MS 279, similar to the above, appears in Take a Thousand Eggs or More, Vol. Two, and in Pleyn Delit. Using them as a reference, I began the process that, after several versions, produced the following result:

Recipe

3/4 C clover honey
2 1/2 C fine, dry bread crumbs
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
pinch black pepper
1 1/2 tsp ground sandalwood
sugar
whole cloves

Mix crumbs, ginger, pepper and sandalwood. Boil honey and skim off any scum that accumulates. Remove from heat and stir in seasoned crumbs. Press mixture into a buttered 8" round cake pan Let it sit several hours or overnight. Turn onto a plate and sprinkle with sugar. Decorate with cloves. Slice and serve.

Note: To avoid an overly strong clove essence, do not add them too long before serving and remove them if storing leftovers.
This was the winning entry and my first Wooden Spoon among five that were all different in color and texture, from candy oozing honey to my gingerbread.

Last updated 01/03/2007