Based on the Tasting History recipe.

2 ½ lb acorn squash 12 oz green apple 3 eggs ¼ cup dried herbs (I used sage, fennel seed, ground coriander, and thyme) 2 Tbsp butter 2/3 cup dried fruit ½ cup raw sugar ¼ cup fruit juice 1 unbaked pie crust extra butter for frying

I chose acorn squash rather than pumpkin because it doesn't need to be peeled. And the different colors from the skin and the flesh makes a nice visual.

Cut the acorn squash in half, cut out the stem, and scoop out the seedy innards. Cut the squash into thin slices.

Thinly slice the apples and remove the cores.

Preheat oven to 425° F.

In a small bowl, beat the eggs and stir in the herbs.

Melt some butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Dip the squash slices into the egg mixture, then fry them in a single layer for a few minutes on each side. Add more butter as needed between batches of squash.

Combine the fried squash with 2 Tbsp butter, dried fruit, sugar, and fruit juice. Gently stir together.

Prepare the pie crust in the baking pan. Put a layer of apple slices in the bottom of the pie, then add the pumpkin filling.

Bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 375° F and bake for 40-50 minutes.

#acornsquash #apple #butter #coriander #dessert #driedfruit #egg #fairyfeast #fennel #fruitjuice #glutenfree #historical #pie #pumpkin #sage #squash #sugar #thyme #vegetarian

Recipe from Country contentments, or The English huswife. by Gervase Markham, published 1623. Above you can see a scan of the original text. The book can be read at archive.org. This is known to be the oldest found recipe for pound cake.

Very unusual for a historic recipe to have specific quantities listed, so that is helpful. I based my baking instructions on an analysis of the recipe found on cupcakeproject.com.

I cut the recipe in half because it is huge, and I used only whole eggs, for the sake of convenience. To be more medieval, the flour should be whole wheat but soft and finely milled. (I used to be able to buy whole wheat pastry flour. It was perfect for medieval recipes. I miss it.) The sugar should be raw sugar, or brown sugar if that is more available. Sugar was crystallized in this time period, but from what I can tell it was another 100 years or so before sugar was so purified that it resembles the white granulated sugar of today.

½ lb flour ½ lb sugar 6 eggs ¼ oz fennel seeds or star anise ¼ oz coriander 1/8 oz dried orange peel or fresh orange zest

Grind the fennel/star anise, coriander, and orange peel in a mortar with a pestle, until the spices are as fine as you can get them. Remove any remaining large pieces.

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, and spices.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs until mixed. Slowly add the flour mixture while beating on medium-high speed with an egg beater or stand mixer. Continue to beat for 10-20 minutes (my egg beater was getting worryingly hot at 10 minutes, so I stopped).

Grease a 9”-10” circular cake pan and preheat oven to 350° F. Bake cake for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

#anise #cake #coriander #dairyfree #dessert #egg #fairyfeast #fennel #historical #orangezest #sugar #vegetarian #wheatflour

2 cups chopped tomatoes ½ cup candied ginger, minced ¼ cup balsamic vinegar ¼ cup apple cider or juice 2 Tbsp raisins or other small dried fruit ½ tsp ground black pepper ½ tsp ground coriander ½ tsp fennel seed ½ tsp cinnamon ½ tsp ground nutmeg ½ tsp rosemary ½ tsp salt 1 Tbsp honey 1 tsp arrowroot powder

Combine all ingredients in a pan. Let sit for 5 minutes. Put over medium heat and simmer for a few minutes until thick. Let it cool completely to continue to thicken.

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