Creme Bastarde*

Categories:	English   Dessert   15th century
Original Source:	Harleian MS 279
Secondary Source:
Cook:	Keturah Bat Yitzchak
Meeting Date:	0000-00-00
Serves:	2 Use the slider to adjust the recipe to the correct number of servings

Take the whyte of dyroun a grete hepe, & putte it on a panne ful of mylke, & let yt boyle: then sesyn it so with salt and hony a lytel: then lat hit kele, & draw it þrow a straynoure, and take fayre cowe mylke and draw yt with-all, & seson it with sugre, & loke that it be poynant & doucet: & serue it forth for a potage, or for a gode bakyn mete, wheder that thou wolt.

Steps

1. Bring the egg whites and milk to a boil, stirring continuously. (start with low-medium heat -- do not allow to scorch.)
2. Add the warmed honey (it curdled a little, even though warmed. We do not know why.) and salt.
3. When the mixture is sufficiently thickened and curdlike, remove it from the heat (add the additional milk) and put it through a strainer. I served the curds and whey separately, but it could be stirred together and it will thicken up a bit as it cools. Add the sugar, and serve warm or cool.

Note

You could also just serve the strained "curds" but the "whey" resembles orgeat and makes a nice sauce. The mixed version makes a slightly thin pudding.