Strawberye


Take strawberys & waysshe hem in tyme of yere in gode red wyne; them strayne thorwe a clothe, & do hem in a potte with gode almande mylke.  Alay it with amyndoun other with the flowre of rys, & make it chargeant, and lat it  boyle; and do therin roysonys of coraunce, safroun, pepir, sugre gete plente, pouder gungere, canel, galyngale; poynte it with vynegre, & a lytil whyte grece put thereto; coloure it with alkenade, & droppe it abowte, plante it with the graynes of pomegarnad, & than serve it forth.  (Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery Books)


Take fresh seasonal strawberries and wash them in good red wine; then strain then through a cloth, and put them in a pot with good almond milk.  Mix it with amyndon or rice flour, and cook it and let it boil.  Then add currants, saffron, pepper, a great quantity of sugar, powderd ginger, cinnamon and galengale.  Appoint it with vinegar and a little white grease.  Colour it with red food dye and pomegranate seeds, and then serve it forth.


2-4 oz ground almonds
1 1/4 cups water
1 pt fresh strawberries (if using frozen, thaw first and use melted juice to replace some of the water)
1/4-1/2 cup red wine
2 tbsp rice flour
1/3 cup sugar
pinch each pepper, ginger, cinnamon, salt
1 TBSP butter
2 tsp red wine vinegar
2 TBSP dried currants

Make almond milk according to the instructions on the index page with the almonds and water. Hull and pick oer the strawberries.  Put them in a bowl and pour the wine over them.  Mix gently with your hand or a wooden spoon, then pour off and discard the wine.  Blend or process the berries with the rice flour, sugar, spices and almond milk.  Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.  Let it boil about 2 minutes to thicken, then remove from heat and stir in first the butter, then the vinegar and currants.  Pour into a serving dish and let cool.  Chill before serving.

(Adding the extra colouring at the end is not necessary.)
 

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