Straight to the recipe Mrs Beeton’s recipe Trifle is built on a layer of sponge cake. Since I have used Mrs Beeton‘s recipe for trifle from the Book of Household Management (1861, it was logical to use her recipe for sponge cake too. She even states explicitly that ‘leftover’ sponge cake can be used for trifle and pudding. The cake…
egg
Omelette with quail and asparagus
Patina, a Roman dish This is a recipe from Antiquity.It is from the cookbook that inspired me in naming my website Coquinaria. It is called De Re Coquinaria, although it is better known as Apicius. More about his cookbook can be read at the recipe for Roman mussels. And another recipe for Roman patina (vegetarian) can be found…
Eggs are everywhere!
On this page are links to pages on Coquinaria with information on and recipes with eggs. Theme pages Eggs for Easter – Why do we eat eggs for Easter? here is the answer. Historical recipes with egg as main ingredient Roman Omelette with quail – Omelette with asparagus Middle Ages Eggs with mustard sauce – Coloured eggs – Stuffed omelette…
All about Eggs
It is hard to find food that is as versatile (and tasty) as eggs. Eggs are present in velvety sauces (Hollandaise, mayonnaise), fluffy soufflĂ©s, delicious desserts, meringues, cake, drinks, pie crusts and glazings. And more. But even preparing a simple egg can be done in numerous ways, with mouthwatering results. On this page there…
Cheese pie with pears
Straight to the recipe The recipe for this pie with Brie cheese, pear and egg dates from the middle of the sixteenth century. The source is the Nyeuwen Coockboeck (‘New cookbook’) by the Antwerp physician Gheeraert Vorselman. Although the stuffing is prepared with pears and sugar, this is not a sweet pie. In those days, sugar was…
Chinese tea-eggs
Decorative and delicate in taste This is a very special way to serve hardboiled eggs. You prepare them in advance, all you need to do is peel them before serving them. The result is beautiful marbled eggs with the subtle taste of spices. Do not be put off by the long boiling time, the eggs…
Spanish marinated quail eggs
This is a tapa, to accompany a glass of sherry or wine. It is a very tasty dish, which can be made a day in advance if necessary. Quail’s eggs are perfect fingerfood, they can be eaten in one bite. This Spanish dish wouldn’t be the same when made with chicken eggs. The dressing in…
‘Split nuns’
Stuffed eggs from early sixteenth century The oldest extant Dutch cookbook in print dates from 1514. It is titled Een notabel boecxken van cokeryen (A noble cookery book). The recipe on this page is taken from this book wich has 175 recipes in all. Stuffed eggs have allways been a popular dish. This particular recipe is called ghecloven nonnen,…
Stuffed meatballs in lettuce
Straight to the recipe And about the history of a typically Dutch snack, the ‘frikandel’ The original recipe on this page is called Om Frickedillen in Krop-salaet te maken (to make frickedillen in lettuce). According to Dutch dictionaries, a ‘ frikadel’ is obsolete for meatball, and ‘frikandel’ is vernacular and incorrect. The Frickedillen from the recipe below are indeed meatballs, prepared…
A hedgehog of marzipan
Straight to the recipe An recipe from Hannah Glasse Disquised food is always fun. That’s why there are several recipes for fake hedgehogs. You can find more information about the hedgehog as subtlety at the medieval recipe for a meatloaf-hedgehog. The recipe on this page from the eighteenth century is not savoury, but a sweet version…
Chawettys – Pies for a king
Straight to the recipe Pork pies with Stilton cheese Not so many decades ago, English cuisine stood for bland taste: glassy potatoes, boiled lamb and peas as large and hard as marbles. However, in the Late Middle Ages the English had one of the most interesting cuisines of Europe. Perhaps this was due to the…
medieval eggs with mustard
Straight to the recipe ‘Souppe en civĂ©’ Eggs are very prominent in medieval cuisine, they are used as thickening agent in sauces and stuffings, as ‘guilding’ (roast meat and pasties were pasted with egg yolks), and of course there were dishes with cooked eggs, fried eggs, and omelettes. Medieval recipes for stuffed eggs can be found here and…
Mint soufflé
Straight to the recipe The introduction to the recipe is on this page, about Antonin CarĂȘme and the history of soufflĂ©s, together with the recipe for strawberry soufflĂ©. This recipe for mint soufflĂ© is very long in its original version, so it got its own page. It is a soufflĂ© Ă la française, which means it is…
Strawberry Soufflé
Straight to the recipe Just a puff of hot air Dessert is the triumphant closure of an elaborate dinner. It must be something special to capture the attention of the already sated eater. Hunger has long since dissappeared, all that is left is gratification of the senses. On this page is the recipe for strawberry soufflĂ©…
Custard with ratafia
Straight to the recipe A delicious dessert from the eighteenth century Vla ( ), a kind of custard, is very popular in the Netherlands as dessert, but it is seldom home-made. Industrial custard is made with sugar and carbohydrates, but no eggs. How different it was during the eighteenth century! Look at the recipe below and…