Title: Eggs in Pastry Cases - England, 14th Century
Categories: Medieval Egg Appetizer
Yield: 4 Servings

4	tb	Water
1/8	ts	Saffron
1	c	Flour
2	tb	Sugar
1/2	ts	Salt
6	tb	Butter (3 oz)
1		Egg yolk
1 1/2	tb	Beef bone marrow
1	ts	Powdered ginger
1	ts	Sugar
4	lg	Egg yolks (or 8 small ones)
"Pety	Per	nollys"

Bring the water to a boil with the saffron, then allow to cool. Chill. Sift the flour with the sugar and the salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or two knives. Work in the egg yolk and saffron-tinted water. When the mixture is well blended, roll out on a floured board. Line four pastry shells with the pastry, and bake for 8 to 10 minutes at 400f. Lower the oven temperature to 350f. Put 1 tsp chopped marrow, a small pinch of ginger and sugar and 1 large or two small egg yolks into each pastry shell and bake in the oven until the egg yolks are just set. Serve hot or cold (bleah). Historically possible Variation: use duck eggs.

From one of "Two Fifteenth Century Cookbooks" (mid 1400's) Translated and compiled by Maxime de la Francaise in _Seven Centuries of English Cooking_ Grove Press, 1992. Typos by Jeff Pruett.

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