Title: Rich Custard Pie W/ Dates and Prunes (Scottish Medieva
Categories: Irish Medieval Pie
Yield: 6 Servings

		** British Measurements **
THE PASTRY
8	oz	Plain flour
5	oz	Butter; unsalted
1/2	oz	Icing sugar
1		Egg yolk
3	tb	Cold water; or, as required
THE FILLING
1	ts	Cornflour
1	oz	Caster sugar
3		Egg yolks
1	pt	Double cream
	pn	Saffron
2	oz	Dates; chopped
2	oz	Prunes; chopped

First make the pastry; Rub the butter into the flour and sieve in the sugar. Stir together, then beat the egg yolk with most of the cold water. Add to the mixture and work quickly to a firm dough with a fork, adding the remaining water if necessary. Do not overwork the pastry, but knead lightly until smooth.

Roll out on a lightly floured board and line a greased deep 8-inch flan ring or cake tin with a loose bottom. Pinch the top edge to decorate, prick the base and leave to rest in a cool place for about 30 minutes.

Line the pastry case with foil or greaseproof paper and baking beans, place on a preheated baking sheet and bake in a fairly hot oven ( 400øF / 200øC / gas mark 6) for about 25 minutes, removing the foil or paper and beans for the last 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the filling; Mix together the cornflour and the sugar in a bowl; add the egg yolks one at a time, beating until all the sugar has dissolved. Heat the cream with the saffron slowly until just on the point of boiling, stirring to get the best possible colour from the saffron. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes, then strain on to the egg mixture and whisk. Taste the custard and add more sugar if you like. Sprinkle the chopped dried fruit on to the pastry base and pour over the custard. Return to a moderate oven (350øF / 180øC / gas mark 4) for about 30 minutes or until just firm, but a little wobbly in the centre. Remove from the oven and cool. Serve slightly warm, or cold.

Makes about 6 to 8 servings. ** A Book of Historical Recipes ** by Sara Paston-Williams The National Trust of Scotland, 1995 ISBN = 0-7078-0240-7

Scanned and formatted for you by The WEE Scot -- pol mac Griogair ORIGINAL RECIPE::

Crustard Lumbard in paste (dated from 1450 AD)

"Take good creme, and yolkes And white of egges, and breke hem thereto, and streyne hem all thorgh a straynour till hit be so thik that it will bere him self, And take faire Mary (marrow), And Dates, cutte in 2 or 3 and prunes, and put hem in faire coffyns of paast (pastry cases); And then put teh coffyn in an oven, And lete hem bake till they be hard, And then drove hem oute, and putte the licoure into the Coffyns, And put hem into the oven ayem, And lete hem bake till they be ynogh, byt cast sugur and salt in the licour whan ye putte hit into the coffyns; And if hit be in Lenton (Lent), take creme of Almondes, And leve the egges And the Mary."

Historical note: Flaunes and crustards were the ancestors of our modern flans and custards; delicious titbits of meat, vegetables, fish and fruit set with egg yolks and cream and baked in pastry cases (coffyns). Crustard Lumbard was considered fine enough to appear in the third course at Henry IV's coronation feast in 1399, with its filling of strained eggs and cream, sliced dates, prunes and marrow. In Lent, when rich dairy products were forbidden, almond milk or cream was used instead.

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