INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Rapey.  Take half fyges and half raisouns; pike hem and waishe hem in
water.  Skalde hem in wyne, bray hem in a morter, and drawe them
thurgh a straynour.  Cast hem in a pot and therwith powdur of peper
and oother good powdours; alay it vp with flour of rys, and colour it
with saundres. Salt it, seeth it & messe it forth.  125 g/4 oz
well-soaked dried figs 125 g/4 oz stoned raisins 275 ml/10  fl oz/1 1/4
cups red wine (not too dry) Good pinch of ground black  pepper 1/3
teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves Soft  dark brown
sugar to taste 3 teaspoons rice flour or cornflour A drop  or two of
red food colouring Salt to taste  Drain the figs, reserving the soaking
liquid.  Discard the stalk ends  of the fruit and put them in a
saucepan with the raisins and wine.  Add the spices and a teaspoon of
sugar and bring to the boil. Take  off the heat and cool slightly, then
turn the mixture into an  electric blender and process until smooth.
Add a little of the  soaking water if the mixture is stubbornly solid.
Cream the rice flour or cornflour with a little more soaking water or
wine and brighten the tint with a drop of food colouring. Blend the
'cream' into the dried-fruit puree. Then return the whole mixture to
the saucepan and simmer until it thickens slightly. Season with salt
and a little extra sugar if you wish.  The mixture can be served hot or
cold over a sweet cereal dish, firm  stewed fruit or - best of all- ice
cream. Some versions in other  manuscripts are stiffer and make a good
filling for tartlets or fried  puffs. One encloses the filling in
pastry to make dumplings.  from The Medieval Cookbook by Maggie Black
Chapter 2, "Chaucer's  Company" posted by Tiffany Hall-Graham  From
Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini

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