Froumentée

Froumentée. Premièrement, vous convient monder vostre froument ainsi comme l’en fait orge mondé/ Eslisiez-le et le cuisiez en eaue dès le soir, et le laissiez toute nuit couvert emprès le feu en eaue comme tiède, puis le trayez et eslisez. Puis boulez du lait en une paelle et ne le mouvez point, car il tourneroit: et incontinent, sans attendre, le mettez en un pot qu’il ne sente l’arain; et aussi, quant il est froit, si ostez la cresme de dessus afin que icelle cresme ne face tourner la fourmentée, et de rechief faites boulir le lait et un petit de froument avec, mais qu’il n’y ait guères de froument; puis prenez moyeux d’œufs et les coulez, c’est assavoir pour chascun sextier de lait un cent d’œufs, puis prenez le lait boulant, et batre les œufs avec le lait, puis reculer le pot et getter les œufs, et reculer; et se l’en veoit qu’il se voulsist tourner, mettre le pot en plaine paelle d’eaue. A jour de poisson, l’en prend lait
Frumenty. First, hull the wheat just as you would barley. Cull it and cook it in water in the evening, then cover it and leave by the fire all night in lukewarm water. Later, remove the cover and pick over the wheat to remove any foreign matter from it. Next, boil some milk in a pan – without stirring it, for it would curdle. Right after it boils, put it into a pot so that it odes not pick up the taste of brass. Also, once it is cold, take the cream off the top so that the cream does not cause the frumenty to turn. Boil the milk once more with a very scant amount of wheat, hardly any. Pour the egg yolks in, using for each septier of milk, one hundred eggs. Then take the boiling milk, and beat the eggs into it. Move the pot from the fire, add the eggs, and then set it elsewhere. If you see that it is about to curdle, set the pot in a full pan of water. On fish days, use milk; on meat days, use meat broth.
Ingredients

Pearled Barley, Skim Milk (Cow’s Milk,) Saffron, Ginger, Nutmeg, Mace, Galangal, Cloves, Salt, Egg Yolks, Sugar, Cornstarch

We are fortunate to be given a specific ratio for the making of this Frumenty in the preparations for wedding feasts of 20 platters: 3 pounds of hulled wheat, 300 eggs (Greco 266), A septier of good milk (Greco 267), The author instructs us to boil the milk and skim the cream, so I have adjusted the proportion by volume down by 1/8, the typical proportion of cream in milk, and I am using modern skim milk. Because he warrns us that the cream will turn the dish, I assume he was very serious about removing it all. The author then tells us to beat the eggs into the warm milk and warns us against curdling. He also notes the addition of saffrons and ginger as an option (Greco 312). The author later also gives is direction on hulling either barley or wheat for Frumenty specifically (Greco 339). Le Viandier gives very similar instructions, specifying to beat in the eggs off the heat and that the milk should not be too hot, and also gives us the options for spices, saffron, and a great deal of sugar (Scully 286). Le Viviandier sheds further light on how this dish is famously thick, as the proportions above do not quite reach that – the addition of powdered starch.

I have chosen to use commercially available pearled barley in this dish for convenience. The instructions given on how to prepare the barley leave us with what we would call pearled barley today. The method in the redaction is true to the original, with two changes: First, we will not leave a Potentially Hazardous Food out of temperature control overnight. We will observe the time elapsed after cooking the barley in case the water’s action on the starch is meaningful over this time. Second, we will use the modern method of tempering egg yolks into custard and precise temperature for cooking them. When eggs are cooked in milk, either they curdle, or they do not – and we are advised they should not curdle. Therefore, there is no reason to make the process more difficult when we can achieve an identical end result with simpler modern technique. I do also choose to exercise the options of ginger, spices and sugar to make the dish more opulent and more appealing, but have done my best not to overshadow the egg or grain.

References

LM 234, LV 53

Modern Redaction
3 ozPearled Barley
3.5 c.Skim Milk
4 threadsSaffron
1/2 t.Ginger
1/2 t.LM Minor Spices
1/2 t.Salt
18 eachEgg Yolks
3 ozWhite Sugar
2 T.Cornstarch
  • In a saucepan, bring the Barley and 3 cups of water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, for 1 hour.
  • Allow the cooked barley to cool without draining then transfer to an airtight container with its liquid and refrigerate overnight
  • The next day, drain the liquid from the Barley and combine the Barley, Milk, Spices, and Salt in a sauce pan.
  • Put the Egg Yolks in a bowl large enough to accomodate them and all of the other ingredients.
  • Beat the Egg Yolks, Sugar and Cornstarch together well
  • Bring the Barley and Milk mixture to a scald (about 200F)
  • Remove the Barley and Milk mixture from the heat, and while stirring constantly, ladle a few ounces of it into the Egg Yolks
  • Once the first addition is completely incorporated, continue adding the hot Milk to the Egg Yolks a few ounces at a time while stirring continuously.
  • Once completely combined, return the entire mixture to the sauce pan over low heat, continuing to stir constantly.
  • Cook over low heat, stirring constantly and being sure to scrape the entire bottom of the sauce pan, until the mixture reaches 165F. (You will know the Frumenty is done when bubbles disappear from the surface and the mixture thickens to coat your utensil.)
  • Remove the mixture immediately and completely to an unheated serving bowl and allow to cool.
Process Photos