Rissolles a jour de poisson

Rissolles a jour de poisson. Cuisiez chastaingnes à petit feu et les pelez, et aiez durs œufs et du frommage pelé et hachez tout bien menu; puis les arrousez d’aubuns d’œufs, et meslez parmy pouldre et bien petit de sel délié, et faites vos rissoles, puis les frisiez en grant foison d’uille et succrez. – LM 260
Rissolles for a fish day. Cook chestnuts over a low fire and peel them. Mince them together with hard-boiled eggs and peeled cheese. Then pour in egg whites, and mix it all with powdered spices and a little fine salt.
Ingredients

Chestnuts, Eggs, Manchego Cheese (100% Sheep’s Milk), Salt, Rice Flour, Ginger, Cinnamon, Grains of Paradise, Long Pepper, Mace, Cloves, Nutmeg, Galangal, Vegetable Shortening, Sugar

We are told by LM that these should be filled with roasted chestnuts, hard boiled eggs, peeled cheese, all spices, salt, and a binder. This seems intended to mimic minced meat, so I experimented with proportions of these ingredients to achieve something resembling that texture that also tastes good. We don’t have a specific cheese suggested, but we know it must be a rinded cheese. I chose Manchego for its rich flavor and diversity of milk sources, Manchego has been produced a mere 700 miles away from Savoy for thousands of years, so it is a reasonable assumption that it was readily available in this time and place. While not explicitly stated in LM that these should be filled pastries, the recipe for his filling makes it clear – the cheese would not survive frying. Fortunately DF tells us explicitly that Rissoles in this time and place should be filled between leaves of golden pastry and then fried, so that is what we will do. LM is silent on the frying medium, and DF indicates Lard. We will use Crisco so this dish remains suitable for vegetarians.

References

LM 260, DF 51

Modern Redaction
8 oz.Chestnuts
6 eachEggs, hard boiled
8 oz.Manchego, grated
2 t.LM Major Spices
2 t.LM Minor Spices
1/2 t.Salt
1 largeOnion, diced
4 eachEggs, raw
Fat for frying
  • Pulse the Chestnuts in a food processor until they are about 1/4″ pieces.
  • Add the remaining ingredients and pulse until all of ingtedients are minced, resembling ground meat
  • Roll out your Pastry to 1/8″ thick sheets, either by hand or with a pasta machine
  • Slice your pastry into 4″ wide strips.
  • Brush or mist one strip of pastry with water.
  • Place 1 oz (about 1.5T) of filling in the center of the strip, 2″ from the end, and every 4″ thereafter
  • Take a second strip of pastry and lay it over the first strip.
  • Using your fingers or a mold like an upside down round cookie cutter, gently press the pastry down around the filling until the two layers of pastry are touching all the way around.
  • Using your cutter or a knife, cut around the filling leaving a margin of sealed pastry all the way around.
  • Fry the Rissoles at 350F for 90 seconds on each side, then remove to paper towels and immediately dust heavily with sugar.
Process Photos