10. Sometimes, FOOD is the Food of Love

I recently came across this recipe and I think it might be love at first sight (note how I refused to say “love at first bite”…I am attempting to keep my propensity to be cheesy in check). It’s a recipe from the Renaissance era. No way of knowing whether Shakespeare ever had a bite of this himself, but it would be a great thing to serve at a Shakespeare-themed event…or for no occasion at all!

To Make a Custarde

Proper Newe Booke p. 23/C7

A Custarde the coffyn must be fyrste hardened in the oven, and then take a quart of creame and fyve or syxe yolkes of egges, and beate them well together, and put them into the creame, and put in Suger and small Raysyns and Dates sliced, and put into the coffyn butter or els marrowe, but on the fyshe daies put in butter.

1 pie crust
2 c cream
3 egg yolks
1/4 c sugar
1/3 c raisins
1/4 c dates
3 t butter (or marrow)

Make pie crust and pre-bake for 10-15 minutes at 400deg. . Chop dates. Beat the eggs, add cream, sugar, raisins and dates and pour into pie crust. Dot pie with butter. Bake at 350deg. for 1 hour 15 minutes.

From All About Renaissance Faires.