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Blank dessore (White Desire)

Blank dessore (White Desire) is a traditional Medieval recipe for a classic dish of almond milk thickened with starch that's mixed with boiled chicken meat, seasoned, garnished with aniseed comfits and saffron water then served. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Medieval version of: White Desire (Blank dessore).

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

20 minutes

Total Time:

40 minutes

Serves:

4–6

Rating: 4.5 star rating

Tags : Spice RecipesChicken RecipesFowl RecipesBritish RecipesEnglish Recipes



Original Recipe




A Forme of Cury)



Ꞇ almaꝺꝯ blaceꝺ · grynꝺe ē anꝺ tēꝑ ē ỽp wꞇ wyꞇe wyne · on flee ꝺay wꞇ broꞇ · +̅ caſt þ ᷑n flo  of rys oþꝯ amyꝺo +̅ lye t þ ᷑wꞇ · +̅ ꞇa brawn of capos y groꝺ . +̅ tae ug᷑ +̅ ſalt +̅ caſt ᷑ꝯo· þ +̅ florye wꞇ aneys wyꞇe· +̅ ꞇa a ỽeſſel y oleꝺ +̅ put  safro.



Translation


White Desire



Take blanched almonds, grind tem and temper them with white wine, on a flesh day with broth. And add to this rice flour or amydone [wheat or rye starch] and mix therewith. Take the ground meat of capons. Take sugar and salt and add to [the mixture] and garnish it with white aniseed confits. Take a bowl [hollow dish] and put in saffron and serve it forth.

Modern Redaction

Ingredients:

100g ground almonds
400ml gode broth (made without breadcrumbs) or 200ml white wine
1 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch) — originally wheat starch would have been used, see the Ancient Roman recipe for amulum to see how to make this)
300g cooked chicken, minced
1 tbsp aniseed comfits
pinch of saffron ground with 2 tbsp water to garnish

Method:

Pound together the ground almonds with 50ml of the stock or wine. Scrape into a pan then add the remaining stock (or wine). Bring to a simmer. Mix the cornflour with 2 tbsp water to form a slurry then work into the almond mixture.

Simmer gently until thickened then take off the heat and work in the minced chicken. Turn onto a serving dish, form a depression in the centre and add the saffron liquid. Garnish with the aniseed comfits and serve.

Find more Medieval recipes as well as more recipes from the Forme of Cury here.