Name: Fried Cakes for Lent (Leshes fryed in Lenton)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Medieval
Ingredients: 60g dried, pitted, dates, chopped; 60g dried, pitted, prunes, halved lengthways; 200g apples, peeled, coved and chopped; 200g dessert pears, peeled, cored and chopped; 30g currants; 120ml Almond milk; 25g sugar; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; 1/4 tsp ground mace; 1/4 tsp ground cloves; 1/4 tsp ground ginger; 1/4 tsp freshly-grated nutmeg; a few drops of red food colouring; 60ml olive oil (or grapeseed oil); 1/4 tsp salt; 2 tbsp butter; 200g rich shortcrust pastry

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Leshes fryed in Lenton (Fried Cakes for Lent)

Leshes fryed in Lenton (Fried Cakes for Lent) is a traditional Medieval recipe for a classic fruit pie that was made in a raised pie shell and was typically served for the meatless days of Lent. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Medieval version of: Fried Cakes for Lent (Leshes fryed in Lenton).

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

40 minutes

Total Time:

60 minutes

Additional Time:

(+20 minutes soaking)

Serves:

Rating:

Tags : Spice Recipes Baking Recipes British Recipes English Recipes

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Original Recipe

Leshes fryed in Lenton

(from A Forme of Cury)

vDrawe a þyke · almaꝺe mylke wiþ watur · take datus +̅ pyke he̅ clene wiþ apples +̅ perꝰ · +̅ mynce he̅ w^ꞇ p^unes ꝺamaſyns · take ouꞇ þe ſtonꝰ ouꞇ of þe prunes +̅ kerue þe p^unꝰ a two · ꝺo þꞇo rayſos · ſug  flo  of canel · hole maces +̅ clowꝰ · goꝺe pouꝺoꝰs +̅ ſalꞇ. colourꝰ he̅ ỽp wyth ſanꝺres · menge þes w^ꞇ oyle · make a coffyn as þou doyſt byfore +̅ ꝺo þis fars þꝰinne +̅ bake h^ꞇ wel anꝺ serue hiꞇ foꝛrꞇh ·

Translation

Fried Cakes for Lent

Prepare a thick almond milk with water. Take dates and pick them clean with apples and pears and mince them with dried damsons. Take out the stones of the prunes and slice the prunes in half. Add to this raisins, sugar and ground cinnamon, whole blades of mace and cloves, strong powders and salt. Colour them with sandalwood. Mix this with oil, make a lidless raised pie, as you did before and place this stuffing inside and bake it well and serve it forth.

Modern Redaction

Ingredients:

60g dried, pitted, dates, chopped
60g dried, pitted, prunes, halved lengthways
200g apples, peeled, coved and chopped
200g dessert pears, peeled, cored and chopped
30g currants
120ml Almond milk
25g sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground mace
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp freshly-grated nutmeg
a few drops of red food colouring
60ml olive oil (or grapeseed oil)
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter
200g rich shortcrust pastry

Method:

In a bowl, combine the dates, prunes, apples, pears and currants. Mix in the almond milk, sugar and spices and stir to combine. Cover and set aside for 20 minutes to allow the dried fruit to plump up.

Prepare the pastry and use to line a pie dish (or, for a more Medieval pie, make the pastry thick and use to form an unsupported raised pie). Colour the fruit mixture with a few drops of red food colouring (the original sandalwood called for is toxic, and only acts to colour the dish red), mix in the oil and turn into the pie shell.

Dot the top of the fruit with chopped butter and transfer to an oven pre-heated to 180°C and bake for about 35 minutes, or until the filling is cooked and the pastry is golden brown.

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