To bake chickens in like paste is a traditional Elizabethan recipe for a classic raised pie of chicken meat layered with fruit baked in a hot water pastry made with butter that is finished with an egg yolk and verjuice custard. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Elizabethan version of: To bake chickens in like paste.
To bake chekins in lyke paeſt..
Take youre chekins and ceaſon them with a lytle Ginger & ſalte, and ſo putte them into youre cofin, and ſo put in them barberies, grapes, or gooſe beryes, and halfe a dyſhe of butter, ſo clooſe them vp, and ſette them in the ouen, and when they are baken, take the yolkes of ſyxe egges, and a dyſhfull of vergis and drawe them through a ſtreyner and ſette it vpon a chafingdyſhe , then drawe youre baken chekins and put thereto this fore ſayde egges and vergys , and thus ſerue them hoate.
450g plain flour
200ml water
150g butter
2 egg whites
300g chicken breasts, cubed
salt and ground ginger, to taste
100g barberries
100g seedless grapes
(or 200g ripe gooseberries)
100g butter
6 egg yolks
100ml verjuice (or white wine vinegar)
Method:
Sift the flour into a bowl and set aside. Combine the water and butter in a saucepan and heat until just melted.
Work the egg whites into the flour then form a well and pour in the water and butter mixture. Mix with a spoon until just incorporated then turn out onto a floured work surface and knead briefly. Bring the mixture together as a ball then cover with clingfilm (plastic wrap) and set aside until cold enough to roll out.
Cut 2/3 of the dough off and roll into a round about 1cm thick. Place a large, floured, jar in the centre and shape the pastry around this. Leave for 5 minutes until set then ease the dough away from the mould.
Season the chicken pieces with salt and ginger then layer in your pastry with either a blend of barberries and grapes or gooseberries. Roll the remainder of the dough out to form a lid and fix this to the base with a little water (cut a round hole in the top through which you can later place a funnel. Trim any excess pastry neatly and pierce an air hole in the top. Transfer to a greased baking sheet then place in an oven pre-heated to 180C and bake for 40 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and crisp and the chicken is done through. This can be served either hot or cold.
In the meantime, whisk together the egg yolks and verjuice. Pass this through a fine-meshed strainer into a saucepan. Place over gentle heat and cook slowly until thickened (think pourable custard).
When the pie emerges from the oven, put a funnel into the hole in the top and pour in the custard. Bring to the table and serve immediately.
