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To Make a Tarte of marigoldes prymroses or couslips

To Make a Tarte of marigoldes prymroses or couslips is a traditional English recipe from the Elizabethan period for what is effectively a cheesecake flavoured with flowers and baked in rich shortcrust pastry. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic English version of: To Make a Tarte of marigoldes prymroses or couslips.

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

45 minutes

Total Time:

65 minutes

Additional Time:

(+20 minutes infusing)

Serves:

8

Rating:

Tags : Cheese RecipesBaking RecipesCake RecipesBritish RecipesEnglish Recipes

This is a recipe from A Proper newe Booke of Cokerye, 1557. It's the earliest recipe I've found to date for this type of cheesecake (though its clearly based on sambocade). However, it should be noted that use and re-use of recipes during this period means that the recipe presented here crops up in various manuscripts over the next almost 150 years. In fact, its an amalgam of three recipes: To make short paest for tarte (for the pastry); To make a tarte of borage floures (for the method) and To make a tarte of marigoldes prymroses or couslips (for the specific ingredients). The flowers used would indicate that this was a springtime tart.

Original Recipe:

To Make a Tarte of marigoldes prymroſes or couſlips

To make ſhort paeſt for tarte.
    Take fyne floure and a curſey of fayre water and a dyſche of ſwete butter and a lyttel ſaffron, and the yolckes of two egges and make it thynne and as tender as ye maye.

To Make a Tarte of marigoldes prymroſes or couslips.
    Take marigoldes prymroſes or couſlip floures and perboyle them tender, then ſtrayne them wyth the yolckes of three or foure egges, and ſwete curdes, or els take three or foure apples, and perboyle wythal and ſtrayne them with ſwete butter and a lyttle mace and ſo bake it.

Modern Redaction:

In essence, this is a mid 16th century recipe for a cheesecake, albeit one flavoured with wild flowers. The use of butter in the cheesecake links this recipe directly with its late 18th and early 19th century antecedents.

Ingredients:

For the Pastry:
180g flour
120g butter
2 egg yolks
pinch of saffron
1/4 tsp sea salt
4 tbsp (about) cold water

For the Filling:
250ml (1 cup) edible flower petals
3 egg yolks
500ml cheese curds
200g butter, melted and cooled
1/4 tsp ground mace

Method:

Begin with the pastry base. Beat the egg yolk with the saffron and set aside to infuse for 10 minutes.

Rub the butter into the flour and salt until the mixture resembles fine crumbs then work in the egg yolk before adding just enough water to bring the mixture together as a pastry. Press this into the base and up the sides of of a sandwich tin or flan ring.

Depending in the flower petals you are using, place in a measuring jug, cover with boiling water and set aside for 10 minutes until soft. Drain away the water, place in a fine-meshed sieve along with the egg yolks and cheese curds and press through the sieve with the back of a spoon into a bowl.

Beat in the butter and mace then transfer to your pastry case. Place in the centre of an oven pre-heated to 180°C and bake for about 45 minutes, until the filling is almost set (but still wobbles in the centre). Prop the oven door open and allow the cheesecake to cool completely.

Unmould and serve.