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To make a florentine of veal

To make a florentine of veal is a traditional British recipe, based on Hannah Glasse's recipe of 1747, for a classic dish of chopped veal kidneys mixed with herbs, currants, hard-boiled egg yolks, apple and breadcrumbs that's baked in a puff pastry case. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: To make a florentine of veal.

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

40 minutes

Total Time:

60 minutes

Serves:

6

Rating:

Tags : Herb RecipesBaking RecipesBritish Recipes

This is a traditional British recipe redacted from Hannah Glasse's 1747 volume The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy, the classic Georgian cookbook.

Original Recipe

To make a florentine of veal.


TAKE two kidneys of a loin of veal, fat and all, and mince it very fine, then chop a few herbs and put to it, and add a few currants : ſeaſon it with cloves, mace, nutmeg, and a little ſalt, four or five yolks of eggs chopped fine, and ſome crumbs of bread, a pippin or two chopped, ſome candied lemon-peel cut ſmall, a little ſack, and orange flour-water. Lay a ſheet of puff-paſte at the bottom of your diſh, and put in the ingredients, and cover it with another ſheet of puff paſte. Bake it in a ſlack oven, ſcrape ſugar on the top, and ſerve it up hot.

Modern Redaction

Ingredients:

2 veal kidneys (with their fatty covering)
2 tbsp savoury herbs, minced
1 tbsp currants
pinch of cloves
pinch of ground mace
freshly-grated nutmeg, to taste
4 hard-boiled egg yolks, finely chopped
4 tbsp breadcrumbs
1 pippin apple, cored and chopped
1 tbsp candied lemon peel, finely chopped
60ml sack (sack is mead flavoured with herbs [see recipes for English Sack and Saratoga Wine] but can be replaced by sweet Madeira with a little honey and a splash of vermouth added)
1 tbsp orange-flower water
2 sheets of puff pastry
granulated sugar, for dusting

Method:

Mince the kidneys and their fatty covering very finely and mix with the herbs and currants. Season with the cloves, mace and nutmeg then work in the egg yolks, breadcrumbs, apple and lemon peel.

Moisten with the sack and orange flower water then set aside.

Roll out one sheet of puff pastry and use to line your pie dish. Place the filling inside then cover with the second sheet of pastry. Crimp the two pieces of pastry together then pierce holes in the top. Transfer to an oven pre-heated to 180°C and bake for about 40 minutes, or until cooked through and golden brown.

Dust with a little granulated sugar and serve hot.

Find more Hannah Glasse Recipes Hereand more Traditional Georgian Recipes Here.