To make a dish full of Snow is a traditional Elizabethan recipe for a classic dessert dish of whipped cream and beaten egg whites mixed with apple purée that's served garnished with a sprig of rosemary and wafers or biscuits. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Elizabethan version of: To make a dish full of Snow.
To make a dysche full of Snowe.
Take a pottell of ſwete thycke creame, and the whytes of eyghte egges, and beate them altogether wyth a ſpone , then putte them in youre creame and a ſaucer full of Roſe water, and a dyſhe full of Suger wyth all, then take a ſtycke and make it cleane, and than cutte it in the ende foure ſquare, and therewith be ate all the aforeſayde thynges together, and euer as it ryſeth take it of and put it into a Collaunder, this done, take one apple and ſet it in the myddes of it, and a thicker buſhe of Roſemary, and ſet it in the myddes of the platter, then caſte your Snowe vppon the Roſemarye, and fyll your platter therewith. And yf you haue wafers caſte ſome in wyth all and thus ſerue them forthe.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
150g cooking apple, weighed after paring and coring, chopped
600ml double cream
4 egg whites
200g caster sugar
2 tbsp rosewater
1 sprig of rosemary
wafers (or ratafia biscuits)
Method:
Combine the apple and rosewater in a pan. Cover tightly, bring to a simmer and cook gently for about 30 minutes, or until the apple is soft. Take off the heat and purée by beating with a spoon. Set aside to cool.
Add the egg whites to a clean and dry bowl then beat until soft peaks form. Add 4 tbsp of the sugar and fold into the egg whites then beat until stiff and glossy.
Add the cream to a separate bowl, and beat until soft peaks form. Fold in the remaining sugar then beat until stiff (but do not over beat).
Fold the apple puree into the beaten cream then fold in the stiff egg whites. Pile the mixture on a serving dish, then garnish with the rosemary sprig and the wafers (or ratafia biscuits).
