Torta Bianca

Italien, 15. Jhd.

• Teig
  • 1 Tasse Mehl
  • 2 Eidotter
  • ⅓ Tasse Butter
  • 2-2½ EL Wasser
• Füllung
  • 500g Ricotta
  • ¾ Tasse Zucker
  • 6 große Eiklar
  • ¾ Tasse Butter
  • 2 EL Ingwer
  • 2 EL Rosenwasser
  • ⅓ Tasse Milch
  • 2 EL feiner Zucker

• Teig
  • Butter und Eidotter in das Mehl mischen, bis es krümelig wird, Wasser zugeben und zu einem glatten Teig kneten
  • Ausrollen und eine Pastetenform damit auslegen
• Füllung
  • Käse und Eier zusammen aufschlagen, bis es glatt wird
  • Ingwer, Milch und Butter zugeben, gut vermischen
  • In den Pastetenteig geben und bei 180°C 50-55 min backen
  • Nach dem Herausnehmen sofort mit Rosenwasser und Puderzucker bestreuen

• With the large quantity of sugar used in this recipe, this would be considered a "sweet" pie as opposed to being a "savory" pie.
• Since large modern eggs are about twice the size of eggs available during the 15th century, I’ve reduced the number of eggs accordingly.
• I chose ricotta cheese for Barbara Santich indicates in her book "In spring there was soft, fresh cheese probably similar to today’s ricotta (in fifteenth-century Italy it was known as recocta, recooked); this was particularly important for torta fillings..."
• Ricotta cheese, when drained, forms a cheese that it sliceable. Since milk is another ingredient, I choose to not drain the Ricotta cheese and decreased the amount of milk.
• I also choose to use butter instead of lard, because I do not use lard in my everyday cooking.
• The original recipe indicates to remove the torta from the pan after it is cooked. Due to considerations for transportation, I decided to leave the torta in the pan.

Euriol of Lothian, Western Kingdom Cookery Guild, SCA

Torta Bianca

Piglia una libra et meza di bono cascio frescho, et taglialo menuto, et pistalo molto bene, et piglia dodici o quindici albume o bianchi d’ova, et macinali molto bene con questo cascio, agiogendovi meza libra di zuccharo, et meza oncia di zenzevero del più biancho che possi havere, similemente meza libra di strutto di porcho bello et biancho, o in loco di strutto altretanto botiro bono et frescho, item de lo lacte competentemente, quanto basti, che serà asai un terzo di bocchale. Poi farrai la pasta overo crosta in la padella, sottile come vole essere, et mectiraila a cocere dandoli il focho a bell’agio di sotto et di sopra; et farai che sia di sopra un pocho colorita per el caldo del focho; et quando ti pare cotta, cacciala fore de la padella, et di sopra vi metterai del zuccharo fino et di bona acqua rosata.
Take a libra and a half of good fresh cheese and cut it up fine, and pound it very well; take twelve of fifteen egg whites and blend them very well with this cheese, adding half a libra of sugar and half an oncia of the whitest ginger you can find, as well as a half libra of good, white pork lard, or instead of lard, good, fresh butter, and some milk, as much as needed; this will be a good third of a boccale. Then make the pastry, or crust, into the pan, as thin as it ought to be, and cook it nicely with fire both below and above; and make sure that the top is a little colored from the heat of the fire; and when it seems cooked, remove it from the pan and put fine sugar and good rose water on top.

Maestro Martino, Libro de Arte Coquinaria, middle of the 15^th c.; Redon et al., The Medieval Kitchen

Paest Royall

To Make Pyes ... yf you wyll have paest royall, take butter and yolkes of egges and so tempre the flowre to make the paeste.
If you will have paste royal, take butter and yolks of eggs and so temper the flour to make the paste.

A Proper Newe Booke of Cokerye, 16^th c., Frere (ed); Duke Cariadoc of the Bow and Duchessa Diana Alena, A Collection of Medieval and Renaissance Cookbooks (SCA).