Erbole
Original sources
Forme of Cury 98:
Take bolas and scald hem with wyne, and drawe hem thorow a straynour; do hem
in a pot.
Clarify hony, and do therto with powdour fort and flour of rys.
Salt it & florissh it with whyte aneys, & serve it forth.
Recipe
There is a redaction in Pleyn Delit #115.
But my version goes like this:
Plums, scalded in grape juice (wine is better, but I have allergics to consider)
till skin splits (not long)
Remove stones *first*, or risk burnt fingers.
Mash/puree (drain a bit first)
Put back in cooking liquid with honey, mace, cinnamon, ginger.
Boil. Thicken with rice flour.
Salt, and sprinkle with candied anise (fennel tastes vaguely similar and is easier
to get)
Quantities
To serve 4-6:
6 plums
About 2 tbsp rice flour
2 tbsp honey
For a revel rather than a dinner party, allow about 1 plum per head. For 50
people, that required about 1/2 a jar of honey, a litre or so of grape juice,
and "enough" rice flour: allow about 1/4 a bag and just thicken until
it looks right.