Cockentrice (A Marvelous Beast)
Title: Cockentrice (A Marvelous Beast)
Categories: Chicken, Pork, Medieval
Yield: 1 servings
7 lb Suckling pig
1/4 c White wine
6 lb Roasting chicken
1 tb Fresh parsley leaves, very finely chopped
6 Egg yolks
1/4 ts Powdered saffron
1 tb Flour
1/2 c All-purpose flour
"The extraordinary "beasts" created by these instructions never were seen on land or sea. A bestiary pair, these chicken and pork visual as well as edible delights were intended to startle as well as feed. The creation of such illusion foods was an important contribution of the medieval cook to the flamboyant art forms of the medieval feast."
Bake the chicken and the suckling pig separately at 375 F until tender the
chicken ought to take 2 hours, the suckling pig closer to 3. Cut the chicken in
half with the incision running around the body behind the wings. The forw
ard half is thus separated from the hindparts. Similarly cleave the pig so that
the "head and shoulders" are cut from the back half of the animal. With a
strong butcher's thread or "carpet" thread sew the forward half of the chicken
to the back half of the pig sew the pig's "head and shoulders" to the hind half
of the capon. Each is now a cockentrice. Turn oven up to 400F. Lightly beat the
egg yolks. Mix in the saffron and flour to make a thick fluid. Paint this on
the suture lines as well as various parts of either the "face" or
appendages--gold snout and gold nails were typical adornments. Return these
marvelous animals to the oven so the gold "endoring" may set and the final
creatures appear resplendent. Mix the parsley in white wine with flour until
the green color well permeates the fluid. If not a bright green, add two drops
of green food coloring. Paint on "feathers" or designs for final embellishing
of the cockentrice, your fancy guiding your hand.