Recipe Manuscript

To Make A Pudding In A Breast Of Veale

Name: To Make A Pudding In A Breast Of Veale
Prep time: PTPT30M
Cook time: PTPT1H30M
Yield: 6
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: 1.5 kg whole breast of veal (with a pocket cut for stuffing); 25 g fresh parsley (flat-leaf, finely chopped); 10 g fresh thyme (finely chopped); 10 g fresh marjoram (finely chopped, or use oregano as substitute); 10 g fresh savory (finely chopped, or use a mix of thyme and oregano if not available); 100 g shredded beef suet (or use cold unsalted butter as substitute); 3-4 egg yolks; 100 g fresh breadcrumbs; 25 g breadcrumbs, lightly toasted; a small pinch each ground cloves and ground mace; a few threads of saffron; 10 g white sugar (about 2 tsp)

1650

From the treasured pages of Certain profitable and well experienced collections for making conserve of fruits

Written by Nicholas Webster

Renaissance (1400 - 1700)European Intermediate Dinner

Original Recipe • 1650

Original Manuscript(circa Renaissance, 1400 - 1700)

As inscribed by the original author's hand, transcribed with care by Lost Kitchen Scrolls

To Make A Pudding In A Breast Of Veale

"Take perstey time marjoram thyms and savory mince them small then take a good quantitie of suet and three or foure yealks of eggs grate bread rosted it with cloves and mace saffron suger small grate bread being beat sweete, and season it withall and make a soft lit and put it in the pye and sett it in to bake with the breast of veale"

Note on the Original Text

The recipe is written as a loose set of instructions, typical of early modern English cookbooks. Quantities are vague ('a good quantitie,' 'three or foure yealks'), and much is left to the cook’s discretion and prior knowledge. Spelling matches 17th-century norms: 'perstey' for parsley, 'yealks' for yolks, 'sweete' for sweet, etc. Punctuation and structure are meandering, with directions unfolding in a single protracted sentence. This style signals the oral tradition from which such written records arose—recipes shared among cooks who relied more on experience than on detailed measurement.

Modern Kitchen Interpretation

Recipe's Origin

Certain profitable and well experienced collections for making conserve of fruits - Click to view recipe in book

Title

Certain profitable and well experienced collections for making conserve of fruits (1650)

You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome

Writer

Nicholas Webster

Era

1650

Publisher

Unknown

Background

Step back to the bustling kitchens of mid-17th century England with this flavorful collection by Nicholas Webster. Savory secrets, age-old recipes, and period culinary wisdom await in this masterfully penned volume—a true feast for culinary history enthusiasts.

Kindly made available by

Folger Shakespeare Library

Historical Background of the Recipe

Learn about old traditions

This recipe hails from mid-17th century England, around 1650. At this time, English cookery was undergoing a fascinating evolution, incorporating more complex stuffings and puddings, often encased in meats like veal for celebratory dishes. Cooks of the period, often working for wealthy households, used abundant fresh herbs and rich ingredients like suet and eggs to create flavorful, substantial 'puddings.' They typically served such dishes as lavish centerpiece offerings at feasts. The use of sweet spices and sugar, alongside savory herbs, was characteristic of this era's culinary boldness.

Culinary Tools when the Recipe was Crafted

Tools and techniques from kitchens of old

Back then, cooks would have used a large, sharp knife for mincing herbs and opening the veal breast. A wooden chopping block and a mortar and pestle for grinding spices and saffron would be essential. Mixing was done in large earthenware bowls by hand. Baking would occur in a brick or clay oven with adjustable heat, and the veal possibly set within a pie tin or directly on a shallow tray. Roasting or toasting the breadcrumbs might be accomplished near the open hearth or within a skillet over the fire, lending a depth of flavor to the stuffing.

Modern Kitchen Adaptation

Ingredients and techniques for today's cooks

ounces, cups, Fahrenheit

Prep Time

30 mins

Cook Time

1 hr 30 mins

Servings

We've done our best to adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, but some details may still need refinement. We warmly welcome feedback from fellow cooks and culinary historians — your insights support the entire community!

Ingredients

3 lbs 5 oz whole breast of veal (with a pocket cut for stuffing)
1 oz fresh parsley (flat-leaf, finely chopped)
0.35 oz fresh thyme (finely chopped)
0.35 oz fresh marjoram (finely chopped, or use oregano as substitute)
0.35 oz fresh savory (finely chopped, or use a mix of thyme and oregano if not available)
3.5 oz shredded beef suet (or use cold unsalted butter as substitute)
3-4 egg yolks
3.5 oz fresh breadcrumbs
1 oz breadcrumbs, lightly toasted
a small pinch each ground cloves and ground mace
a few threads of saffron
0.35 oz white sugar (about 2 tsp)

Instructions

To make a pudding in a breast of veal, begin by finely mincing fresh parsley, thyme, marjoram, and savory.
Next, combine a generous handful (about 3.5 oz) of suet with your chopped herbs, and add the yolks of three to four eggs.
Prepare about 3.5 oz of fresh breadcrumbs, including a portion (about 1 oz) that has been briefly toasted or roasted to deepen its flavor.
To this, blend in a small pinch each of ground cloves and mace, a small pinch of saffron threads, and around 2 teaspoons (0.35 oz) of sugar.
Combine all these ingredients into a soft stuffing mixture.
Carefully create a pocket in a whole breast of veal (around 3 lbs 5 oz), and stuff the herb pudding inside.
Place the stuffed veal into a baking dish or pie tin, and bake in a moderate oven (350°F) until the veal is fully cooked and the stuffing is set and fragrant, about 1 to 1.5 hours.
Slice and serve warm.

Estimated Calories

420 per serving

Cooking Estimates

Preparing this dish takes about 30 minutes, which includes chopping herbs and making the stuffing. The veal then bakes in the oven for about 1.5 hours. Each serving contains around 420 calories. This recipe serves 6 people.

As noted above, we have made our best effort to translate and adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, taking into account ingredients nowadays, cooking techniques, measurements, and so on. However, historical recipes often contain assumptions that require interpretation.

We'd love for anyone to help improve these adaptations. Community contributions are highly welcome. If you have suggestions, corrections, or cooking tips based on your experience with this recipe, please share them below.