Recipe Manuscript

To Make A Creame Dish

Name: To Make A Creame Dish
Prep time: PTPT10M
Cook time: PTPT20M
Yield: 4
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: 500 ml double (heavy) cream; 2 eggs (separate whites for white curds or yolks for yellow curds); 40 g flour or white breadcrumbs (for 'boyled crone'); 3 dates, finely chopped; 1 teaspoon chopped marron glacé or 1 tablespoon chopped cooked chestnut (substitute: omit or use candied chestnuts if unavailable); 20 g blanched almonds, chopped; 1 teaspoon rosewater; 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg; 25 g caster sugar; Butter for frying or greasing molds (if baking/frying)

1675

From the treasured pages of Receipt book of Margaret Baker

Written by Margaret Baker

Renaissance (1400 - 1700)European Intermediate Dessert

Original Recipe • 1675

Original Manuscript(circa Renaissance, 1400 - 1700)

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

To Make A Creame Dish

"Take one pinte of creame, if you will have y curd white take the whits of y egges & boyle with your creame; if you will have it yolow take y yolks & boyle with y creame till it cums to curds, with boyled crone & 3 dates a litle marron, put in smale peces of almons, rose-water, nutt-meges, & suger, this you may make to be baked in moulds or to fry, or a florentine."

Note on the Original Text

Seventeenth-century recipes, such as this one, were written as brief notes with minimal instructions, assuming cooks had foundational knowledge of techniques. Quantities were rarely specified, and terms like 'boyled crone' (boiled crumb or croute) and 'marron' (chestnut) would have been familiar to contemporary readers but are ambiguous today. Spelling variations—such as 'whits' for 'whites', 'yeggs' for 'eggs', or 'nutt-meges' for 'nutmeg'—reflect phonetic spelling and the lack of standardized orthography. The recipe's structure guides the cook through choices (white/yellow curd) and preparation method (baked, fried, or as 'florentine'), demonstrating both flexibility and resourcefulness in historical kitchens.

Modern Kitchen Interpretation

Recipe's Origin

Receipt book of Margaret Baker - Click to view recipe in book

Title

Receipt book of Margaret Baker (1675)

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

Writer

Margaret Baker

Era

1675

Publisher

Unknown

Background

Step into the 17th-century kitchen with Margaret Baker, whose delectable recipes and culinary wisdom promise a feast of traditional flavors and genteel charms. A delightful collection for those who savor history as much as fine food.

Kindly made available by

Folger Shakespeare Library

Historical Background of the Recipe

Learn about old traditions

This recipe appears in a manuscript attributed to Margaret Baker from around 1675, a period when England was undergoing rich culinary shifts. Dairy-based dishes like this creame dish reflected the luxury and abundance enjoyed by the upper classes and gentry. Eggs, cream, rosewater, sugar, and imported fruits like dates were all prominent in fashionable 17th-century English cookery. Such recipes were written for household cooks of literate, well-off households, showcasing their access to expensive ingredients and a taste for intricate, sweet-flavored curd or custard dishes, which were fashionable at the Restoration court and beyond.

Culinary Tools when the Recipe was Crafted

Tools and techniques from kitchens of old

In the 17th century, this dish would have been prepared over an open hearth using a heavy pan or pot and wooden spoons for stirring. For baking, cooks used earthenware or metal molds placed in hot coals or the open oven of a wood-fired range. Frying would have been done in a small pan with dripping or butter. Small knives, graters (for nutmeg), and sieves for separating eggs or sifting flour would have been at hand. Molds for baking or a shallow dish for the Florentine variant would also have been typical.

Modern Kitchen Adaptation

Ingredients and techniques for today's cooks

ounces, cups, Fahrenheit

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

20 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

1 pint (2 cups) double (heavy) cream
2 eggs (separate whites for white curds or yolks for yellow curds)
1 1/2 ounces (1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon) flour or white breadcrumbs (for 'boyled crone')
3 dates, finely chopped
1 teaspoon chopped marron glacé or 1 tablespoon chopped cooked chestnut (substitute: omit or use candied chestnuts if unavailable)
3/4 ounce (about 1/4 cup) blanched almonds, chopped
1 teaspoon rosewater
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
2 tablespoons (about 7/8 ounce) caster sugar
Butter for frying or greasing molds (if baking/frying)

Instructions

To recreate this 17th-century creame dish, begin by heating 1 pint (2 cups) of double cream over gentle heat.
For a white curd, whisk and add the whites of 2 eggs to the cream; for yellow curds, use 2 yolks.
Bring slowly to just below boiling, stirring gently until curds form.
Add about 1 1/2 ounces (1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon) of flour (substitute for 'boyled crone', meaning boiled crumb), 3 finely chopped dates, a teaspoon of chopped marron glacé (candied chestnut) or a pinch of plain chestnut if unavailable, and 3/4 ounce (about 1/4 cup) of chopped blanched almonds.
Stir in a teaspoon of rosewater, a pinch of grated nutmeg, and 2 tablespoons (about 7/8 ounce) of sugar.
Cook gently for a few more minutes to combine flavors.
You can choose to bake this mixture in little pudding molds, fry spoonfuls in a pan with a little butter, or bake as a 'Florentine' in a shallow dish.
Serve cooled, dusted with extra sugar if desired.

Estimated Calories

350 per serving

Cooking Estimates

It takes about 10 minutes to prepare the ingredients and about 20 minutes to cook the creame dish. This recipe serves 4 people, and each serving contains about 350 calories.

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.