Daily entries from the 17th century London diary
If you would like to write a summary for this topic, email phil [at] gyford [dot] com
1893 text
Buttered ale must have been a horrible concoction, as it is described as ale boiled with lump sugar and spice.
Annotations
-
http://www.florilegium.org/files/BEVERAGES/wassail-msg.html discusses buttered beer.
-
Once more Samuell gets his name in print:OED:
4. buttered ale: a beverage composed of sugar, cinnamon, butter, and beer brewed without hops. Obs.
1662 PEPYS Diary 5 Dec., And give him a morning draught of buttered ale. 1667 Ibid. 28 Sept., It will cost him..£300. in ale, and £52. in buttered ale.
-
Buttered Ale recipe (from Heston Blumenthal)
2 cans Old Speckled Hen ale
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
120g caster sugar
5 egg yolks
20g unsalted butter.Pour the ale into a saucepan and stir in the ground ginger, cloves and nutmeg. Gently heat this mixture until it is warm (approx. 52C if you have a thermometer).
Meanwhile,blitz egg-yolks and sugar together in a bowl until light and creamy.
Once the ale is warm, add the egg-yolk and sugar mixture and return to the heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture starts to thicken slightly (no hotter than 78C). Be careful not to let the pan get too hot or the eggs will scramble. Maintain this temperature for 2 minutes.
After 2 minutes, remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter until it melts. Then froth the mixture well will a small (cappuccino) whisk until it looks like frothy, milky tea. Pour into small glasses, mini tankards or espresso cups and serve immediately.
Serves 6-10.
-
The Blumenthal recipe above is not, I should have pointed out, that chef’s invention, but his 21st Century ‘translation’ of an old (doesn’t say how old on the website) recipe.