flipHerb and Sweet-Spice Meat Pie
Herb and Sweet-Spice Meat Pie
Why this dish? Meat appeared only on feast days or to comfort the sick; the closed pie, sealing the meat in its crust with rosemary and spices, was the dish of honor brought from the oven on important days.
A closed pie filled with minced meat (lamb or poultry), perfumed with rosemary, cinnamon, and verjuice, in a golden crust. The sweet-savory spiced style typical of fine early modern cooking.
For a feast day, I spare no pains. I mince the lamb meat finely, mix in rosemary from my garden, a little cinnamon and ginger that I get from the apothecary, and a dash of verjuice for sharpness. I seal it all in a good pastry that I glaze with egg, and I let the oven do its work until the crust sings under the finger. When you break it, the aroma rises: this is what it takes to honor a guest or set a sick person back on their feet.
- •Lamb (or poultry) meat — one pound (filling)
- •Lard — a little (tenderness)
- •Rosemary — one sprig, chopped (signature herb)
- •Cinnamon and ginger — a pinch each (sweet spices)
- •Verjuice — a dash (acidity)
- •Flour, butter, eggs — as needed (pastry and glaze)
Herb and Sweet-Spice Meat Pie
A closed pie filled with minced meat (lamb or poultry), perfumed with rosemary, cinnamon, and verjuice, in a golden crust. The sweet-savory spiced style typical of fine early modern cooking.
Why this dish? Meat appeared only on feast days or to comfort the sick; the closed pie, sealing the meat in its crust with rosemary and spices, was the dish of honor brought from the oven on important days.
For a feast day, I spare no pains. I mince the lamb meat finely, mix in rosemary from my garden, a little cinnamon and ginger that I get from the apothecary, and a dash of verjuice for sharpness. I seal it all in a good pastry that I glaze with egg, and I let the oven do its work until the crust sings under the finger. When you break it, the aroma rises: this is what it takes to honor a guest or set a sick person back on their feet.
Ingredients (period version)
- Lamb (or poultry) meat — one pound (filling)
- Lard — a little (tenderness)
- Rosemary — one sprig, chopped (signature herb)
- Cinnamon and ginger — a pinch each (sweet spices)
- Verjuice — a dash (acidity)
- Flour, butter, eggs — as needed (pastry and glaze)
Ingredients
- Minced lamb shoulder (or chicken thigh) — 500 g (filling)
- Smoked bacon — 80 g, diced (tenderness)
- Fresh rosemary — 1 tbsp chopped (signature herb)
- Cinnamon — 1/2 tsp (spice)
- Ground ginger — 1/4 tsp (spice)
- Verjuice (or green grape juice / mild vinegar) — 2 tbsp (acidity)
- Shortcrust pastry — 2 discs (crust)
- Egg — 1, beaten (glaze)
- Salt, pepper — to taste (seasoning)
Method
- Mix the minced meat, bacon, rosemary, spices, verjuice, salt, and pepper.
- Line a pie dish with one pastry disc, spread the filling, cover with the second disc, and seal the edges.
- Cut a vent in the center, glaze with beaten egg.
- Bake at 190 °C for about 40 minutes until the crust is golden brown.
- Let rest 10 minutes before slicing.
How it was made : Refined 16th-17th century cuisine loved to pair meat with sweet spices (cinnamon, ginger) and the acidity of verjuice, a medieval legacy still thriving. The closed pie allowed meat to be cooked, transported, and kept for a few days; it was served at weddings, baptisms, and postpartum gatherings.
The contemporary twist : Shape into small individual pies and mark the pastry with a herbal motif using a knife, a nod to illuminated manuscripts.
Sources : Lancelot de Casteau, Ouverture de cuisine, 1604 · Bartolomeo Platina, De honesta voluptate (traditions of spiced pies), circulated in 16th-century France
Anne Ponsarde · Charactorium
