flipRoast capon with cameline sauce
Roast capon with cameline sauce
Why this dish? When Mornay entertained or appeared at court, the roast capon napped with cameline was the dish that proclaimed his rank. The sauce, all cinnamon and verjuice, silently displayed the wealth of a man who could afford Oriental spices.
A fine roast capon served with the famous cameline sauce: a cold sauce thickened with grilled bread, perfumed with cinnamon and grains of paradise, sharpened with verjuice. It was the star sauce of great tables of the time.
Voici, Monsieur, le plat dont je me pare quand je tiens table ouverte. Faites rôtir un chapon gras à la broche, qu'il prenne belle couleur, et tandis qu'il tourne, broyez au mortier du pain hâlé, cannelle, gingembre et graine de paradis, le tout détrempé de verjus bien aigret. Cette cameline-là, point ne se cuit : froide elle accompagne la viande chaude, et son parfum d'Orient vaut mieux que tout discours sur ma maison. Goûtez, et dites-moi si l'épicier ne m'a pas bien servi.
- •Capon — a fine one (roast)
- •Grilled bread — two slices (sauce thickener)
- •Cinnamon — a good dose (master spice)
- •Ginger — a pinch (spice)
- •Grains of paradise — a few grains (pungent spice)
- •Verjuice — to thin (acidity)
- •Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Roast capon with cameline sauce
A fine roast capon served with the famous cameline sauce: a cold sauce thickened with grilled bread, perfumed with cinnamon and grains of paradise, sharpened with verjuice. It was the star sauce of great tables of the time.
Why this dish? When Mornay entertained or appeared at court, the roast capon napped with cameline was the dish that proclaimed his rank. The sauce, all cinnamon and verjuice, silently displayed the wealth of a man who could afford Oriental spices.
Voici, Monsieur, le plat dont je me pare quand je tiens table ouverte. Faites rôtir un chapon gras à la broche, qu'il prenne belle couleur, et tandis qu'il tourne, broyez au mortier du pain hâlé, cannelle, gingembre et graine de paradis, le tout détrempé de verjus bien aigret. Cette cameline-là, point ne se cuit : froide elle accompagne la viande chaude, et son parfum d'Orient vaut mieux que tout discours sur ma maison. Goûtez, et dites-moi si l'épicier ne m'a pas bien servi.
Ingredients (period version)
- Capon — a fine one (roast)
- Grilled bread — two slices (sauce thickener)
- Cinnamon — a good dose (master spice)
- Ginger — a pinch (spice)
- Grains of paradise — a few grains (pungent spice)
- Verjuice — to thin (acidity)
- Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Ingredients
- Free-range chicken or capon — 1 (1.8–2 kg) (roast)
- Grilled country bread — 2 slices (60 g) (sauce thickener)
- Ground cinnamon — 1.5 tsp (master spice)
- Ground ginger — 1/2 tsp (spice)
- Grains of paradise (or a little pepper) — 1/4 tsp (pungent spice)
- Verjuice (or green grape juice + splash of vinegar) — 150 ml (acidity)
- Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Method
- Salt the capon and roast at 190°C for about 1h20, basting with its juices, until the skin is golden.
- Meanwhile, grill the bread then pound or blend into coarse crumbs.
- Mix the crumbs with cinnamon, ginger, and grains of paradise.
- Gradually thin with verjuice to a smooth sauce, neither too thick nor too runny; season with salt.
- Rest the roast 10 minutes, carve, and serve napped, or present the cameline separately in a sauceboat, cold against the hot meat.
How it was made : Cameline was one of the most widespread sauces of the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, attested in the *Viandier* and the *Ménagier de Paris*. It is thickened with grilled bread (not egg or butter), served cold, and drew its prestige from imported spices. The capon, a fattened and castrated fowl, was the quintessential festive piece.
The contemporary twist : Served in a pipette or in fine dots on the plate, cameline becomes a 'gastro' condiment: its cinnamon-verjuice balance surprises all who think cinnamon is only for desserts.
Charles de Mornay · Charactorium
