Cockentrice, the Counterfeit Entremets
A showpiece where two roasted animals are assembled into a single hybrid creature, burnished with saffron gold and proudly presented standing on the table. It is carved and served with a spiced sauce.
A showpiece where two roasted animals are assembled into a single hybrid creature, burnished with saffron gold and proudly presented standing on the table. It is carved and served with a spiced sauce.
At the great tables of lords, they dared not serve me alive — but they counterfeited me. Know, mortal, that the cooks sewed the front of a capon to the hindquarters of a piglet, then set the beast on its feet and gilded it with saffron until it shone like gold from the depths. The guests laughed and trembled together to see my roasted double carried in with great pomp. Thus they mocked me, thinking to tame me by eating me in effigy.
- •Half roasted capon — the front half (upper half of the chimera)
- •Half suckling pig — the hind half (lower half of the chimera)
- •Egg yolks — a few (binder for the gilding)
- •Saffron — a good pinch infused (gold color (gilding))
- •Long pepper, ginger, clove, cinnamon — to taste (spices for the roast and sauce)
- •Verjuice — a little (acidity for the sauce)
Cockentrice, the Counterfeit Entremets
A showpiece where two roasted animals are assembled into a single hybrid creature, burnished with saffron gold and proudly presented standing on the table. It is carved and served with a spiced sauce.
Why this dish? The "cockentrice" is a genuine medieval banquet dish named after the cockatrice: the front half of a roasted capon was sewn to the hindquarters of a suckling pig (or vice versa), then the chimera was dressed and gilded to frighten and amaze the guests — a monstrous beast counterfeited in the image of the creature from bestiaries.
At the great tables of lords, they dared not serve me alive — but they counterfeited me. Know, mortal, that the cooks sewed the front of a capon to the hindquarters of a piglet, then set the beast on its feet and gilded it with saffron until it shone like gold from the depths. The guests laughed and trembled together to see my roasted double carried in with great pomp. Thus they mocked me, thinking to tame me by eating me in effigy.
Ingredients (period version)
- Half roasted capon — the front half (upper half of the chimera)
- Half suckling pig — the hind half (lower half of the chimera)
- Egg yolks — a few (binder for the gilding)
- Saffron — a good pinch infused (gold color (gilding))
- Long pepper, ginger, clove, cinnamon — to taste (spices for the roast and sauce)
- Verjuice — a little (acidity for the sauce)
Ingredients
- Half free-range chicken (top) — 1 half (wing/breast part)
- Pork roast or half deboned shank — approx. 800 g (lower part of the chimera)
- Egg yolk — 2 (gilding)
- Saffron — 1 pinch (golden color)
- Ground ginger, cinnamon, pepper, clove — 1 tsp total (spices)
- Chicken broth — 250 ml (sauce base)
- Verjuice or tart grape juice — 3 tbsp (acidity)
- Food-grade kitchen twine — 1 roll (assembling the two pieces)
Method
- Roast the half chicken and pork roast separately until fully cooked, then let them cool slightly.
- Infuse the saffron in 1 tbsp hot water, then mix with the egg yolks: this is the gilding.
- Assemble the "chimera" by sewing or tying the top of the chicken firmly to the pork part to resemble a single beast.
- Brush the whole piece with the saffron gilding and return to a hot oven (200°C) for 10 minutes to set the gold and glaze.
- Prepare the sauce: reduce the broth with the spices and verjuice, adjust seasoning.
- Present the creature standing or lying on a large platter, drizzle with a little sauce, and serve the rest on the side.
How it was made : English cookery books from the 15th century describe the "cokyntryce": the half of a suckling pig and half of a capon were sewn together before roasting and gilding the whole. It was a "sotelty" — an illusion dish served between courses to impress the company, in the same spirit as peacocks re-dressed in their feathers.
The contemporary twist : Serve it under a cloche and lift it at the table: the "golden beast" appears in a cloud of steam. Plant a small heraldic banner to recall the cockatrice coat of arms.
Sources : Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books (Harleian MS 279 & MS 4016), ed. Thomas Austin · A Noble Boke off Cookry (15th c.)
Cockatrice · Charactorium