14^th century

Daryols

Daryols are small custard tarts made in 5 cm (2 inch) deep tins with the same name (darioles). Originally there were no tins, and the tart crust was hand-raised to look narrow and tall like the moulds that were later made for them. Other custard tarts were ‘doucets’; they were wider and less high, like individual custard tarts are today. The reason these tarts were so small, was because the filling was expensive and the smaller the pastry case, the better the filling would bake.

The name ‘daryol’ or ‘dariole’ is probably Anglo–Norman French and appears also in old French from the period around 1350 to 1400. In old French ‘dariole’ could come from ‘doriole’ – meaning ‘dorer’ – which means to gild. This could be referring to the fact that the pastry cases, which were baked without the help of dariole tins in the early days, were baked golden in the oven.

The tart filling could be made with vegetables, fish, cheese curd, custard or an almond filling. Cream and eggs were used to set the dish but often recipes also call for broth. Spices could be saffron, ginger, mace, cloves, cinnamon and pepper. Dried fruit, such as dates and prunes, is mentioned and also fresh strawberries when they were in season. To sweeten, honey was used most commonly, but sugar was used in the kitchens of the most noble households. Whether the dish contained fish or fruit, it was always spiced as a sweet dish.

Daryols - Take Creme of Cowe mylke. oþer of Almandes. do þerto ayren with sugur, safroun, and salt, medle it yfere. do it in a coffyn. of II. ynche depe. bake it wel and serue it forth

The Forme of Cury, c. 1390

Makes enough for five 3.5 cm (1³/₈ inch) dariole moulds, or 6 cm (2½ inch) tart tins

1 quantity hot-water pastry or use shortcrust pastry in a shallow tart tin

500 ml (17 fl oz/2 cups) thick (double) cream

20 g (¾ oz) blanched almonds, pounded to a pulp

30 g (1 oz) raw sugar

a tiny pinch of salt

a few saffron threads

8 egg yolks

Preheat the oven to 160°C (315°F).

Make the hot-water pastry according to the instructions. Roll out the pastry as thin as you can manage without breaking it, then divide it into smaller pieces for the individual moulds. Let the pastry sink into the tins and mould it with your fingers, pressing it so you don’t have an uneven thickness. Trim the extra pastry and use your fingers to crimp the edges.

Blind bake for 5 minutes as instructed (or for 25 minutes if using shortcrust pastry).

Put the cream and almond pulp into a saucepan with the sugar, salt and saffron. Bring to a simmer then remove from the heat.

Beat the egg yolks in a bowl, strain the cream mixture and start adding the cream to the eggs in small batches. Whisk constantly until you get a smooth custard. For fruit daryols, drop currants, chopped dates or chopped fresh strawberries into the pastry case before adding the custard mixture. Pour the mixture into the pie crusts. Bake for 25–30 minutes until the filling is just set and the pastry is golden.