Originally Published November 10, 2015
What do you get when you add toasted pieces of sugar coated bread to wine? Soupes Jamberlayne, also known as Sops Chamberlain. This is another very easy, quick to throw together recipe that could easily be incorporated into a feast using items the cook may already have on hand.
The recipe below can be found here: Two fifteenth-century cookery-books : Harleian MS. 279 (ab 1430), & Harl. MS. 4016 (ab. 1450), with extracts from Ashmole MS. 1439, Laud MS. 553, & Douce MS. 55 by Thomas Austin
Original Recipe
.xxviij. Soupes Jamberlayne.*. [Chamberlain.]—Take Wyne, Canel, an powder of Gyngere, an Sugre, an of eche a porcyoun, þan take a straynoure & hange it on a pynne, an caste ale þer-to, an let renne twyis or þryis throgh, tyl it renne clere; an þen take Paynemaynne an kyt it in maner of brewes, an toste it, an wete it in þe same lycowre, an ley it on a dysshe, an caste blawnche powder y-now þer-on; an þan caste þe same lycour vp-on þe same soppys, an serue hem forth in maner of a potage.
Interpretation
28. Sops Chamberlain. Take wine, cinnamon, and powdered of ginger, an sugar, and of each a portion, than take a strainer and hang it on a pin, and cast all thereto, and let run twice or thrice through, till it run clear; and then take pandemain (bread) and cut it in manner of broth, and toast it, an wet it in the same liquor, and lay it on a dish, and cast white powder enough thereon; and then cast the same liquor upon the same sops, an serve them forth in manner of a potage.
Ingredients
Serves 2 as Main - 4 as a side
1 cup wine
2 tsp. each cinnamon, ginger and sugar
Toasted bread cut into finger length strips
Powder Douce to taste
Instructions
1. Heat wine, cinnamon, ginger and sugar till it comes to a boil. Let boil for five minutes.
2. In the meantime, toast your bread and cut it into finger length and width slices.
3. Dip the bread into the heated wine, and place them in a bowl.
Note: If the bread gets too wet, it will be difficult to remove from the broth. Trust me on this.
4. Strain the heated wine and spice and then pour the broth over the bread and sprinkle with the powder douce (white powder).
Thoughts
I found that this to be a very pleasant dish to eat. The wine was very fruity, and the spices brought out those flavors. The bread soaked up the wine, and it provided texture. I would definitely serve this at a future banquet. One thing that I might do differently would be to put the wine in the bowl at the last minute and then top with the bread and then add the spices. I think it would present prettier. No matter how you present it, it's delicious!
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