Book of Days Tales

On this date in 1587, Eleanor Dare gave birth to a daughter whom she christened Virginia in honor of being “the first Christian born in Virginia” in the doomed colony on Roanoke, now known as the Lost Colony.  When a relief party from England returned to the colony in 1590 they landed on this date and discovered the site abandoned and with CROATOAN carved on one of the palisade posts.  The colonists were never found.

There are plenty of 16^th century English recipes to choose from (including one for a soup of split peas and leeks that I like).  This one for apple pillows is updated for modern cooks but has remained basically the same for centuries although now called apple fritters.

Ingredients

2 ¾ cups flour
2 large eggs
1 cup water
½ tsp. salt
¾ cup sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon

6 medium apples

oil for frying

Instructions

Mix the flour, eggs, water, salt, sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl and let the batter rest.

Peel and core the apples, quarter them, then halve the quarters.

Heat a pot of vegetable oil to  350° F/175° C.

Coat the apple slices thoroughly on all sides with batter and fry in batches.  Do not overcrowd the pot. Turn the slices to make sure that they are golden on both sides.  Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on wire racks.  Serve hot.