For the poudre douce: Mix the sugar and spices together and set aside.
For the almond milk: Place the almonds in a bowl and cover them with water. Soak them overnight.
The next day, they should be nice and plump. Drain them.
Place the soaked almonds, 3 cups of water, and 1 cup of white wine into a blender. Blend for about a minute, or until the mixture is smooth.
Pour the mixture through a nut milk bag or fine cloth, squeezing out as much of the liquid as possible. Measure out 2 cups for the sops and use the rest however you like.
For the sops: Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C).
In a medium saucepan, bring the 2 cups of almond milk to a gentle simmer. Stir in the saffron, sugar, and salt. Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until it starts to thicken, about 10 minutes.
While the almond milk mixture thickens, place your bread slices on a baking sheet and bake for 6 to 8 minutes, or until they have started to turn golden brown. Turn the slices over, then bake for another 4 to 5 minutes, or until they’re nicely toasted.
While the toast is still hot, place a slice (or however many you want) in a shallow bowl or other dish, and drizzle it with the white wine. You want to add enough to moisten and soften the toast, but not so much as to make it soggy.
Once the almond milk mixture has thickened so that it is like a thin custard, pour some of it around the toast and a little over the top. The amount you use is up to your taste. Sprinkle it with a large pinch of the poudre douce, and serve it forth.
“Soppes Dorre.
Take rawe Almondes, And grynde hem in A morter, And temper hem with wyn and drawe hem throgh a streynour; And lete hem boyle, And cast there-to Saffron, Sugur, and salt; And then take a paynmain, And kut him and tost him, And wte him in wyne, And ley hem in a dissh, and caste the siryppe thereon, and make a dregge of pouder ginger, sugur, Canell, Clowes, and maces, And cast thereon; And whan hit is I-Dressed, serue it forth fore a good pottage.”
— Harleian MS. 4016, c. 1450
