Is there a good place to look online for such, or some sources I can get via ILL? I seem to remember a 15thC color illustrating of two men serving pies at a feast, but I can't to save me remember the source so I can look again.

Why, I thought, are these pies round,
And sealed with fingerprints around,
Should they be tent shaped, like a boat?
Or wasped-shaped like a man's fine cote?

And fie with that, are they too large,
to make men larger than a barge?
Or too small then, of such a type,
to get lost in one's liripipe?

They're tasty, sure, and rich good food,
I cooked and spiced them best I could,
But - what size? what shape? how to garnish?
My pies look plain and glazed with varnish.

I'm sure there's someone here who knows
how pies should be, with what type doughs
and fillings, and could you advise
the shape of them, and in what size?

Alas, the proportions in period artwork is so wacky as to be unreliable. Pies seem to come in a range of sizes, from "personal" pie size all the way up to enormous. I know there are references to large pies that were kept in the larder, eaten from at meals and then replaced in the larder and recovered at night until they were all gone (an Elizabethan reference).

The one thing for certain is that medieval pies were straight sided like a cheesecake, not slant-sided like a modern pie. For the event 1 was in a standard 10” springform pan and the other was about 6” across. I don’t have a small springform pan, so I have 2” X 12” strips of aluminum flashing that I use to make pies the size I need. I overlap and paper clip the ends to form a ring, and place the ring on a foil-lined cookie sheet. In this way I can make smaller or very large pies.

For the recent pies, I used the paste recipe I posted on Firestryker in thread http://www.wolfeargent.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=21&t=000037 to which I added some herbs to make an herb crust. It was the perfect texture- firm enough to hold the pie together without being cardboardish, and the herbs added nice flavor. When making it up, it should be noted that it will seem dry at first. Resist the temptation to add more liquid, but do cover it with clear wrap and allow it to rest for 15 or 20 minutes. After the rest, the dough will be the perfect consistancy to roll out. Don't try to roll it paper thin either- keep it a good 1/4" to 3/8" for best results.

I am very interested in period pies myself, and would be very grateful for any more info anyone comes up with. In addition to size, I am most interested in knowing what was in pies available on the street to common people.

and on the subject of pies sold on the street, i will recommend "Fast Food and Urban Living Standards in Medieval England" from Food and Eating in Medieval Europe, isbn 1-85285-148-1, Carlin and Rosenthal, ed. This article discusses what people bought on the street vs what they cooked themselves, and lists various sources of what was available on the street. Including: Paris, mid 13th cent fast food: waffles, wafers, boiled & roasted beef, veal, mutton, pork, lamb, kid, pigeon, capon, goose; spiced pastries filled w/ pork, chicken or eel; tarts or flans filled with cheese or egg; hot mashed peas, hot beans, garlic sauce, brie, butter, hot pastries, hot cakes, hot wafer, hot pancakes, rissoles, hot flan, hot tarts and simnels. Pastelers sold meat and fish parties, game, and poultry. Flan makers sold cheesecakes and flans of eggs, bread, and cheese. Waferers sold wafers or griddle cakes.

I too have a interest in pies (and other common food) of the common man. I've a growing interest in 15th century reinactment, and the prospect of getting to be a common soldier (and not a "minor noble") is one I find appealing. I think I'll head that way with controlled enthusiasm, but keep the Tourney Company participation as well, at least in our private events.

Much research to do. Much. But, I like that, given a bit of guidance.