SC - Three Questions (one of them oop)

[Gedney, Jeffrey]

> Ras mentioned a taffy recipe from al-Bagdadi; here is the original recipe.
> We don't have a satisfactory worked-out version yet.
> 
> Halwa' Yabisa
> al Baghdadi p. 210/13
> 
> Take sugar, dissolve in water, and boil until set: then remove from the
> dish, and pour onto a soft surface to cool. Take an iron stake with a soft
> 
"Soft" surface? Has anyone checked the translation?
Could the "soft" surface really mean "smooth" surface? 

> head and plant it into the mass, then pull up the sugar, stretching it
> with
> the hands and drawing it up the stake all the time, until it becomes
> white:
> then throw once more onto the surface. Knead in pistachios, and cut into
> strips and triangles. If desired, it may be colored, either with saffron
> or
> with vermilion. Sometimes it is crumbled with a little peeled almonds,
> sesame, or poppy.
> 
This seems rather straightforward, otherwise. 
This is flavored "drawn" sugar. 
1 cup water 
3 cups sugar
Boil to "soft crack" stage
Quickly pour onto a smooth surface (such as a pastry board) to cool
slightly. Using a good icing spatula,  pull and double, pull and double. A
little ("little" as in wipe with a paper towl with a dab of oil) oil on the
board helps, and promotes the "whiteness".
Knead in the pistachio meats ( Probably unsalted, but where does one get
THEM, nowadays?)
(This results in a hard candy, not a taffy, IIRC.)
This is similar to a pulled sugar I used to make a basket for an easter cake
I cooked last year, except it has added nuts. 
I have made something like this, but with lemon extract and zest, instead of
pistachios. 
A hair dryer works well, when it hardens, to keep it pliable.
I am making Candy Canes for my son (who is allergic to corn sugar) this
week, with this very method as a base.


Brandu
============================================================================

To be removed from the SCA-Cooks mailing list, please send a message to
Majordomo at Ansteorra.ORG with the message body of "unsubscribe SCA-Cooks".

============================================================================