SC - Payn Ragoun - 2 redactions

[Lee-Gwen Booth]

I have just finished making Payn Ragoun (it looks like it is going to be
really nice!  My Lady comes home tomorrow, and now I have a welcome home
gift for her!) according to a redaction I found on-line.  The same recipe
appears in Pleyn Delit, but the redactions are different.  I am curious to
see what some of the experienced cooks here have to say about the two
redactions.  (Oh, and I am curious to know whether there are any similar
sweets which use different spices - I do know some people who can't
eat/don't like ginger and I wonder if cinnamon or nutmeg might work - while
remaining period - in its place.)

This is one of the originals which appear on the on-line reference (the
second differs only on a few minor points, AFAICS)

"Payn Ragoun PD (131)
"Take hony and sugur cipre and clarifie it togydre, and boile it with esy
fyre, and kepe it wel fro brennyng. And wha it hath yboiled a while, take up
a drope perof wip py fyngur and do in a litel water, and loke it if hong
togydre; and take it fro the fyre and do perto pynes the thriddendele &
powdour gyngever, and stere it togyder til it bygynne to thik, and cast it
on a wete table; lesh it and serve forth with fryed mete, on flessh dayes or
on fyssshe dayes."

This is her redaction:

1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. ginger ground.
Boil honey and sugar together until it forms reaches soft ball stage. Add
powdered ginger and set out to cool. This makes a gingered flavor fudge-like
candy.

Now, here is the original as it appears in Pleyn Delit:

"Payn Ragon PD
"Take hony sugar and clarifie it togydre and boile it with esy fyr, and kepe
it wel from brenyng. And whan it hath yboiled a while, take up a drope
per=of wip py fynger and do in a litel water, and loke it if hong togydre,
and take it fro the fyre and do perto the thriddendele & powdour gyngen, and
stere it togyder til it bigynne to thik and cast it on a wete table; lesh it
and serue it forth with fryed mete on flessh day or on fyssshe dayes. FC67"

"This recipe makes a fudge-type candy, complete with soft-ball test.  The
unspecified ingredient added during the beating stage would most probably be
ground almonds, currants, pine nuts - the sort of ingredient used to stuff
roasts, flavour stews, etc.  Pegge suggests that the 'third part' must be
bread ('payn") [which would make it very similar to ginger brede, I think],
but it seems more likely that this is one of the names which suggests an
appearance rather than an ingredient.  Just as 'yrchouns' are sausages made
to look like hedgehogs, this is a sweet shapped and sliced like bread [which
is not how this version would look, according to the redaction].  Since this
dish is recommended to accompany fried meat, it would provide the kind of
contrast that a sweet sauce might."
And the Pleyn Delit Redaction:

Honey and Almond Candy
2 cups sugar
3 tbsp honey
2/3 cup water
2/3 cup ground almonds
1/4 - 1/2 ginger

Cook the sugar, honey, and water together, stirring frequently over a fairly
low heat, stirring, until the syrup reaches the soft-ball stage
(approximately 234 degrees).  Cool it a little, then beat it until it begins
to stiffen.  Then add the almonds and ginger stir together, and pour out
onto waxed paper.  When hardened, slice and serve.

Gwynydd