[Sca-cooks] Rose Pastry

[Marian Rosenberg]

Greetings the List,

  Some of you who were at the potluck may have gotten a taste of the
Rose Petal Pastry Mike made.  This recipe was a miracle by accident.  I
made three pastries and he made two and people kept giving me
compliments and tokens and suggestions to enter competitions and other
nice things in return.

  Along the way a few people mentioned that they thought it tasted like
it could conceivably be similar to something Elizabethan or could be
changed to make it similar to a period recipe.  One person mentioned
that they had eaten something similar at a "documented Elizabethan
feast" by a Master Llewellyn.

  So, now, I am looking for ways to document recipes using rose water
and rose petals.  I've purchased "Rose Recipes from Olden Times" and
looked at "The Closet of Sir Kenelm Digby" and can date rose petal jelly
to the mid 17th century as well as a risen rose water pastry with
currants to the mid-17th century but so far no luck on pushing it any
earlier.

  Can anyone suggest any sources I might wish to consult for Elizabethan
desserts?

Recipe:

1/4 pound butter
1/4 pound brown sugar
1 egg
1 scant teaspoon rose water
as much flour as the batter will hold to make dough
2+ tablespoons rose petal jelly

 cream butter and sugar
 add egg
 add rose water
 begin slowly mixing the flour into the bowl until you have a consistent
smooth thick batter.  I'd guess this is about the consistency of
cookies.  When the batter can't easily hold more flour you've got
enough.
 reserve half the dough.
 add 2+ tablespoons of rose petal jelly to one portion of the dough
 mix thoroughly until smooth
 take the portion of dough that has not been mixed with jelly and line a
small pie pan or muffin tins with it.
 fill the rest of the pan or tin with the jelly/dough mix
 top with the rest of the straight dough
 bake at 350 ish until done

(sorry I can't be more specific, as this recipe has only been made at
Pennsic in a mediocre kitchen with a coleman camp oven)

-M