[Sca-cooks] RE: Potatoes Revisited - Longish (Elise Fleming)

[E. Rain]

Alys posted some potato candy recipes she found in Murrell.  these remind me
of the spanish confection from Granado that Lady Brighid translated.  I've
included her translation adn my preliminary redaction notes for those who
may be interested.

Source: Libro del Arte de Cozina (Spanish, 1599) translation by Robin
Carrol-Mann
CARNE DE LIMON, Y BATATAS -- Flesh of Lemon and Sweet Potatoes
The lemons must be mature, and divided in the middle, and cast them in
brine, which should be temperate, and after eight days have passed, remove
them and have boiling water, and without washing off the brine, cast them
in, and cook them with much fire, until they are extremely tender, and when
they are so, set them aside from the fire, and lower them in another [change
of] tepid water, and not that in which they were cooked, and hence in a
little while, remove them from the water, and wash them very well, and if
they should not be very tender, give them another boil, and if it should not
be necessary, take them out, and squeeze them, and pound them in a mortar of
stone. The sweet potato must be washed in two [changes of] water, and have
on the fire a boiler of boiling water, and cast them in, and cook them well,
until they are easily peeled, and then clean and pound [them], and then
weigh out a pound of sweet potatoes, and another of lemon, and to those, two
and a half of sugar, and if you wish them cast in two dozens of almonds, and
very well pounded, it will be smoother. When this meat is combined, the
sugar must be very clarified, and instantly, not in the manner as for
peaches, and it being so, cast it within, and cook on a mild fire, and when
the bottom of the kettle is made white, it is cooked, and set it aside from
the fire, and cast in your musk, and let it cool a little, and cast it in
your boxes, and set them in the sun three or four days, and if you have to
make morsels, you do not have to cook it as much as for a box.

Note: the mention of peaches seems to refer to an earlier recipe for peach
preserves, in which the clarified sugar is allowed to become tepid before
the fruit is added. I understand this to mean that you must add the
lemon-sweet potato mixture promptly to the clarified sugar while it is still
hot, rather than allowing it to cool as it does in the peach recipe. [RCM]


Eden’s reconstruction (december 2000)
Day 1
Sliced 4 lemons in half, soaked in 1 qt water with 5 oz kosher salt
Day 8 (1 week later)
Boil 2 large pots of water
Add 2 sweet potatos (well washed) to one pot
	Boil 1:45 – 2:45
	Had to add more water twice, this dropped temp, next time cover pot
Add Drained Lemons to other pot
	1:45 – 2:25
Puree ½ of cooked Lemons (8 oz)
(pull out seeds)
Puree ½ cooked potatoes (8 oz)

Powder ½ oz slivered almonds
Heat 1 lb 4 oz sugar for 40 mins till liquid (sugared so it took too long)
Add goops mix & pour into tinfoil lined pan

Tastes like Orange marmalade. Didn’t become a stiff candy

Next time wait to stir sugar till more has melted in
Combine goops before adding to sugar
Remove lemon seeds earlier
Cook more after goop added

Note that this marmelade is still, 7 months later, in my fridge & my husband
loves it on pancakes or as a chutney with leftover indian food.
___________________________________________________________
WARNING: Dates on the calendar are closer than they appear!

Eden Rain
raghead at liripipe.com