Comfits Re: [Sca-cooks] grains of paradise

[Phil Troy / G. Tacitus Adamantius]

On Monday, June 16, 2003, at 11:32  PM, <jenne at fiedlerfamily.net> wrote:

>> However, comfits made with grains of paradise seeds might be
>> interesting.
>
>
> Hm... at the Kings and Queens A&S Champions competition, Prudence the
> curious entered a selection of comfits, among them coriander comfits.
> They
> were MAHRVELOUS! I have GOT to candy some coriander, now that the
> weather
> is starting to dry out at last.
>
> I'm thinking of bringing comfits as part of my Pennsic A&S entry. Any
> suggestions on how to keep 'em relatively cool and dry?

How big did Prudence get her coriander comfits? Plat says they should
be as big as peas, but I've never been able to get them that large
before they became "rough and ragged", and began forming sugar balls of
their own, independent of the seeds.

On keeping them dry. It may sound crazy, but have you considered a
cloth-lined, air-tight container, with a packet or two of silica gel
tucked under the cloth? You might also pack them in powdered sugar, and
brush it off before presentation. But for Pennsic, I would definitely
consider the silica gel packets.

Hey, comfits _are_ pills, after all.

Adamantius