[Sca-cooks] sugared nuts

[Stefan li Rous]

Eleyiss asked:
> Does anybody have a recipe for sugared nuts? My room mate in Dun 
> Carriag had
> one but I don't remember what book she got it out of and I can't find 
> one.
> Help?
There are a number of them in this Florilegium files in the FOOD 
section:
nuts-msg         (116K)  9/11/04    Nuts, acorns, nut flours in 
medieval foods.
http://www.florilegium.org/files/FOOD/nuts-msg.html

You don't mention whether you specifically wanted whole nuts or 
something with crushed nuts and sugar. I have pasted one of each from 
this file below, but there are others in there as well.

You also didn't specify if you had a particular type of nut in mind. 
The following is a pine nut brittle and is in the FOOD-SWEETS section. 
I'm sure there are other candy files there that include nuts.
Pynade-art        (32K) 11/24/01    "Pynade (Medieval Candy)" by Lady 
Constance
                                        de LaRose.
http://www.florilegium.org/files/FOOD-SWEETS/Pynade-art.html

Stefan
--------
THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
    Mark S. Harris           Austin, Texas          
StefanliRous at austin.rr.com
**** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:  http://www.florilegium.org ****

> Date: Tue, 31 Mar 1998 11:52:23 -0800
> From: david friedman <ddfr at best.com>
> Subject: SC - Sugared Nuts and Cookbooks (was: Tiramisu)
>
> Someone asked about sugared nuts; from the Andalusian cookbbok by way 
> of
> the Miscellany:
>
> Sukkariyya, a Sugar Dish from the Dictation of Abu 'Ali al-Bagdadi
> Andalusian p. A-23
>
> Take a ratl of sugar and put in two ûqiyas of rosewater and boil it in 
> a
> ceramic pot until it is on the point of thickening and sticks between 
> the
> fingers. Then take a third of a ratl of split almonds, fried, not 
> burnt,
> and pound well and throw the sugar on them and stir it on the fire 
> until
> thickened. Then spread it out on a dish and sprinkle it with ground 
> sugar.
> [end of original. ratl = ~lb, 12 ûqiyas = 1 ratl]
>
> 2 c sugar       5 oz = 7/8 c slivered or sliced almonds
> 5 T rosewater   1-2 T more sugar for sprinkling at the end
>
> Toast the almonds in a hot (400°) frying pan for 3-5 minutes, stirring
> continuously. Then crush them with mortar and pestle to something 
> between
> ground and chopped. Cook sugar and rosewater mixture on medium high 
> until
> it comes to a boil, reduce to medium and continue cooking to a 
> temperature
> of 275°, about ten minutes.  Combine syrup and nuts in a frying pan, 
> cook
> at medium to medium high, stirring constantly, for another nine 
> minutes,
> turn out on a plate and sprinkle with sugar. An alternative 
> interpretation
> of the original recipe is that you cook the syrup and nuts together 
> only
> long enough to get them well mixed; the binder is then sugar syrup 
> rather
> than carmelized sugar. Both ways work.
>
> Elizabeth of Dendermonde/Betty Cook

> Date: Fri, 26 Feb 1999 07:51:41 -0700 (MST)
> From: grasse at mscd.edu
> Subject: re: SC - Honey covered nuts
>
> Helen,
> I do not claim expertise, but in "Ein New Kochbuch" (Marx Rumpolt, 
> 1581) he
> has a section on "von Allerlei Zucker Konfect wie in der Apoteken"....
> All sorts of sugar confectionery like from the Apothecary.
> #1 on his list is coated almonds.
>
> "If you wish to coat such confectionery with sugar/ so take a clean 
> clay
> vessel/ that has two handles, hand it at a height with a rope at both
> handles/ set a fire kettle with glowing coals thereunder/ put the
> confectionery into the vessel/ and make it fine warm/ pour fine let 
> sugar
> thereto/ and stir it often therewith/ till the confectionery takes up 
> the
> sugar / so will it be pretty white and dry.  also coat allsort of grain
> with sugar / and allsorts of spices/ so it will be good and also good
> tasting."
>
> I have been trying various ways of melting the sugar, and coating the 
> nuts,
> but I have never yet gotten it to stay white, it carmelizes.  If any 
> on the
> list have suggestions I would love to hear them.
>
> Oh, and the carmel-colored, candy-coated almonds are VERY yummy, but 
> get
> sticky with humidity.
>
> Gwen-Cat