[Sca-cooks] A Sugar Dish Question - Pynnes

[Suey]

In my Medieval English Vocabulary, pynnes are pins. It seems more 
logical to stick to toothpicks not pines.
Susan
 

> Message: 5
> Date: Mon, 30 Oct 2006 08:01:23 -0800
> From: Lilinah <lilinah at earthlink.net>
> Subject: [Sca-cooks] A Sugar Dish Question
> To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org
> Message-ID: <a06110400c16bc873bee3@[4.243.118.14]>
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>
> In my search for late SCA-period sweets for our 
> Duchesses Masked Rose Ball, i've looked through 
> La Varenne's cookbook, The French Cook, 1653 
> English translation. I realize his cookbook is 
> too late for the SCA in general. But many of his 
> recipes for sweets don't seem so different from 
> those of the later 16th. (his meat and vegetable 
> recipes appear quite different, but i'm not using 
> them.)
>
> This recipe attracted my attention:
>
> Slices of Gammon
> Le Cuisinier Fran?ois
> La Varenne
>
> p. 232
> Take some pistaches stamped by themselves, some 
> powder of roses of Provins by themselves, allayed 
> with the juice of lemon, and some almonds stamped 
> also by themselves, and thus each by it self. 
> Seethe about one pound and a half of sugar as for 
> conserve; after it is sod, sever it into three 
> parts, whereof you shall put and preserve the two 
> upon warm cinders, and into the other you shall 
> powre your roses, and after you have allayed them 
> well in this sugar, powre all together into a 
> double sheet of paper, which you shall fold up 
> two inches high on the four sides, and tie it 
> with pines on the four corners. After this, when 
> this first sugar thus powred shall be half cold, 
> and thus coloured, take of your almonds, mix them 
> into one of the parts of sugar left on the warm 
> cinders, and powre them over this implement, and 
> do the like also of the pistaches. Then, when all 
> is ready to be cut with the knife, beat down the 
> sides of the sheet of paper, and cut this sugar 
> into slices of the thickness of half a crown.
>
> -----
>
> But i wonder how this would stand slicing... 
> Below i've broken down the recipe (feel free to 
> correct my interpretation, if i've erred)
>
> some crushed pistachios
> some powdered of roses of Provence
> lemon juice
> some crushed almonds
> about one pound and a half of sugar
> a double sheet of paper
> tie it with pines (sound like toothpicks to me... anyone know?)
>
> Boil the sugar as for conserve.
> After it is sod, divide it into three parts, keep two warm.
> Mix the rose powder with some lemon juice.
> Into the first pour the roses and mix them well in the sugar.
> Take a double sheet of paper, fold up two inches 
> high on the four sides, and tie with pines 
> (toothpicks?) on the four corners.
> Pour the roses mixed in sugar into this.
> Let the rose sugar become half cold, and thus coloured,
> Then take the almonds, mix them into one of the 
> parts of sugar left on the warm cinders, and pour 
> into the paper on top of the rose layer.
> Do the same with the pistachios.
> Then, when all is ready to be cut with the knife, 
> take down the sides of the sheet of paper, and 
> cut this sugar into slices of the thickness of 
> half a crown.
>
> Thanks for any assistance.
> -- Urtatim (that's err-tah-TEEM) the persona formerly known as Anahita ------------------------------