[Sca-cooks] A Sugar Dish Question

[Lilinah]

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 François
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