[Sca-cooks] A Sugar Dish Question
Lilinah
lilinah at earthlink.net
Mon Oct 30 08:01:23 PST 2006
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
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