[Sca-cooks] period fruit pastes (long and whiny and withquestions)

[Holly Stockley]

>Fettiplace specifies "green apple water" and you mention using green
>apples. Do green apples have more pectin in them than red (ripe?)
>apples?  Hmmm, does green in this case simply refer to a type of
>apple, or does it mean an unripe apple?

Green as in unripe.  Green fruit has more pectin than ripe, whatever the 
fruit.  The ripening process involves increasing levels of pectinase enzyme, 
softening of the fruit, and a concurrent drop in pectin levels.  Local 
orchards often thin their trees in the heat of the summer.  Those apples 
work great, or just the earliest apples of a given variety that are often on 
the greenish side.  I chop them up, seeds, peel, and all, and put them in a 
stock pot with enough water to cover.  Boil them until they're soft, then 
drain them overnight in a jellybag.  Return the liquid to the stove, and 
reduce by half, then can like jam or jelly.  I end up using about 8 oz of 
pectin stock per 2-2 1/2 quarts of fruit for jam or jelly.  Depends on the 
fruit - more for cherries, less for raspberries, etc.  Proper set requires 
specific ratios of acid, sugar, and pectin.  You develop a feel for it with 
time.  Pastes are a little easier because they're drier, and you're unlikely 
to run into a batch that won't set.  If you do, just leave them out to dry a 
bit more.

>I think of comfits as being candied seeds. This use of cinnamon
>sticks to make comfits sounds interesting, although perhaps a bit
>more difficult to eat because they will have to be sucked on, or
>chewed for awhile. Sounds like an interesting soteltie item.
>
>Stefan

I used ceylon cinnamon, and broke up the sticks somewhat.  They're candy.  
You can just crunch on the little bits.  Actually, I used Mistress 
Hauviette's basic instructions, as filed on your site already.  ;-)  This 
time of year, apple paste and a dish of cinnamon comfits tend to go over 
pretty well.  Or I just dress the plate with the paste up with a sprinkling 
of the cinnamon comfits.

Femke