[Sca-cooks] red currents

Jane Boyko jboyko at magma.ca
Tue Jul 14 05:34:04 PDT 2009


Hi Freda

1636 is the date on the reprint that I have.  London:  John Haviland.

I don't know if it is fruit leathers or not.  I haven't made those  
since I was a child.  I wonder about the molds they suggest you put it  
into?  For the modern mind I think jars and lids.  I also do not know  
what Quodiniaks are and I don't have an index or glossary for this  
particular pamphlet.

I have another recipe from Nostradamus for cherry jelly.  The book I  
have "The Elixirs of Nostramdamus" refers to Nostradamus' original  
recipes for elixers, scented water, beauty potions and sweetmeats  
which was originally published in 1552 in French and translated in  
1572.  This edition by Knut Boeser has updated the English to make it  
more modern but has tried to remain true to the original.   
Unfortunately I do not have the French or the original English  
translation included.   One recipe is called:  Another method of  
making a transparent jelly from bitter cherries which is more delicate  
and expensive than the previous one and for use only by the nobility.   
Reading through this it sounds like jello as he suggests to serve it  
in small bowls.  However, sugar and juice can create jelly preserves.   
What's to stop you using another fruit.  I know it is conjecture.

Now the above book by Haviland does have recipes for:

Preserving red, white, green pippins; lemons and oranges; quinces;  
apricots, pears and plums; cherries; peaches; barberries; gooseberries  
etc.  There are also methods on candying various flowers, preserving  
green almonds; candying nuts etc.

And the cherry recipe is similar in instruction to Nostradamus' but it  
adds you can put the preserves up and so keep them all year.

Hope this provides some clarifications.

Marina


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