[Sca-cooks] Platina's lemon salad and quince preserves

[JIMCHEVAL at aol.com]

This isn't among his recipes, rather in his notes on lemons and oranges. He 
 suggests lemons to help keep pregnant women from vomiting,  then adds 
"There are some who eat the said lemons chopped up very  fine, as is done with 
cucumber with salt oil and vinegar." p 97
 
For quince, he offers these instructions for preserves:
 
"And if you want to preserve them pick them when quite ripe, and then peel  
them and take out the hard part in the center which is full of seeds, after 
cut  them in nice slices and put them in rain water, until they have lost 
their  constipatic virtue, and have become clear and shining like horn. And 
for this to  happen often change the water and put in fresh. And when they 
have soaked  enough, and are tender and clear enough, boil them until they are 
half  cooked, then take them out of the cauldron and spread them out and 
dry them on a  white cloth on some table, until they are well wiped off: and 
after put them  back in the said cauldron with honey, and boil them until 
they are well cooked:  and at once spread them out on the said cloth quite 
cleanly and dry them in the  shadows, and not in the sun: and when they are 
almost dry, put them in an  earthen pot, and take good honey, clean and well 
purified by fire: and as soon  as it is a little hot and warm, pour it on the 
said quinces, and leave them so  to become preserved."
 
He also says this method can be used for other fruit "and some put spices  
on it, like ground clove, cinnamon and ginger, put together on top."   p93
 

Baptiste Platine de Cremonne de l'Honneste volupte... (trad. par  Desdier 
Christol), Diligemment reueu et corrigé (par B. Aneau)  1571 
 
_http://books.google.com/books?id=f01Qp0hFLw0C&dq=%22Honneste%20volupte%22&p
g=PA97#v=onepage&q&f=false_ 
(http://books.google.com/books?id=f01Qp0hFLw0C&dq="Honneste%20volupte"&pg=PA97#v=onepage&q&f=false) 

 
 
Jim  Chevallier
_www.chezjim.com_ (http://www.chezjim.com/) 

The  lost cheeses of Medieval France
http://leslefts.blogspot.com/2014/03/old-regime-cheese-1-lost-cheeses-of.htm
l