fruit-pastes-msg - 3/28/20

Period fruit pastes. Recipes.

NOTE: See also the files: candied-fruit-msg, marmalades-msg, Chicken-Candy-art, honey-msg, Plum-Pudding-art, suckets-msg, sugar-msg, wine-jelly-msg, Period-Fruit-art. 

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    Mark S. Harris                  AKA:  THLord Stefan li Rous
                                          Stefan at florilegium.org
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Date: Tue, 14 Oct 2008 11:31:23 -0400
From: "Elise Fleming" <alysk at ix.netcom.com>
Subject: [Sca-cooks] Fruit Paste: Was OOP Canning adventures
To: "sca-cooks at ansteorra.org" <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>

Freda asked: 
<<< Is fruit paste period? If so do you have a source and recipe? >>>

Yes, it's period.  Femke de Roas (hollyvandenberg(at)hotmail.com) sent in a
number of sources in 2006 which I copied to my computer.  Sources include

Thirteenth Century Andalusian (in Cariodoc's Collection)
Le Menagier de Paris, 1390
Two Fifteenth Century Cookbooks
The Good Huswife’s Jewell, 1597
The English Housewife, 1615

There is also Sir Kenelm Digby, The Closet of Sir Kenelm Digby Opened, 3rd
edition, 1677, "Sweet-Meats of my Lady Windebanks" which I've made.  And
there's TO MAKE A PASTE OF PEACHES, #S112, A Booke of Sweetmeats, Martha
Washington's Booke of Cookery, transcribed by Karen Hess, Columbia
University Press, New York, 1981, ISBN 0-231-04930-7.

Most can be adapted to any type of fruit if you are careful about the
amount of water used.

Here's the Windebanks/Digby recipe which I adapted from a modern source. 
The original recipe says:

She maketh a past of Apricocks (which is both very beautiful and clear, and
tasteth most quick of the fruit) thus.  Take six pound of pared and sliced
Apricocks, put them in a high pot, which stop close, and set it in a kettle
of boiling water, till you perceive the flesh is all become a uniform pulp;
then put it out into your preserving pan or possenet, and boil it gently
till it be grown thick, stirring it carefully all the while.  Then put two
pound of pure Sugar to it, and mingle it well, and let it boil gently, till
you see the matter come to such a thickness and solidity, that it will not
stick to a plate.  Then make it up into what form you will.  The like you
may do with Raspes or Currants.

Redaction from 'Banquetting Stuffe' edited by C. Anne Wilson, chapter 4,
Rare Conceits and Strange Delightes by Peter Brears.  (Edinburgh University
Press, Edinburgh, 1986, ISBN 0 7486 0103 1)

8 oz (225 g) (when prepared) peeled and stoned apricots
3 oz (75 g) sugar (Alys: 1/2 cup; 1 lb. apricots to 1/3 lb. sugar)

Place the apricots in a heatproof jar, seal the top with a piece of cooking
foil, and stand in a covered saucepan of boiling water for an hour.  Pour
the apricots into a small saucepan and gently boil, stirring continuously
until the paste is extremely thick, then add the sugar and continue
stirring.  When it is so thick that it has to be spread across the bottom
of the pan with a spoon, it may be turned on to a lightly greased plate,
worked into a shallow square block, and allowed to cool.  It has a deep
orange colour, and is every bit as good today as Sir Kenelm found it three
centuries ago.

Alys's revision:  (1 lb. apricots to 1/3 lb. sugar.   Ten apricots (2-2
1/2") are slightly under one pound when peeled and stoned.)

Slice the apricots, place in cooking container (Corningware 1 3/4 quart pan
holds a little over 2 lbs. of apricots).  Seal with foil and rubber band
for extra security.  Place in large pot, or larger Corningware container. 
If you put a lid on the outer container you needn't top it off with boiling
water as quickly.  Add boiling water and set on burner at simmer for a good
two hours.  The apricots should have fallen into a mush by then.

To peel apricots easily, place them in boiling water for about two minutes
and then remove them.  The skins should peel off easily with a knife or
your fingers.  If you let them stay in the boiling water too long they
begin to cook and get mushy under the skin.  You can also just slice the
apricots without peeling them.  After they have cooked for two or more
hours, puree them in a blender.  It is best to use a thick pan for cooking
the pureed apricots and sugar.  If you simmer them on a low heat you need
not stir them continuously until the mixture begins to thicken and erupt
into "burps."  This "cooking down" process can take 4 hours or so depending
on the amount of apricots you use and the temperature of the heat.  You
will need to stir the mixture more and more as it gets thicker.  The
apricots are done when you can drag your spoon through the mixture and it
leaves a trail.  It should also be pulling away from the sides of the pan
at this time.

While this recipe doesn't call for a sugar syrup, you can make one by
taking an amount of sugar, wetting it enough to dissolve the sugar, and
heating it to hard crack stage.  Add it to the apricots, stirring as you
add it.  Then cook the mixture down over low heat until you can make a
trail with your spoon.  Pour into shallow, buttered pans and allow to cool.
You can cut them into squares or into shapes using small cookie or canapé
cutters.  Store between waxed paper or parchment paper.   With proper
storage they will keep for a year or so.

Alys Katharine

Elise Fleming
alysk at ix.netcom.com
http://home.netcom.com/~alysk/


Date: Mon, 27 Feb 2012 07:49:38 -0500
From: Sharon Palmer <ranvaig at columbus.rr.com>
To: Cooks within the SCA <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] apple juice sotelties?

Back on Feb 18, Ranvaig said:
<<< Rumpolt's Ein New Kochbuch  in the menus has several long lists of
things that can be made as subtleties from marzipan, sugar (probably
sugar paste), almonds and cinnamon (perhaps cinnamon flavored
marzipan), thickened apple juice, almond cheese (and recipes to make
the almond cheese), or from pastry. >>>

Can you tell us more about this "thickened apple juice"? What did they use this for, was it as the main item in a soltelie? or was it a decorative addition to some other material?

And was it thickened by boiling it down? Or by adding something to it?

Sounds like possibly an interesting solteltie tool...

Stefan
================

The menus for emperors have lists of subtleties. 
A pig head, crabs, pears, apples, bread, a plate, 
nuts, cucumber, a calves head, calves feet, lamb 
feet, a hen, larks, doves, chestnuts, pastries, a 
tree with pears on it, are made from "Epffel 
Safft".  An aspic decorated with a lion made from 
"Safft" or juice.

There are a number of recipes for various 
"confect" or "larwerge" some mentioning "model" 
or molds.  But none for molding apple juice.

Confect  23. Hungarian Plum Confect/ be it white 
or brown.  Take the sour cherries/ and take the 
stems from it/ set them in a kettle over the fire 
or coals/ and let simmer/ until they give from 
themselves enough juice.  When they are cold then 
strain them through a hair cloth/ put them in a 
tinned fishkettle/ and set on coals/ let simmer/ 
and stir up/ that it doesn't burn.  And when it 
is half cooked/ then take a little ground 
cinnamon and cloves in it/ make well sweet with 
sugar/ and let simmer together/ until it becomes 
well thickened/ take away/ and let cool/ so you 
can lift it/ and keep it a year or two.

Confect 28. Also (a latwerge or preserve) from apples.

Eyngemachten 2.  Sour cherry juice.  Take 
cherries/ that are nicely red/ tear the stems 
off/ and wash them clean/ set on (the fire) in a 
clean fish kettle/ and let come to a simmer/ like 
this it gives a juice from itself/ put them in a 
sack/ and press out/ take a clean fish kettle or 
a clean pot/ put a little sugar in it/ and let 
simmer together/ until becomes thick/ until it 
becomes thick/ which you think such to pour in a 
mold/ and from the mold to put in a box.  If you 
however would have it sweet/ then you might take 
even more sugar.  If you would like to have it 
sour/ then take even less sugar/ so it becomes 
good and elegant.

Eyngemachten  3. Grate Pears/ and put them in a 
sack/ and press them out/ take other pears/ peel 
and slice them very small and thin/ put them in 
the pear juice/ and let simmer together/ break 
apart with a wooden spoon/ and if you will make 
it sweet/ then do not let it boil too thick.  If 
you instead have no sugar in it/ then you let it 
boil even thicker.  If you however have quince 
juice/ then pour in/ so it becomes even better. 
Therefore one makes the pear latwerge.  You can 
also take juice from pears and no sugar/ let 
simmer/ until you think to pour in a mold/ and 
put into a box/ like this it becomes beautiful 
and lovely to see.

Eyngemachten 17.  Take quince juice/ and boil it 
with clarified sugar/ let it make a fine boil/ 
and when you think/ that it is nearly cooked/ 
then take out in a box/ let the juice boil/ until 
it becomes thick.  Let the heat and moisture go 
from it a little/ and pour the juice over the 
quince pieces/ that it goes over them/ so it 
becomes good and lovely/ is quince and juice 
together.  You can also preserve whole quinces 
with such a juice.  And one can pour various 
figures (figure shaped molds) from such juice.

Mandelk??  2.  Strain the almonds with isinglass 
and cherry sauce through each other/ make well 
sweet/ set it on coals/ and stir around/ until it 
boils up/ that it does not burn/ when it is cold 
then pour in a mold/ that you have spread with 
almond oil.

Mandelk??  6. Strain almonds with isinglass/ make 
brown/ or leave white/ when cooked/ and is cold/ 
and well prepared with sugar/ then pour it in the 
mold/ that is nicely made like a crab/ or in 
various fish molds/ like this it stands elegant 
and beautiful/ it has a color that  as you choose 
may be white/ black, yellow/ rose or violet 
color/ like this it is elegant and charming.

Zugem?? 151.  Take grated almonds/ strain them 
with isinglas/ cooked with water/ make sweet with 
clarified white sugar/ set on coals/ and stir 
well until it boils/ pour rosewater on it/ set in 
cold water/ stir well until it becomes cold/ pour 
it in an earthen (terra cotta??) or wax mold/ 
that are smeared inside with almond oil/

And when you want to dress it/ then pour a little 
almond milk that is nicely cold and sweet/ and 
that tastes of rosewater/ into it/ like this it 
becomes well tasting and elegant.  If you have no 
isinglas/ then simmer calves foot in clear water/ 
so you can strain the almonds with it.  If you 
instead have no calves foot/ then take pig skin/ 
that is nicely clean and not fatty/ simmer it 
with water/ then you can also use it for the 
almond cheese.

Zugem?? 152.  Take a mold of John's head/ pressed 
from wax/ cook calves feet with water/ and let 
run through a hair cloth/ break whole cinnamon 
into the broth/ and make it well sweet/ close/ 
and let simmer again/ let it run through a wool 
sack/ like this a beautiful clear color develops 
from the cinnamon/ then pour into the model/ when 
it is standing/ then overturn/ into a dish/ that 
the face stands up/ like this it is beautiful/ 
elegant and well tasting.


Date: Mon, 27 Feb 2012 10:35:50 -0500
From: Elise Fleming <alysk at ix.netcom.com>
To: sca-cooks <sca-cooks at lists.ansteorra.org>, 	SCA Subtleties E-List
	<SCA_Subtleties at yahoogroups.com>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] Apple juice sotelties

Greetings!  Johnna mentioned items made from pippin/apple paste.  I've 
posted a photo on Flickr showing the items that we made at one of Ivan 
Day's cookery courses.  She and I (and the others in our session) got to 
take the items we made home with us.  Made in 2006, mine is still 
wrapped in "cling film" and sits on a shelf.  It's darkened with age and 
is now hard as a rock, so I don't think I'll ever eat it!

You can see the "knot" at http://tinyurl.com/7tn5p72 and the round, 
molded paste at http://tinyurl.com/767rwa9 .

Alys K.
-- 
Elise Fleming
alysk at ix.netcom.com
alyskatharine at gmail.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8311418 at N08/sets/

<the end>
Edited by Mark S. Harris	fruit-pastes-msg	2 of 6