Sweets and
Treats of the 14C
by Lady Hauviette d’Anjou
Confits
and Candied Fruit
Many
medieval cooking manuscripts mention confits and some give recipes for them.
Confits or comfits also known as dragees, are candied spices used to end a
meal or sometimes sprinkled over a dish
as a final touch. I think that the origin of the use of these candied spices
was to humorically balance a dish by adding the constituents of warmth and
dryness that was believed to be inherent in them. This theory is based on
Galenical principles of balance of the four humors and their properties. A more
in-depth discussion of this theory is not practical in this context.
Le
Menagier makes mention of candied spices numerous times. These treats are
discussed as “chamber spices” including candied orange peel, candied citron,
red anise, rose sugar and white sugared almonds (red sugared almonds are also
mentioned frequently). Le Menagier describes menus that include spices served
along with “Tartlets and other things, hippocras and wafers, wine and spices”.
In
addition, Le Menagier provides a recipe for Candied Orange Peel;
To Make Candied Orange Peel,
divide the peel of one orange into five quarters and scrape with a knife to
remove the white part inside, then put them to soak in good sweet water for
nine days, and change the water every day, then cook them in good water
just till boiling, and when this
happens, spread them on a cloth and let them get thoroughly dry, then put them
in a pot with enough honey to cover them, and boil on a low fire and skim, and
when you believe the honey is cooked, (to test if it is cooked, have some water
in a bowl, and let drip into this one drop of the honey, and if it spread, it
is not cooked; and if the drop of honey holds together in the water without
spreading out it is cooked;) and then you must remove your orange peel, and
make one layer with it, and sprinkle with ginger powder, then another layer,
and sprinkle etc., and so on, and leave it a month or more then eat.
Although
the above recipe uses honey, I believe that in part is used as a preservative
to keep the peels fresh and soft. My intention was to create a candied peel
that would be dry and transportable. As a substitution for the ginger powder
mentioned in the original, I felt that powdered sugar would fit as it was
considered to be a spice as well as a sweetener. In addition, the use of honey may have reflected the more humble
station of the Menagier, his house being one of the bourgeoisie and not a noble
house. The candied peel I wished to make was intended for the finest of
nobility and to suit that station, I used sugar as well as honey.
Candied Orange
Peel
Rind of 8
Mineola Oranges (chosen for their colour and strong flavour, a more period
orange would be the Seville)
2 cups honey
(I used orange flower honey as I felt it would enhance the citrus flavour)
1 cup white
finely granulated sugar (I ground my own, but you can buy “fruit sugar” or
“quick dissolving sugar”)
Water to cover
After
carefully peeling the oranges, using a large knife, skin the white pith off as
much as you can. Once the majority of the pith is off, it is easier to scrape
the peel to the porous layer of the peel. Place the orange peel in cool water
to cover, place in the refrigerator and change water each night for 9 days.
On the 9th
day, change the water and place the peel with fresh water on to boil. Bring
just to the boil, strain and let dry several hours.
Placing the
honey in a heavy pan (I used a porcelain lined heavy iron pot)add the
peel. Let the honey come to a boil and
skim the top regularly. The honey will be cooked when dropped onto a cold plate
and the honey remains in a ball. At that time, remove the peel and douse each
layer generously with the sugar, shake to coat.
The
most complete and descriptive recipe for confits and candied fruit peel comes
from, not the 14th Century, but from an early 17th C manuscript, “Delights for
Ladies, to adorne their Perfons, Tables, Clofets, and Diftillatoriess, With
Beatuies, Banqvets, Perfumes & Waters” 1609. I have included it here to
demonstrate the method that I used to make the confits.
54.The art of comfet-making,
teaching how to cover all kinds of seeds, fruits or spices wiht sugar.
First of all you must have a
deepe bottomed bason of fine cleane brasse or latten, with two eares of Iron to
hang it wiht tow several cords over a
bason or earthen pan with hot coales.
You must also have a broad
pan to put ashes in, and hot coales upon them.
You must have a clean latten
bason oto melt your sugar in, or a faire brasen skillet.
You must aslo have a fine
brasen ladle, to let run the sugar upon the seeds.
You must aslo have a brasen
slice, to scrape away the sugar from the hanging bason if neede require.
Having all these necessarie
vessells and instruments, worke as followeth.
Choose the whitest, finest,
and hardest sugar, a qarter of a pound of Anniseed; or Coriander seeds, and
your comfits will be great enough; and if you will make them greater, take
halfe a pound more of sugar, or one pound more, and then they will be faire and
large.
And hhalfe a pound of
Annis-seeds with two pounds of sugar, will make fine small comfits.
You may also take quarter
and a halfe of Annis-seeds, and three pound of Sugar, or halfe a pound of Annis
seeds, and foure pound of sugar Do the like in Coriander-seeds.
Melt your Sugar in this
manner:viz. Put three pounds of your powder-sugar into the bason, and one pint
of cleane running water thereunto; stirre it well with a brazen slice, until
all be moist and well wet: then set it over the fire, without smoke or flame,
and melt it well, that there bee no whole gristie sugar in the bottome, and let
it seethe mildely, untill it will streame from the Ladle like Turpentine, with
a long streame, and not drop: when it is come to his decoction, let it seethe
no more, but keep it upon hot embers, that it may run from the Ladle upon the
seeds.
To make them speedily, let
your water be seething hot, or seething and put powder sugar to them: cast on
your sugar boiling hote: have a good
warme fire under the hanging Bason
Take as much water to your
Sugar, as will dissolve the same.
Never skim you sugar, if it
bee clean and fine.
Put no kind of starch or
Amylum to your sugar.
Seeth not your Sugar too
long: for, that will make it black, yellow or tawnie.
Moove the seeds in the
hanging bason as fast as you can or may, when the sugar is in casting.
At first coate put on but
one halfe spoonefull with the ladle, and all to move the bason, move, stirre
and rubbe the seeds with thy left hand a
pretty while, for they will take sugar the better, and drie them well
after every coate.
Doe this at every coat, not
onely moving the bason, but also with the stirring of the comfits with the left
hand, and drying the same, thus dooin you shall make good speed in the
making:as, in everie three houres you may make three pound of comfits.
And as the cofits doe
increase in greatness, so you may take more Sugar in your ladle to cast on. But
for plaine comfits, let your Sugar be of a light decoction last, and of a
higher decoction first, and not too hote.
For cripe and ragged
comfits, make your sugar of a high
decoction, even as high as it may runne from the ladle, and let fall a foothigh
or more from the ladle, and athe hottter you cast in your sugar, the more
ragged will your comfits bee. Aslo the comfits will not take so much of the
sugar as they will upon a light decoction, and they will keepe their
raggednesse long. This high decociton must serve for eight or ten coates in the
end of the worke, put on at every time but one spoonefull,and have a light hand
with your bason,casting on but little sugar.
A quarter of a pound of
Coriander seeds and three pound of sugar will make great huge, and big comfets.
See that you keepe your
Sugar alwaies in good temper in the bason, that it burne not into lumpes or
gobbets: and if your sugar bee at any time too high boyled, put in a spoonefull
or two of water, and keep it warily with the ladle, and let your fire alwaies
bee without smoke or flame.
Some commend a Ladle that
hath a hoel in it to let the sugar run thorow of a height: but you may make
your comfits in their perfect forme and shape, onely with a plain Ladle.
Wehn you comfits be make,
set your dishes with your comfits upon papers in them, before the heat of the
fire, or in the hot Sunne, or in an
Oven after the bread is drawne, by the space of an houre or tow:and this will
make them to be very white.
Take a quarter of a pound of
Annis-seeds, and two pound of Sugar and this proportion will make them very
great: and even a like quantity take of Carroway-seeds, Fennell seeds and
Coriander seeds.
Take of the fines Cinamon,
and cut it into pretty small stickes beeing dry and beware you wet it not, that
deadeth the Cinamon: And then worke as in other comfits. Doe this with Orenge
rindes likewise.
Worke upon Ginger, Cloves,
and Almonds, as upon other seeds.......................
The
remaining recipe, although a good read, adds little to the usefulness here so I
have edited this part out.
From
these detailed instructions I have worked out a recipe and technique to create
comfits ,candied orange rind and candied nuts.
A Recreated
Recipe
1 cup/6 ounces
granulated white sugar (very finely ground in a food processor or mortar) or
fruit sugar or castor sugar (10X sugar)
1/2 cup/ 3/4
ounce (approx.) coriander seeds (or any other suitable seed or nut i.e. anise,
caraway, fennel, pine nuts, almonds are the most commonly mentioned in period)
food colouring
(optional)
1/2 cup hot water
Equipment:
heavy bottomed
saucepan (I used a small cast iron skillet)
metal soup
spoon
small fork
bowl
baking sheet
Using a heavy
pan, over low heat, combine sugar and water. Stir frequently until sugar melts.
You must monitor the sugar carefully. If it over boils it will simply dehydrate
and crystallize and you will need to add water and begin again.
The setting I
used ranged from 1-3 on an electric stove. Your appliance may have a different
level, so you may need to work with the syrup a bit to get the right heat. Note
that you will need to adjust the temperature to keep the syrup hot, but not
caramelizing or boiling for too long.
As the syrup
heats up, you will begin to notice that it becomes clear, this is the beginning
stage of it being ready to use. You will also see fine crystals on the spoon
when you dip it into the syrup and let it run. When the crystals disappear, you
are nearer to the syrup being ready. In addition, you will notice that when
allowing a spoonful to pour back into the pan, it will remain as a stream from
the spoon about 5-6 inches in the air to the pan. Finally, the syrup will be
ready when you can put drops into a glass of cold water and the sugar doesn’t
dissipate, it will clump up (this is known as the soft ball stage), you can
also put a drop on a cool plate, if it does not run it is also at softball
stage.
Having your
seeds in a bowl (I used a small stainless steel round bottomed bowl), take half
a soupspoon full of syrup and pour it into the seeds, shaking the bowl with
your right hand as you do so.
Now for the
fun part. Working quickly, begin to stir the seeds using the small fork, (think
scraping the side of the bowl or beating eggs) with your left hand while
holding the bowl in your right (or vice versa if you are naturally left
handed). As the seeds separate, (you may need to help them along with the
fork), they will begin to roll, continue this fast stirring until the seeds are
separate and appear somewhat white. This will require some effort and should be
done with some speed. The first few coats will seem almost inconsequential, but
as you continue you will see them increase in size.
Do not use
allot of syrup the first few coats, you do not want to let the seeds cool down
before you can mostly separate them, this will result in a mass of seeds, not
really useable as confits. As you finish, allow the seeds to cool before adding
more syrup. If the seeds seem unwilling to separate, sometimes allowing a
little time to cool will coax them along. Check to make sure your sugar is
ready (i.e. the softball stage) and not
crystallizing.
The technique
requires some practice, but once you get used to it, you’ll be surprised how
easy it really is.
Nuts
were used in combination with sweets such as sugar and honey in other ways as
well. In a German recipe in
Daz Buch
von Guter Spise (1345 to 1354) From an Original in the University
Library of Munich, Translation by Alia Atlas. Found in A Collection of Medieval and Renaissance
Cookbooks, 7th Edition, almonds are ground and blended with honey to make a
tasty treat.
Original Recipe
Heidenische erweiz (Heathen
(Saracen)Peas)
Wilt du machen behemmische
erweiz. so nim mandel kern und stoz die gar cleine. und mengez mit dritteil als
vil honiges. und mit guten wurtzen wol gemenget. so ers aller beste hat. die
koste git man kalt oder warm.
How
you want to make heathen peas. So take almond kernels and pound them very
small. And mix it with a third as much honey. And with good spices well mixed.
So it has the very best. One hands this out greedily, cold or warm.
Heathen
Peas
4 cups whole
almonds*
1 cup honey
2-3 tsp.
ground cinnamon
In a food
processor, coarse grind 3 cups of almonds. On a baking sheet, place the almonds
into a 400 degree oven for 5 minutes**.
Finely grind 1 cup of the almonds and add to the roasted almonds. Mix in
cinnamon.
Warm the honey
and add to the almonds, stirring well.
Keeping a bowl
of warm water near by (to rinse your hands occasionally), take a generous pinch
of the honey/nut mixture and roll into a 1 inch ball. Continue until all of the
mixture is used. Keeps well in a cool place, sealed container. Makes
approximately 90- 1 inch balls
* The original
recipe calls for a 3 to 1 ratio of almonds to honey. In my trials I have found
that this results in a meal that is a little too loose to roll properly. I have
reduced the ratio to 4 to 1 and am much happier with the end result. This
effect could be accounted for in the original recipe as the cook using
approximations which might be off slightly.
**Although
this recipe does not call for roasting the ground nuts at all, I have found
that this extra step eliminates the sometimes harsh taste of the oil in the
almonds. If you feel you would like to
stick to the letter of the recipe, I would simply suggest you avoid that step.