Sugar Plate

This past week I have worked with varying degrees of success with the “Sugar Plate” recipe from Constance Hieatt’s “Pleyn Delit”. What I have learned is that a digital thermometer, although a bit more expensive is definitely worth the investment. I have also learned that the success of your sugar cooking is directly related to your thermometers ability to tell you the correct temp, or your own ability to use water to determine which stage sugar ist at. After two unsuccessful attempts at cooking the sugar to the hard crack height recommended in “Pleyn Delit” and testing using the water method, both of which resulted in a soft gummy like candy--I bought a thermometer.

The third attempt was successful at producing clear amber colored hard candy with violet leaves floating in it. The process is very simple. Take approximately two cups of sugar, 2 tablespoons of rosewater and add enough water to wet all of the sugar through. The amount of water you add is dependent on the humidity. I also add a tablespoon of lemon juice to any of my candies because the addition of the acidic lemon prevents sugar crystals from forming on the side of the pan. I heat my mixture on a low heat stirring continuously until all of the sugar has dissolved. It is at this point that I turn up the heat and I do not stir it again until after it has reached the desired temperature. For hard crack candy, that is 300 degrees.

Recipe found in Pleyn Delit.

While I am waiting for the sugar to reach the correct temperature, I take a piece of parchment paper and lightly oil it. Rice flour is not something I have handy, but a light spray of cooking oil I will always have on hand. I use an old cookie tray with a low rim about it. I want the candy to be thin, but I don’t want it to run everywhere. You can also use candy molds prepared by lightly coating them with a thin coat of oil if you choose. I like the look of jagged hard tack candy, so I did not use candy molds. Once the syrup has reached the proper temperature, remove it from the heat and pour it onto the prepared mold or pan. I added violet petals to my candy right before I poured it.

I did “play” with my last batch based on a theory. Having read the recipe, a phrase caught my eye “sette it on a furneys, & gar seethe…the moutynance of a Ave Maria, a whill evermore steryng with the spatur, and sette it ageyne, but lat it noght wax over styfe for cause of powryng.”

Roughly translated, “set the sugar mix over the heat and let it cook the time it would take to recite the Ave Maria, stirring with the spatula, but let it not become stiff because it will need to be poured.”

My theory is that the recipe is calling for the sugar to be cooked to “candy height” or, 220-230 degrees, which is much less than the 300 degrees needed to reach hard, crack stage. At this stage, if you were making “Manus Christi” the sugar would be removed from the heat and beaten until it became white. The resulting candies are delicate, almost fudge like in texture, and are very white.

Working on my theory, my last batch of sugar plate this week was cooked to candy height, or 230 degree. I then beat it like I would for making Manus Christi, and after the sugar had cooled enough to turn white I added the petals of violets and pinks to it.

Both candies are very pretty to look at and once again my team of test teenagers declared them a success. I have dim hope that there will be leftovers for future use based on the amount consumed by the test subjects. But that’s OK. I will be making another batch in the future once my roses bloom.


Which stage is the correct stage to cook the candy to? My answer is whatever stage works best for your own purpose. I personally think the softer, whiter candy is the prettier of the two, and is the one I prefer to eat.

Bibliography

Hieatt, C. B. (1996). Pleyn Delit: Medieval Cookery for Modern cooks. University of Toronto Press.

Violet Syrup

Green, Magenta and Lavender Violet Syrup

Violet syrup is historically one of the most common ways to prepare violets. It has been used to ease coughs, congestion and sore throats. The preparation of violet syrup has not changed over the centuries. To make your own violet syrup, you will want to pick the deepest colored violets you can find. They are easy to harvest by simply sliding your fingers up the stem and plucking off the head. Surprisingly, you will need to pick about twice as many violets as you expect to in order to obtain dark colored syrup. Many North American varieties of violets do not have a fragrance, this is ok. They syrup is lovely to look at, and is refreshing to taste.

An interesting fact to take note of, violet syrup will turn magenta if you add an acid to it (lime or lemon juice), and it will turn green if you add an alkaline to it (rose water). Violets were used to test alkaline or acid before the invention of litmus paper. Naturally, I also had to play with the colors. Above you will note the olive green color of the syrup flavored with rose water, the magenta color of the syrup flavored with lemon juice on the left, and the natural lavender color of the syrup on the right.

Syrup of Violets

Take a ratl of fresh violet flowers, and cover them with three ratls of boiling water, and boil until their substance comes out; then take the clean part of it and mix it with four ratls of sugar, and cook all this until it takes the form of a syrup. Drink an ûqiya and a half of this with three of hot water. Its benefits are in the fever of jaundice, it cuts thirst and lightens the body gently, and benefits in dry coughs, but it weakens the stomach.

An Anonymous Andalusian Cookbook of the 13th Century

To Make Syrupe of Violets.

Take your Violets, and pick the flowers, and weigh them, and then put them into a quart of water, and steepe them vpon hot embers, vntill such time as the flowers be turned white, and the water as blew as any violet, then take to that quart of infusion and take foure pound of clarified Suger, & boyle it till it come to a syrupe, scumming them and boyling them vpon a gentle fire, least it turne his colour, and being boyled, put the Syrupe vp and keepe it.

A Closet for Ladies and Gentlevvomen, 1608

154. _To make Syrup of Violets._
Take Violets clipped clean from the Whites, to every Ounce of Violets take two Ounces of Water, so steep them upon Embers till the Water be as blew as a Violet, and the Violets turned white, then put in more Violets into the same Water, and again the third time, then take to every Quart of Water four Pounds of fine Sugar, and boil it to a Syrup, and keep it

for your use; thus you may also make Syrup of Roses.

The Queen-like Closet or Rich Cabinet Stored With All Manner Of Rare Receipts For Preserving, Candying And Cookery. Very Pleasant And Beneficial To All Ingenious Persons Of The Female Sex, 1672

393. _To make_ SYRRUP OF VIOLETS.Take violets and pick them; to every pound of violets put a pint of water, when the water is just ready to boil put it to your violets, and stir them well together, let them infuse twenty four hours and strain them; to every pound of syrrup, take almost two pounds of sugar, beat the sugar very well and put it into your syrrup, stir it that the sugar may dissolve, let it stand a day or two, stirring it two or three times, then set it on the fire, let be but warm and it will be thick enough.

English Housewifery Exemplified In above Four Hundred and Fifty Receipts Giving Directions for most Parts of Cookery, 1764

The Syrup of Sweet Violets should be made as follows: To one pound of sweet violet flowers freshly picked, add two-and-a-half pints of boiling water: infuse these for twenty-four hours in a glazed china vessel, then pour off the liquid, and strain it gently throughmuslin; afterwards add double its weight of the finest loaf sugar, and make it into a syrup, but without letting it boil.

Herbal Simples Approved for Modern Uses of Cure, 1897

The process of making the syrup is very simple. Below is the process I used, although with a little bit of research, you will discover that there are multiple methods readily available on the internet.

2 cups tightly packed fresh violet flowers, cleaned and dried
2 cups boiling water

Place violets in a glass, bring water to a boil and pour over violets. Let sit until flowers turn white. Strain flowers from water, add equal amount of sugar (in this case 2 cups) to water, and let boil for approximately five minutes. Pour hot syrup into glass jar and cool.

~Enjoy

Sugar and Gum Arabic Preserved Flowers

It is spring, and with spring comes a field full of lovely flowers, specifically, the bright purples of the common violet and brilliant yellows of the dandelion.  What? You say…the dandelion…a flower…it’s a weed. We will touch more upon the dandelion later.

The common violet, also known as sweet violet, blue violet or garden violet is a native of Europe. It has naturalized throughout North America.  There are approximately 400-500 species of Violets. The name comes from the Greek Ione. 

Io was a prestess of the goddess Juno, who was the wife of the king of the god's Jupiter.  She was a jealous goddess. Jupiter was also a feckless and unfaithful husband, and he fell in love with Io.  In an attempt to hide his affair from his wife, Jupiter changed Io into a white cow. He created a purple flower with heart shaped leaves for her to heat.  The flowers bear her name.

The ancient greeks considered violets a symbol of fertility and love, and they were oftentimes used in love potions.  The Empress Josephine was fond of violets, and it is rumored that Napoleon picked violets from her garden and kept them with him as a reminder of her in a locket.

Violets were used medievally in cooking. The leaves were eaten in salads, and the flowers were used in cooking to impart their color and flavor to vinegar, sugars and syrups. Use caution when eating violets, taken in large quantity, they do have a laxative effect.  

Harleian MS 279 features a recipe for Vyolette, a kind of putting made with rice flower, milk, sugar and violets. 

.lxxxxj. Vyolette. Nym Almaunde Mylke, an flowre of Rys, and pouder Gyngere, Galyngale Pepir, Datis, Fygys, & Rasonys y-corven, an coloure it with Safroun, an boyle it & make it chargeaunt; an whan thou dressyste, take the flowres, and hew he, an styre it there-with; nyme the braunchew with the flowres, an  sette a-boue and serue it Forth.

And another Recipe for Vyolette.

.Cxxv. Vyolette.--Take flourys of Vyolet, boyle hem, presse hem, bray hem smal, temper hem vppe, with Almaunde mylke, or gode Cowe Mylke, a-lye it with Amyndoun, or Flowre of Rys; take Sugre y-now, an putte there-to, or nony in defaute; coloure it with the same that the flowrys be on y-peyntid a-boue.

Violets also had medical useage.  They were used to cure fevers, to be rid of wicked spirits, to treat insomnia, headache, catarrh and to relieve inflammation of cold and chest.

I have been playing this past two weeks with preserving flowers.  Granted, the recipes below are late for the SCA, but the method may have existed in period, and the book “A Queen’s Delight” is often found on the “must read” list.

The Queen’s delight lists many different kinds of flowers that can be candied, conserved, preserved or distilled so that they may be used later in the season; Clove-Gilly flowers, Hyssop, Roses, Borage, Lavender, Peony, Rosemary and Violets.  I took a few liberties with the recipe “To Candy Rosemary-flowers in the Sun”, and (re)created candied or crystalized violets, pansies and dianthus (clove-gilly flower).  I hope to continue the method with roses and mint for a project later in the year. 

“Take Gum-Dragon, and steep it in Rose-water, then take the Rosemary flowers, good coloured, and well pickt, and wet them in the water that your Gum dragon is steeped in, then take them out, and lay them upon a paper, and strew fine Sugar over them; this do in the hot sun, turning them, and strewing Sugar on them, till they are candied, and so keep them for your use.”

A QUEENS Delight; OR, The Art of Preserving, Conserving and Candying. London: 1671

The method is simple and I have included the instructions here if you wish to try to create your own candied flowers.

Ingredients:

1 Disposable grill screen

1 Cookie tray

Wax Paper

Small Paintbrush

Superfine sugar*

1/4 Cup rosewater

1 Tbsp. Gum Arabic

Small Jar with Lid

Herbicide/Pesticide free edible flowers

Air tight storage container

Melt the gum arabic into the rosewater.  I suspect the rosewater is more for scent then actual culinary useage so you can (and I did) use about half the rosewater and the rest water.  When the gum arabic has melted into your rosewater it will form a honey colored liquid.  You can leave it in the jar for a few days if you wish.  

Pansies, Dianthus, Violets

Wash your flowers and dry them carefully (excess water will make the sugar form ugly clumps and the flowers will take longer to dry). Remove stems and leaves.  Dip the paint brush into the gum arabic and paint your flowers, making sure that you paint all of them as best you can.  Sprinkle with sugar. Place flowers on screen or waxed paper and let dry for several days.  I preferred the screen because it let air in around the entire flower.  I imaging if you use waxed paper you may need to flip the flowers over about halfway through the drying process to dry thoroughly.

Painted and sugared

As an added step.  I heated my oven to it's lowest setting (170 degrees), then turned off the heat when I began painting the flowers.  I was afraid that the wet weather we were experiencing might affect the flowers drying.  The oven had cooled off considerably by the time I had finished painting all of my flowers.  Most of the flowers dried overnight.  

There are alternative methods that use unflavored gelatine and egg whites if you want something quick that you may not be eating but using strictly as decoration.  Many sites on the internet have directions for these methods.  

My daughter and her friends really enjoyed eating the violets. So much so that they ate the entire first batch! They were described as "being fruity with a hint of flower" and "not bad at all".  I think they taste sort of like violets smell a kind of sweet, grapey-ish (yeah that's a word) flavor.  I didn't care for the pansies or the dianthus. They were very chewy.

Drying on Screen

*To make your own superfine sugar, take granulated sugar and put in your mixer, pulse for several seconds until the sugar looks like fine grained sand.  Ta-dah! 

Canabenys with Lekys - White Beans with Leeks

Canabenys with Lekys  2 For to make canabenez: Take white beans. Ley hem in watyr rennyng too days, and chaunge the watyr. Take hem dry, then dry hem hard uppon a ston or apron a este. Then shylle them in a mylle, and do away the holys; and cleve the benys iii or iiii at the most. And then take hem clene. And so may thou kepe hem as longe as thou wylte. 3 Canabens. Take kanbens. Wesch hem, and yf thu wilte stepe hem a lytyll, & make hem up with mylke of almondys. Put therto, sugure and salt. Out of lentyn, make hem up with cowe mylke, and put therto sygure and salt and buttyrr claryfyde. 4 Canabens with Bacon. Do suete brothe yn a potte. Wesche the canabens clene and do therto, and boyle yt up: put no other lykure therto. Loke they be salte, & serve hem. Take ribbys of bacon boylyd; do away the skyn and ley hem on a dysch, and serve hem forthe as ye serve venson with formente yn brothe. This weekend I will be serving "Canabenys with Lekys", a recipe that I have wanted to try since I first discovered Constance Hieatt's "Ordinance of Pottage". I used Hieatt's redacted recipe (see below) with a few twists of my own. Like Hieatt, my recipe is a combination of 3 and 4 above; however, my version is vegetarian. I substituted vegetarian sausage crumbles for the bacon or salt pork, and 50/50 mixture of homemade vegetarian stock and store bought vegetable broth for the broth. Additional changes include garlic instead of the savory and onions in addition to leeks. The beans of the ancient and medieval world were "broad or fava beans". They originated in the Mediterranean or Southeast Asia regions. Archeological evidence suggests the broad bean in use during the Neolithic period (6800 - 6500 BCE) in Israel. Egyptians, Romans and Greeks enjoyed them, and Apicius has a recipe for a preparation of these beans in his "De Re Coquinaria". Broad or fava beans are known by many different names; faba, field bean, bell bean, tic bean and the "horse bean". They are oftentimes grown as a ground cover crop, and fed to livestock. Dried Beans with Leeks -Constance Hieatt "Ordinance of Pottage" 1 C. dried beans (period appropriate would be fava--I used white kidney beans) 1/4 slab bacon or salt pork 6 cups meat broth 1 tsp. savory 1/2 tsp. salt 2 bunches of leeks (approximately 5 cups chopped) small handful of parsley 1/2 pound fresh greens Cover the beans with boiling water and soak for an hour. Drain, and rub off the skins from all the beans (not as tedious a job as it may sound). Put them in a pot with the broth, meat, savory and salt. Bring to a boil and turn down the heat, leaving the pot simmering gently. Trim the leeks, discarding the coarse dark green tops. Slice them, and if they are large chop them roughly, then wash thoroughly and add them to the beans. Continue cooking until the beans are very soft and beginning to disintegrate (about 45 minutes). Next, drain the broth through a colander into a large pot or bowl. Discard any bone or rind, with most but not all of the fat. Put what remains of the meat into a processor or blender, with the vegetables from the colander and a little of the broth (you will probably have to do this in two batches.) Process until fairly smooth, but not to the point of reducing it to baby food, then return ti all to the pot with the rest of the broth. Bring to a boil, then add parsley and greens (washed and chopped) and continue boiling for 5 minutes. Taste for salt and serve hot (Hieatt, An Ordinance of Pottage; An Edition of The Fifteenth Century Culinary Recipes in Yale University's MS Beinecke 163, 1988). As mentioned previously, my version was vegetarian and I found it to be good but a bit bland. It certainly blows the idea of medieval food being highly spiced and over seasoned out of the water, I can promise that. Follow up: The soup was a hit at the event over the weekend, despite the fact that the electric outlet kept blowing a circuit and it was being served cool to lukewarm. I'm definitely going to keep working on this and add it to my repertoire of "good things for feast". I even convinced a young lady who really dislikes onions to try it. Leeks are much milder in flavor and she actually took home a second and third helping:-D Works Cited Hieatt, C. B. (1988). An Ordinance of Pottage; An Edition of The Fifteenth Century Culinary Recipes in Yale University's MS Beinecke 163. London: Prospect Books.