John Murrel's 'Paste of Genoa', a delicious paste made from a mixture of quinces and peaches. It is similar to the modern Spanish pate de membrillo.
Many early modern period cookery and confectionery books give recipes for preserved quinces, either red or white. That in the sweetmeat glass above was made from the recipe opposite fromArchimagirus Anglo-Gallicus. This interesting work was alleged to have been based on a manuscript written by Sir Theodore Turquet de Mayerne (1573-1655). Mayerne was a Swiss physician who served both King Charles I and his queen Henrietta Marie. The attribution of Mayerne as the author of these recipes is almost certainly spurious.
Grated quince infused in brandy for a couple of months makes a delicious cordial water called Ratafia of Quinces. This really is one of the best flavoured liqueurs of all time and is easy to make. It works extremely well, though a fruit press does help. The recipe quoted here is that of Vincent La Chapelle, master cook to the Duke of Chesterfield in the 1730s. La Chapelle first wrote The Modern Cook, in English while in Chesterfield's employment. A French edition was published in 1735. It is one of the great eighteenth century classics and had a strong influence on upper class food in England. To some degree, La Chapelle borrowed some of his recipes from his predecessor Massialot, who composed a book on court cookery and confectionery in 1692. Massialot included a recipe for a ratafia flavoured with the juice of muscatel grapes and orangeflower water which is still made in some villages in Champagne and Burgundy.
Quince marmalade or sliced quinces were added to apple pies and taffety tarts to improve their flavour. This taffety tart filling also contains preserved orange.
|
| These 'faire yellow Peare-Quinces' are just like those described in John Murrel's first book of banquetting stuffe recipes,
A Daily Exercise for Ladies and Gentlewomen published in 1617. His recipe is given below. Murrel's publisher, the Widow Helm, sold the moulds for printing Genoa Paste and Cotoniac from her bookshop in St. Dunstan's churchyard. |
| To make Paste of Genua, as they doe beyond the Seas |
Boile faire yellow Peare-Quinces tender in their skinnes, and so let them stand vntill the next day, till they be colde, then pare them, and scrape all the pulp from the coare, then take as much pulp of yellow Peaches as the pulp of Quinces doth weigh, and dry it vpon a little chafingdish of coales, alwaies stirring it, then boile these pulps in double refined Sugar, and so let it boile, always stirring it vntill it come to a candie height, with as much Rosewater as will melt that Sugar, and put in your pulps, alway stirring it in the boiling, vntill it come from the bottome of the Posnet, then fashion it vpon a pie plate, or a sheete of glasse, some like leaues, some like halfe fruits, and some you may print with moulds, set them into a warme Ouen after the bread is drawne, or into a Stoue, the next day you may turne them, and when the stuffe is through dry, you may box it, and keepe it for all the yeere, but be sure it be through dried before you lay it vp in store.
From John Murrel,
A Daily Exercise for Ladies and Gentlewomen, (London: 1617)
|
| To Preserve Quinces |
Take Quinces and weigh them, core and pare them, then take for every pound of Quinces a pound of Sugar; then take Quinces and grate them and strain them; for every pound half a pint as the juyce of the Quinces, and half a pint of fair water; the water, and sugar, and syrrop must be first boyled and clean skimmed, then put in your Quinces and turn them still to keep the colour of them: then let them boyl so till the Quinces be tender, they must seethe very softly, for fear of breaking; and ever as the scumme ariseth, you must take it off with a feather.
From
Archimagirus Anglo-Gallicus; Or, Excellent & Approved Receipts and Experiments in Cookery, (London: 1658) |
| Ratafia of Quinces |
You must have some Quinces, and rasp them with a Grater; all being grated, you must have a Piece of strong Cloth, put in a small handful, and squeese it with all your Might, that the Juice may come from it; when all is squeesed and you have all the Juice, put it in a Preserving pan, let it take just one single Boiling, and let it cool; being cooled, measure two Quarts of Juice and two Quarts of Brandy, Measure by Measure, and clarify some Sugar; to each two Quarts, ten Ounces of Sugar, a Piece of Cinnamon, four Cloves, and three or four Grains of white Pepper whole; stop up your Jug very close, put it aside for two or three Months, put it through a Straining-bag, until it come very clear, and put it up in Bottles flopped very close.
From Vincent la Chapelle, The Modern Cook (London: 1733) |
| Historical Notes |
A ratafia was an infused alcoholic cordial water which was produced without distillation. The classic flavour was made from the kernels of apricot or cherry stones. As a result, the English sometimes called these drinks 'kernel waters'. Ratafia made from peach kernels was called persico, while that from bitter almonds was known as noyeau. They all have a sweet marzipan flavour like the Italian liqueur amaretto, which is in fact a ratafia. The crushed kernels were infused in brandy or aqua vitae for a couple of months before being filtered out and sweetened. There is a danger in trying to replicate these drinks, because the stones of these fruits all produce a small amount of cyanide when soaked in water! Be warned. It is much safer to make quince ratafia from La Chapelle's recipe.
|
"Rang'd in thick order let your Quinces lie |
They give a charming Relish to the Pye". |
|
