Recipe Time: Pears in Confection

Sorry for the delay in posting this, it's almost a week old now but I've been so busy with other things lately I just haven't had the energy! In the next few days I'll post my review of Trident, cover my future projects and (hopefully) will finish this filk song so I'm happy enough to post it. Until then...its Recipe time!

Original Recipe: Peeres in Confyt-

Take peeres and pare hem clene. take gode rede wyne & mulberes oþer saundres and seeþ þe peeres þerin & whan þei buth ysode, take hem up, make a syryp of wyne greke. oþer vernage with blaunche powdour oþer white sugur and powdour gyngur & do the peres þerin. seeþ it a lytel & messe it forth.

This is the first time I've done my own Translation and redaction of a recipe, following Mistress Madhavi's advice I am working on mastering my understanding of the Forme of Cury text. This recipe can be found under the XX.VI.XIII section on your book, for doing your own translations I recommend purchasing your own book to write in because it seemed to help me!

 My Own Translation: Pears in Confection -

Take pears and peel them clean. Take good red wine and mulberries (or other sundries) and seep the pears within. When the pears are soft, take them out. Make a syrup of Greek wine or other white wine, add blanched powder white sugar and powdered ginger and cook the pears in it. Soak it a little and plate.

As you can see in my translation fro the original, we've picked up a lot of extra letters in our words from way back then! I felt pretty confidant with my translation, so I decided to go ahead and make a redaction and cook these for an SCA social day with a bunch of friends.

My Redaction: Pears in Confection -

Tools needed:
. Large pot(s) to keep pears in
. peeler
. Large pot(s) for the sauce
. ladle
. whisk
. spoon
. Cooking deive (stove is fine, open fire is period)

Ingredients:

. Pears (16)
. Red Wine (1500 mL)
. 6 Cups of Warm Water
. White Wine (1500 mL)
. 1 pound of Cherries
. 1/2 pound of Raspberries
. 1/4 pound of Blueberries
. 3T ground ginger
. 5 Cups of Cold Water
. 1 pound powder sugar

Directions:

1) Peel pears and keep in a cool/damp place while the others are being peeled. I recommend a dish with a little lemon juice in it to ensure no browning of the pear flesh.
2) For large groups, cut pears in half for more distribution. For smaller groups, keep pears whole for presentation. In either case, well rinse all pears to ensure no blade residue or peels remain
3) Place pears in large pot(s) for cooking. Add the red wine of your choice, 6 cups warm water, cherries, raspberries and blueberries. Make sure the pears are covered in the wine mixture, if not add a little more wine or water as to your taste.
4) Start the pears to cooking, this should take about 45-50 minutes at a medium high heat. When they're done each pear will have an even red color and should be soft enough to cut with a spoon.

5) In a separate dish, combine the white wine (I recommend a sweet Italian), ginger, cold water and sugar. The sauce mixture should be enough to again cover the pears and should be thick. Cook on a medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring consistently until the blend is one mixture and thickens. The sauce should be warm, but not scalding hot.
6) When the pears are finished, take them out and dry them softly. Make sure not to throw away your red wine, just remove it from the heat and set aside. Make sure the pears are all one color, that means the wine was absorbed properly! Carefully dip the pears in and allow them to remain in the sauce for 10-15 minutes or until each pear can be pulled out and have a thing coating of the sauce on top. If the sauce isn't thick enough, it won't stick to the pear!
7) Place the pear on your serving dish of choice, finish off the presentation by drizzling the sauce onto the pear.
8) Remember the red wine mixture? After it's cooled (or even warm) it makes a great dessert drink to accompany the pears! Just pour and serve alone with the dish.

Now I didn't have the plates to do fancy presentations, so I jus laid them in a dish to serve buffet style. But here is my finished product!