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Reading old cookbooks gives us an insight into the lives of women who lived long ago. Preparing desserts was a cumbersome and time consuming process. Imagine hand peeling and grating a pound of almonds to get almond meal. Or pounding sugar in a mortar and pestle to make icing sugar. There were no electric mixers in sight so I can only conclude that they must of had very strong arm muscles.
Today we are baking from ‘The Compleat Confectioner’ by Hannah Glasse 1770.
To make Coffee Cream Bomboons
Original Recipe
Take about a pint of coffee made with water put in it a pound of loaf sugar set it on the fire and boil it to a high degree then add a full pint of double cream and let it boil again keeping continually stirring till it comes to caramel height to know when it is come to that point you must have a bason of water by you dip your finger in it and put it quickly in your sugar then in the water again to remove the sugar which will have stuck to it take a bit of it in your teeth if it is hard in its crackling take it tin plate and proceed as directed for the lemon bomboons when it is warm you may cut it in little squares lozenges or any other shaped pastiles and draw a few strokes over them with a knife.
Modern Rewrite:
475mL (16.06 fluid ounces) black coffee
450g (15.87 ounces) white sugar
450g (15.87 ounces) cream
Place the coffee and sugar in a pan a stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Wash down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush. Leave unstirred over high heat until the mixture thickens slightly, the bubbles will pop slightly slower. Add in the cream, careful not the get burns from steam. Stir continuously until a spoonful of mixture dropped into a glass of cold water is a stringy consistency. See the video for demonstration.
To make Lemon Pastils
Original Recipe
Take half a pound of pounded loaf sugar sifted as fine as possible put it in a plate take three or four lemons which squeeze over your sugar mix it well with a spoon till you see it makes what is called a royal paste a little thickish that you may take it upon a knife then take half a sheet of paper and cover it with little round and flat drops which we call pastils of the size of a farthing place it in the stove with a slow fire till it is quite dry and take it off from the paper you may add to it if you choose some of the skin of the lemon rasped or grated but not chipped for as it is a melting pastil some of the bits would remain in the mouth which is not quite so well.
Modern Rewrite:
225g (7.94 ounces) icing sugar
Juice of three lemons
Mix some of the juice into the icing sugar. Add a little at a time until it is a thick consistency as shown in the video. Place drops onto a tray lined with baking paper. Bake at 110C (230 degrees Fahrenheit) for 90 minutes.
To make Nut Bomboons
Original Recipe
Take a pound of Spanish nuts and boil them in an iron pan when they are well boiled rub off their skin with a napkin if some stick too hard pare it off with a knife take a tin grater grate your nuts very fine on a sheet of paper then take a pound of powdered sugar to a pound of nuts put it in a pan over a slow fire when your sugar is all melted in stirring it perpetually with a wooden spoon put your nuts in and work them well till all is well mixed and pour it upon a tin plate take a wooden rolling pin to spread it which you must be very quick in doing for it cools very fast and when it is cold cut it into what form you please you must take care the sugar should not be too much melted for it is very apt to soften when the nuts arejoined to it
Modern Rewrite:
350g (12.35 ounces) almond meal
450g (15.87 ounces) caster or fine sugar
1/2 cup or 125mL (4.23 fluid ounces) water
Place the water and sugar into a pan and heat over high heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Wash down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush and leave over high heat until it just starts to brown. Add the almonds and stir gently so that it does not crystallise, tip immediately onto a tray lined with baking paper.
My Cookbook
Stores that sell my book listed by country: http://bit.ly/ARcookbookAll recipe quantities in the book are in grams, ounces and cups.
