To Candy Goos-berries.

To Candy Goos-berries. is a traditional Elizabethan recipe for a classic preserve of gooseberries in sugar syrup that are potted into jars and stored or which, alternatively, are dried and served as sweetmeats. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Elizabethan version of: To Candy Goos-berries..

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

20 minutes

Total Time:

40 minutes

Serves:

10–12

Rating:

Tags : British Recipes English Recipes

Original Recipe

To Candy Goos-berries. (from A Closet for Ladies and Gentlevvomen.Or, The Art of Preseruing, Conseruing, and Candying 1608)

To Candy Goos-berries.

Take of your faireſt Berries, but they muſt not bee two ripe, for then they will not bee ſo good, and with a linen cloth wipe them verie cleane, and picke off all the ſtaulkes from them, and weigh them, and to euery ounce of Berries, you muſt take two ounces of ſuger, and halfe an ounce of Sugercandy, and diſſolue them in an ounce or two of Roſe water, & ſo boyle them vp to the height of Manus Chriſti, and when it is come to his perfect height, let it coole and put in your Berries, for if you put them in hot, they will ſhrinke, and ſo ſtirre them round with a wooden ſpatter, till they bee candied: and thus put them vp and keepe them.

Though the date of the book puts it in the Stuart period, it was actually registered with the London Company of Stationers on 1st September 1602 and not published until 1608, which makes this a late Elzabethan book.

Modern Redaction

Ingredients:

500g gooseberries (not too ripe), topped, tailed and washed
1kg sugar
225g candied sugar
75ml rose water

Method:

Combine the sugars and rose water in a saucepan. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved then bring to a boil. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the sugar reaches 112°C, as measured on a confectioner's thermometer. Take off the heat and allow to cool slightly then add your prepared gooseberries (if the syrup is too hot the gooseberries will burst).

Stir the gooseberries into the syrup with a wooden spoon until they are completely covered. Spoon the coated gooseberries into jars that have been sterilized and warmed in the oven. Top-up with the syrup, seal with the lid and set aside to cool. Label the jars and store in a cool, dark, cupboard.

Alternatively, line baking trays with greaseproof paper and when the gooseberries are nicely coated in sugar arrange on the paper and allow to harden. Serve as sweetmeats at the final course of a meal.

Find more Closet for Ladies Recipes Here and more Traditional Elizabethan Recipes Here.