Manus Christi
Manus Christi is a traditional Elizabethan recipe for making a confection of boiled sugar and rose water thickened with rice flour on a board and shaped into small cakes. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Elizabethan version of: Manus Christi.
prep time
20 minutes
cook time
90 minutes
Total Time:
110 minutes
Additional Time:
(+cooling)
Makes:
12
Rating: 
Tags : British Recipes
Original Recipe
Carnation Flower Spanish Candy Wedges
(from The Good Huswifes Jewell [London, 1596])
Take five spoonefull of Rosewater, and graines of Ambergreece, and 4
grains of Pearle beaten very fine, put these three together in a Saucer
and cover it close, and let it stande covered one houre, then take foure
ounces of very fine Suger, and beate it small, and search it through a
fine search, then take a little earthen pot glased, and put into it a
spoonefull of Suger, and a quarter of a spoonefull of Rosewater, and let
the Suger and the Rosewater boyle together softelye, till it doe rise
and fall againe three times. Then take fine Rie flower, and sifte on a
smooth borde, and with a spoone take of the Suger, and the Rosewater,
and first make it all into a roundcake and then after into little Cakes,
and when they be halfe colde, wet them over with the same Rosewater, and
then laye on your golde, and so shall you make very good Manus Christi.
Modern Redaction
Manus Christi seems to have evolved as a medicinal confection in the Middle ages, hence the rosewater with ambergris and ground pearls. Later, in Elizabethan times
Manus Christi became sugar confections coated in gold leaf.
Ingredients:
150ml
rose water
a little ambergris (if available)
120g cane sugar
rice flour
Method:
Combine the rose water and ambergris in a bowl, cover and set aside for 60 minutes. After this time strain into a pan and add the sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil and continue heating (stirring all the time) until the sugar reaches about 112°C (the Thread Stage).
Sift rice flour onto a marble slab. Allow the sugar mix to simmer then pour 4 tbsp of the mixture onto the slab. Work into the rice flour until no longer sticky (be careful and use spoons) then divide the mass into small flattened cakes. These can then be set aside to cool. If, however, you are being completely authentic wash with a little rose water and cover in gold foil.
Repeat the process above with the remaining syrup mixture.