A pretty Sweet-meat with Roses and Almonds is a traditional Stuart recipe for a classic sweetmeat made from a blend of almond paste and rose petal paste bound with caramel that's served in glasses and which would typically have been presented at the end of the meal. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Stuart version of: A pretty Sweet-meat with Roses and Almonds.
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Original Recipe
A pretty Sweet-meat with Roses and Almonds (from Hannah Woolley's Queen-like Closet 1670)
156. A pretty Sweet-meat with Roſes and Almonds.
Take half a Pound of Blanched Almonds beaten very fine with a little Roſewater, two Ounces of the Leaves of Damask Roſes beaten fine, then take half a pound of Sugar, and a little more, wet it with water, and boil it to a Candy height, then put in your Almonds and Roſes, and a grain of Musk or Ambergreece, and let them boil a little while together, and then put it into Glaſſes, and it will be a fine sort of Marmalade.
Modern Redaction
This recipe calls for two aromatic compounds commonly used in Elizabethan and Start cookery, ambergris and musk. They are still used today in perfumery, but are not used in cookery, apart from in reconstructing historic recipes.
Ambergris occurs as a biliary secretion of the intestines of the sperm whale and can be found floating upon the sea, or in the sand near the coast. It is also sometimes found in the abdomens of whales. Freshly produced ambergris has a marine, foecal odour. However, as it ages, it acquires a sweet, earthy scent commonly likened to the fragrance of rubbing alcohol without the vapourous chemical astringency. Indeed, eggs and ambergis is purported to have been Charles II's favourite dish.
Musk is a class of aromatic substances commonly used as base notes in perfumery. They include glandular secretions from animals such as the musk deer, numerous plants emitting similar fragrances, and artificial substances with similar odours. Originally, it was the name given to a substance with a penetrating odour obtained from a gland of the male musk deer.
Ingredients:
225g blanched almonds
2 tbsp rose water
60g Damask (or other aromatic) rose petals
225g sugar
50ml water
1 grain of ambergris or musk (or substitute ground musk mallow seeds)
Method:
Pound the blanched almonds in a mortar until you have a smooth paste. As you pound the nuts, add a little of the rose water from time to time (this will help stop the nuts from oiling). Scrape the almond paste into a bowl and set aside.
Now add the rose petals to the mortar and pound to a paste (this is easier to do if you add a little of the sugar as well).
Combine the sugar and water in a pan. Heat gently until the sugar dissolves, then increase the heat, bring to a boil and cook for about 6 minutes, or until the sugar begins to caramelize. Now stir in the almond paste and the rose petal paste along with your choice of spice.
Stir well to combine, bring back to a boil and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Take off the heat, allow to cool slightly then spoon the mixture into serving glasses. Set aside to cool completely before serving.
