HERB CANDIES

Written collections of recipes have existed since the Antiquity but cookbooks were not always the same. Until 200-300 years ago, instructions on meal preparation were occasionally added to farm management guides like De Agri Cultura by Cato the Elder, housekeeping manuals like The English Huswife by Gervase Markham, natural history treatises like Naturalis Historiae by Pliny the Elder and Physica by Hildegard of Bingen, or food encyclopedias like the Grand dictionnaire de cuisine by Alexandre Dumas-père, from which I've adapted some recipes. Even as late as the 1950s, best-selling cookbooks included sections with directions on buying and storing edibles, assembling festive menus, and organizing the dinner table. To newly-wed housewives, these were perhaps the most useful chapters. In recent years, cookbooks began to focus on details: special diets, traditional recipes, local cuisines, particular meals and so on.

 

One area that's been completely neglected is the -indispensable during the 18th and 19th centuries- advice on feeding the sick. Besides a collection of soups, broths & gruels for the invalids, this section included detailed recipes for bread, possets and herbal teas. During such times when cleanliness was not taken for granted, health-conscious authors would not only give directions about the ingredients and method for preparing the dishes but also for cleaning and storing the kitchen utensils. One good example is Miss Eliza Leslie, whose best-selling cookbooks are now part of the American heritage. In Miss Leslie's new cookery book (Philadelphia 1957), there are some very clear instructions on how to make the best herbal teas as well as general advice on herbal candies:

"HERB TEAS.—

Have one or more china or white-ware pots for the purpose of making herb teas; and see that, after using, they are well washed, well scalded and dried, and set open in the sun till wanted again. The herbs, whether green or dried, should be of excellent quality, and picked very clean from dust and stems. Having well-scalded the pot, take the allotted quantity of the herb and put it in; then pour on the water, which must be actually boiling at the time, and press the herbs down at the bottom with a silver spoon. Then put on the lid closely, and immediately stop up the spout with a small cork, or a wad of soft white paper rolled tightly. This is to keep in the steam, and prevent the strength of the herb from escaping. When sufficiently boiled, pour into a pitcher with a lid, and through a strainer, as much of the tea as is wanted. Strainers of block tin, with a handle and very fine close holes, are excellent for this and other purposes.

Herb Candies.—Hoarhound candy, and many others, may be made of a strong decoction or tea of the herb, thickened with loaf sugar, and boiled, skimmed, and stirred till very thick and stiff. Then pour it smoothly into a square tin pan and set it in a cool place to congeal. While still soft, mark it in even squares with a knife. When quite cold and hard, loosen it from the pan with a knife, and take it out. It is good for coughs.

Peppermint candy is made in the same way, and is used for flatulence."

 

 

The Cup of Tea by Mary Cassatt, c. 1880

 

Today's post is dedicated to herbal candies. Because Miss Leslie's notes were rather vague on this subject, I experimented a little with basic ingredients and here are some thoughts:

Corn syrup was already invented in 1812 but it's easy to make hard-crack without and since Miss Leslie used only sugar, there's no reason to look for anything else. I could easily make rock candy without corn syrup by mixing two parts water and one part sugar. However, Miss Leslie speaks of decoctions and these are usually made with the roots, barks, stems etc. of various plants in order to extract their minerals. Now, it wouldn't be difficult to make the hoarhound candy Miss Leslie prescribes by following recipes from around the Web (that use corn syrup) but peppermint? We all know that peppermint is generally consumed in the form of infusions that you make by steeping and brewing its leaves.

My own idea was to make herb candy from Greek mountain tea -a herb known for its medicinal properties against the cold that also grows in Spain, the Balkans and even in parts of Central Europe. Although it's not as bitter as sage, processing this herb for too long (as you would normally do in order to make hard-crack) might end up in something unusually bitter and potentially empty of nutrients so I looked for alternative methods. Water + sugar mixtures guarantee the best results in candy-making but I also used honey, which is so beneficial to sore throats. The finished candies are probably not exactly as Miss Leslie instructs but still they are healthier than store-bought varieties.

 

Recipe 1: Softer candy is more aromatic.

Recipe 2: Brittle candy tastes more like honey.

 

HERB CANDIES recipe 1

This version uses a higher percentage of liquids, yielding a softer candy with the aroma of herbs nearly intact.

I n g r e d i e n t s

4 cups (=960ml) filtered water

5tbsp mountain tea flowers & leaves

1 1/4 cups (=250g) unrefined sugar

1/2 cup (=150g) acacia, linden or sage honey

2tbsp lemon juice (optional)

M e t h o d

Prepare an infusion of the herbs. Add the sugar, honey and lemon juice, if using, and simmer. Use a candy thermometer to check when it reaches hard-ball point (130C/260F). Pour into into silicone molds through a funnel and wait until the mixture sets. Unmold and store in a cool room (or fridge).

HERB CANDIES recipe 2

This version yields a hard-crack but the aroma of herbs is masked by the caramelized sugars. The honey variety I used (bittersweet heather) in order to mimick the hoarhound candy effect, was also too strong compared to mountain tea flavor.

I n g r e d i e n t s

1 cup (=240ml) filtered water

3tbsp mountain tea flowers & leaves

3/4 cup (=150g) unrefined sugar

1/2 cup (=150g) acacia, linden or sage honey

1tsp lemon juice (optional)

M e t h o d

Prepare an infusion of the herbs. Transfer 1/4 cup of this into a saucepan. Add the sugar, honey and lemon juice, if using, and simmer. Use a candy thermometer to check when it reaches hard-crack point (150C/300F). Quickly pour into silicone molds through a funnel and wait until the mixture sets. Unmold and store in a cool room (or fridge).