jelly sweets: from the tables of kings to the sweet shop on the corner pekos pantxinet
I sonia beroiz In the XVI Century, a brand new dessert made its way to royal tables: Jelly Sweets. In those days they were known as fruit tarts, fruit of the gods or fruit of the kings. You needed fruit, natural colouring, vegetable resin, potato or corn starch, seaweed and the jelly from fish-skin or bones to make them.
Only the royal family or the nobility could savour this fruit of the kings. This was mainly because those chefs who cooked for the kings and nobles made sure that the recipe was kept secret.
Nowadays, you can still find the odd “Conffiterie” in Europe (France and Benelux) that still makes jellies according to the traditional recipe, but most countries eat jellies that contain chemical ingredients and 0% natural fruit. Fair enough, they taste great, but we here at TheBalde aim to start a “sweet revolution”.
If you aren’t a distant ancestor of the Kings of Navarre or you don’t really feel like splashing out a month’s wages in one of those plush, expensive European “Confittiterie” places, listen to what Uncle Pekos Pantxinet has to say to you:
1. Squeeze the juice from the fruit you want. The juice will be more liquid or thicker depending on what fruit you use. There are loads of different combinations you can use. Use your imagination.
2. Strain the fruit juice.
3. Heat on ring and add two spoonfuls of powdered “Agar”. Agar is a type of seaweed and is sold in Nature shops.
4. Heat but don’t bring to boil.
5. Fill an ice cube maker with the liquid and leave it settle for 24 hours.
6. Pop it out of the cube-maker and sprinkle it with sugar.
Voila! You too can now enjoy the “fruits” of the gods and kings in your own home... Bon appetite!
Only the royal family or the nobility could savour this fruit of the kings. This was mainly because those chefs who cooked for the kings and nobles made sure that the recipe was kept secret.
Nowadays, you can still find the odd “Conffiterie” in Europe (France and Benelux) that still makes jellies according to the traditional recipe, but most countries eat jellies that contain chemical ingredients and 0% natural fruit. Fair enough, they taste great, but we here at TheBalde aim to start a “sweet revolution”.
If you aren’t a distant ancestor of the Kings of Navarre or you don’t really feel like splashing out a month’s wages in one of those plush, expensive European “Confittiterie” places, listen to what Uncle Pekos Pantxinet has to say to you:
1. Squeeze the juice from the fruit you want. The juice will be more liquid or thicker depending on what fruit you use. There are loads of different combinations you can use. Use your imagination.
2. Strain the fruit juice.
3. Heat on ring and add two spoonfuls of powdered “Agar”. Agar is a type of seaweed and is sold in Nature shops.
4. Heat but don’t bring to boil.
5. Fill an ice cube maker with the liquid and leave it settle for 24 hours.
6. Pop it out of the cube-maker and sprinkle it with sugar.
Voila! You too can now enjoy the “fruits” of the gods and kings in your own home... Bon appetite!
