flipStrawberry preserves from the King's Kitchen Garden
Strawberry preserves from the King's Kitchen Garden
Why this dish? Louis XIV was particularly fond of strawberries, cultivated and forced in the King's Kitchen Garden. To enjoy them out of season, they were preserved with sugar — a conservation method that allowed fruit pyramids to adorn the last service all year round.
Small wild strawberries slowly candied in a sugar syrup until translucent and shiny. A tangy-sweet treat, kept in pots to adorn the royal table in any season.
We greatly love strawberries, and our gardener knows how to make them come almost any time. When the season yields too many, they are candied over a low fire in a fine clarified sugar syrup until they shine like rubies. Thus kept in earthenware pots, they appear at Our table when the cold has driven fruits from the garden. Believe Us: there is no prettier pleasure than eating summer in the heart of winter.
- •Ripe wild strawberries — two pounds (fruit)
- •Sugar — equal weight to fruit (preservation)
- •Water — a little (syrup)
- •Lemon juice or verjuice — a dash (acidity, set)
Strawberry preserves from the King's Kitchen Garden
Small wild strawberries slowly candied in a sugar syrup until translucent and shiny. A tangy-sweet treat, kept in pots to adorn the royal table in any season.
Why this dish? Louis XIV was particularly fond of strawberries, cultivated and forced in the King's Kitchen Garden. To enjoy them out of season, they were preserved with sugar — a conservation method that allowed fruit pyramids to adorn the last service all year round.
We greatly love strawberries, and our gardener knows how to make them come almost any time. When the season yields too many, they are candied over a low fire in a fine clarified sugar syrup until they shine like rubies. Thus kept in earthenware pots, they appear at Our table when the cold has driven fruits from the garden. Believe Us: there is no prettier pleasure than eating summer in the heart of winter.
Ingredients (period version)
- Ripe wild strawberries — two pounds (fruit)
- Sugar — equal weight to fruit (preservation)
- Water — a little (syrup)
- Lemon juice or verjuice — a dash (acidity, set)
Ingredients
- Strawberries (preferably small, fragrant) — 1 kg (fruit)
- Sugar — 800 g (preservation)
- Lemon juice — 1/2 lemon (acidity, gelling)
- Water — 100 ml (initial syrup)
Method
- Hull the strawberries, place them in a basin with sugar and lemon juice, and let macerate for 2 hours to release their juice.
- Gently bring to a simmer with water, skim, then cook over medium heat for 25-30 minutes, stirring gently so as not to crush the fruit.
- Check the set (a drop gels on a cold plate), remove from heat.
- Immediately pour into sterilized jars, seal, and invert to preserve.
How it was made : Before refined sugar chemistry, sugar was 'clarified' by heating it with egg white to remove impurities. Candying fruits was the art of the office (distinct from the kitchen): it was the only way, with drying, to preserve strawberries, plums, and apricots from the King's Kitchen Garden for winter.
The contemporary twist : Serve a spoonful of preserves on a warm butter shortbread cookie with a sprig of lemon verbena, 'Sun King's breakfast.'
Sources : François Massialot, Nouvelle instruction pour les confitures, les liqueurs et les fruits, 1692 · Jean-Baptiste de La Quintinie, Instruction pour les jardins fruitiers et potagers, 1690
Louis XIV · Charactorium
