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To Candy Carrot Roots
To Candy Carrot Roots is a traditional Stuart recipe for a classic sweetmeat of sugar candied in sugar syrup that was typically served at the end of a meal. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Stuart version of: To Candy Carrot Roots.
prep time
20 minutes
cook time
20 minutes
Total Time:
40 minutes
Serves:
10–12
Rating: 
Tags : Vegetarian RecipesVegetable RecipesDessert RecipesBritish Recipes
Original Recipe
To Candy Carrot Roots (from Hannah Woolley's
Queen-like Closet 1670)
153. To Candy Carrot Roots.
Take of the beſt and Boil them tender then pare them, and cut them in ſuch pieces as you like; then take fine Sugar boiled to a Candy height with a little Water, then put in your Roots, and boil them till you ſee they will Candy; but you muſt firſt boil them with their weight in Sugar and some Water, or else they will not be ſweet enough; when they are enough, lay them into a Box, and keep them dry: thus you may do green Peaſcods when they are very young, if you put them into boiling water, and let them boil cloſe covered till they are green, and then boiled in a Syrup, and then the Candy, they will look very finely, and are good to set forth Banquets, but have no pleaſant taſte.
Modern Redaction
The Stuarts were very suspicious of vegetables and anything that grew directly in the earth, believing that they might transfer pestilence. As a result there are very few vegetable recipes in Stuart cookbooks. Indeed, this is not actually a vegetable recipe, but rather a recipe for a candied sweetmeat intended to be served with cheese at the end of a meal.
It should also be noted that modern orange carrots were developed in the Netherlands in celebration of William of Orange. Though they would have been available in England in 1670, they would not have been common. The original carrots were more slender than modern ones and came in a range of colours, from pale cream to purple so that a dish of them would have been multi-coloured.
Ingredients:
300g baby carrots, scraped and with the leaves trimmed neatly
300g sugar
50ml water
Method:
Combine the sugar and water in a wide saucepan. Heat gently until the sugar dissolves and begins to caramelize then add the prepared carrots.
Heat gently for 10 minutes then bring the mixture to a boil and cook, stirring frequently, for about 20 minutes, or until the carrots are tender and well coated in the caramel.
Take off the heat and using tongs carefully transfer to a baking tray lined with greaseproof (waxed) paper (make sure the carrots do not touch). Allow to cool completely, trim off any trails of sugar and serve as a sweetmeat at the end of a meal.
Find more Hannah Woolley Recipes Hereand more Traditional Stuart Recipes Here.
