Nouvelle Instruction pour les Confitures, Liqueurs et Fruits

Paris: Charles de Sercy, 1698. Second Edition. Hardcover. Calf, raised bands, spine decorated in gilt. Very good. [24] 1-458 [20] pages - with folding woodcut of table of desserts and illustrations on pages 450 & 453. Title page missing. This landmark work on confectionery and preserving is considered one of the most comprehensive and influential treatises on jams, jellies, candied fruits, fruit pastes, marzipan, meringues, compotes, tarts, liqueurs, and syrups of its time. Offering hundreds of recipes for confections, distilled botanical waters, and eaux-de-vies, this book is a necessity for both pastry chefs as well as bartenders. Massiolot provides clear instructions - helping to spread, at the time - these techniques beyond professional kitchens to a wider audience, including ambitious home cooks and aspiring professionals. There is a thorough listing - for each month of the year - as to what fruits are ready to be utilized for the various syrups, liqueurs, and even perfumes. One of the recipes - Queen of Hungary Water was one of the earliest known alcohol-based perfumes in Europe, first appearing in the late 14th century. The primary ingredient is flowering rosemary, and here it can be used as a perfume or tonic. It is a delight to get a glimpse of the precise instructions - for instance, Massialot describes making Carnation Syrup and states to use "only the very red carnations".

François Massialot (1660-1733) was a renowned French chef born in Limoges. He served as chef de cuisine to some of the most prominent figures of his era, including Philippe I, Duke of Orléans (brother of Louis XIV), his son Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, as well as Cardinal d'Estrées and the Marquis de Louvois. Massialot was extremely influential, both in France and abroad. Boards heavily rubbed at edges with loss to corners and to head and tail of spine. 3 cm stain to front cover. Interior very lightly foxed with three pages of annotations in pen. [CAGLE 321]