h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Confiture de Vieux Garcons - A1151597
Author: Connie L., Witch, part-time DragQueen, Keeper of Things placed on the top of Other Things (now working on a complex Love spell) - U201558

A family recipe, I guess it would fit nicely in the "Life / Food & Drink / Alcohol" section, among the other "How to do a ...". Just wondering what would be missing to turn an excellent recipe into an excellent entry !

All comments welcome, I am feeling good and in the mood for critics these days...

I couldn't resist having a look...

A little detail straight from the horse's mouth [not that I am a horse ] for now:

"Vieux garcons" actually means "batchelors", not necessairily just the old ones... Though I have the feeling that we don't use it for those who are under 25 years old somehow...

You could add "Vielles Filles" [spinsters?!] as well I suppose...

I will have a better look later on and see if I can add something else...

loup

Thanks !

All comments welcome, especially yours on the translation (will correct), but I think I'll keep this recipe politically-incorrect by not adding the reference to the spinsters...
It is a very simple recipe, one that only takes time and patient, silent slicing of the fruits, something only old bachelors have plenty of... In the traditional French way of seeing things, single ladies of a certain age (i.e. over 30 ? a.k.a. "vieilles filles") would tend to prepare this in group, sipping tea/coffee as they go, chattering the afternoon off...
The resulting drink would probably taste very different !

C.L.

I'm afraid the links will end up being taken out, as EG entries can only link to other EG entries...

Oh lovely stuff! I was offered this in a wonderful B&B in the middle of France once; I gathered that it was Bachelor's Jam not so much because of the work of making it, but because of its irresistible appeal to big boys of any age and marital status.

Ladle only has one d; and "a good foot large, with a large opening on the top closed with a very large cork" uses too many larges: how about "a good foot across, with a wide opening on the top closed with a very large cork"?

Thanks !
The link was here as a reference to the original destination of the entry. Harvest Festival kind of melted away, so... link gone !

And thanks for the rewording : not being a native speaker, I need that kind of help !

Cheers !

C.L.

How's this coming along?

not sure... has not been picked-up yet for editing, so...
Maybe h2g2's sub-eds prefere their ale to this, or stronger stuff ?

???

C.L.

"Bump"



While we wait for the wonderful Scouts to do their picking... I might have noticed a typo in:

>In the dark months, they will absorb some of the flavours of the past seasons, and add their rich and sweet fragance to the bottle that is now corked tight and will await next Spring in the cool protection of the cellar.<

Should not it be flagrance?!...



loup

Em . . . no, fragrance makes more sense.

I know..

I've only realised my mistake a few minutes ago...

Oh well, at least that helped bumping the thread a bit more...



loup[gone into hiding]

IMHO there is something missing after the first paragraph. There should be something to indicate that you're now proceeding to describe the procedure of making the stuff. A subheader would do the trick!

FWIW: in German, the proper name would be 'Rumtopf' (rum pot)


Bossel

Thanks for your advice. But I'd rather keep it as it is, not making the "process" to dry and cold, the way traditional recipes are built, but more of a "litterary" recipe, mixing description and procedure...

I may be presumptuous...

I have a question. Where would you go to get a container to 'cook' the mixture in? The entry said it has a plate size opening. What sort of volume of food would you get inside?

I've always seen my mum preparing it in a large glass jar, about 30cm tall (12 inches ?), 20cm (8inches) in diameter), the opening almost as large as the jar itself, and closed with a very large cork lide wrapped in white linen.
The whole thing was really heavy, we usually would not move it around that much... About 10~12 kg when full ?

But you may want to try a smaller amount at first, especially if you experiment on "exotic" fruits (banana might not react well, and get the whole thing a very murky look...).

Enjoy !

Hi there Connie and co,

This has been languishing in PR for quite a while now...

It's a terrific subject for an entry, and treated with verve and imagination,

I think this sentence might be improved:

<>

- perhaps "Throughout the year, as the best fruits of each season become available, they are carefully chosen, washed, diced or sliced if they are big, and put into the jar in regular layers, each layer being topped off with a little brown sugar and completely covered with a good fruit liqueur."

Not necessarily that *exact* wording, but I hope a couple of those word changes will make it read slightly better.

I love the poetic description of the creative process as the year progresses, btw, .

anyway, I was surprised to see this still in PR (I noticed it ages ago but didn't take the time to comment, .

Any scouts available to pick it, or any PRers want to say why it might not be ready?

spiff

Thanks for the rewording, I am not a native speaker, and although my writing is kind of OK, I do not alway 'feel' how it sounds.

And yet, I am quite surprised (and a little disappointed) that nobody made that piece into the edited part of the guide...

C.L.

I am sorry your feedback has been so sporadic Connie

Nice entry

To polish this entry for the EG I'd suggest:
Possibly adding alternative translation as well (Old Boy's Preserve), and admitting that it is unknown whether it is called this because aging bachelors are expected to have the time and patience to make it, or more likely just the inclination to consume it .

'wine and fruits alltogether' > 'wine and fruits simultaneously' ('alltogether' is not right, but other synonyms could be substituted)

'embarassement' > 'embarassment'

Remove the cocktail blob (EG entries generally get blobs where vital for explanation or at the whim of the Editors).

I'm not sure about this taking a year to make - fruits are not generally ripe in spring . I would have thought this would be made through the summer and autumn, ready for winter as the recipe for rumtopf below suggests.

Add a final section on other popular fruit mixtures preserved in alcohol concoctions. For example, the 'rumtopf' Bossel suggested, that often has a very similar 'extended period' recipe - this link also promotes 'Rumtopf' jars - an alternative to your traditional glass container >
http://fantes.com/rumtopf.htm

One translation I looked at for rumtopf (rumtopf appears more widespread on the net than old boy's preserve) gave the rough month-by-month recipe:
Start in June with a Stoneware jar, rum, sugar, and plate (to hold fruit down)
Strawberries in June
Sour cherries/Redcurrants/Blackcurrants in July
Peaches/Apricots/Plums in August
Raspberries/Blackberries in September
Apples/Pears in October
Leave to marinate...
Ready for Christmas, lasts about nine months, can be topped up woth more fruit but requires a couple more months for fruit to be fully marinated by the rum. (note: I haven't included details on preparation of fruits)


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Pimms (a Scout )

Looking forward to this being picked.

And by the way, add one more r to embarrassment.

embarrassment

note to self: when correcting other people's grammar read what you've written *carefully*