Now, you may ask how I’m going to leap from a perfume that dates from 16th c. Spain to Pedro Ximenes Sherry Ice Cream with Prunes with any kind of sense, let alone grace? . Easy. SCENT. Scent is the connection and the inspiration.
Inspiration. I read this during the summer via 18th c. Cuisine. A perfume poet known by ‘cncrocket’ said of Peau d’Espagne cologne:
"This fragrance lingers on everything it touches like a rugged kiss from a cowboy soaked in campfire smoke and saddle leather sweat. It smells like the sexiest man you've ever seen in your life, taking a hot outdoor bath in a tin tub, smeared with sweet shaving lather and dust, steaming on a cold high-desert morning."
British sexologist Havelock Ellis esteemed peau d'espagne as "a highly complex and luxurious perfume, often the favorite scent of sensuous persons" and noted that "it is said by some, probably with a certain degree of truth, that Peau d'Espagne is of all perfumes that which most nearly approaches the odor of a woman's skin..."
Needless to say, I ran to LAFCO in NYC to buy myself a bottle immediately. I mean really, how could I resist (even though this stuff is pricey)?
It is everything they say and not like anything you’ve ever worn, scent-wise. People lean over and ask what you have on… it’s that kind of smell. No one will ever think you bought this at Macy’s perfume counter! It is not for the faint of heart or a rabid devotee of sweet floral-scents. The nice folks at SMN in Florence have been whipping it up for 100 years or so… but then they have been doing everything for centuries in one of the most remarkable stores you will ever visit… it’s the world’s oldest pharmacy!
The origin of the Antica Farmacia goes back to the Dominican friars who in 1221 settled in Florence, but it was officially founded in 1612 . Many of the Officina’s essences and perfumes are still prepared to a large extent following the formulas studied in 1500 for Caterina de’ Medici. The store was originally a church abounding in frescoes that was donated by the Acciaioli family to the friars in 1335 in recognition of their services.  This same company makes a potpourri that has scented my home for many years. The first time I smelled it I saw Medici palaces when I closed my eyes. Nothing smells like it. And they have been making it for 800 years! It comes in jars like these:
But I digress ( I really did have to share about SMN, the store is that amazing).... all this is a preface to a recipe (it really is connected!) via the musings of a devout sensualist. I mean, think about it. How is the cook, who measures herbs and spices to achieve taste and aroma, that different from a perfumer who adjusts notes and tones to make a fragrance (take care you don’t go too far and end up possessed by scent like Des Esseintes in Huysmans' Against the Grain (À Rebours) You see, it's all related. There are tones in perfume, incense and liquor that have a positive, primal effect on me. I love the dusky smells of SMN’s Peau d’Espagne as I love Lagavulin (the secret ingredient of my pot pie). You see, I am crazy for the scent of wood smoke so I’m over the moon for the peaty smokiness of Lagavulin (Johnny Depp, who doesn’t drink, sometimes pours a shot just to inhale in the heady aroma).
I get dizzy with pleasure breathing in the scent of libraries full of old leather books so it would make sense that I would swoon over old vintage port
I love the scent and patina of 18th c. furniture so I find the charm of a 19th c Madiera utterly irresistible. You can absorb history with every glass… the age of the stuff drifts through you like music played on a Stradivarius.
And that gets me to Pedro Ximenez Sherry (bet you thought we’d never get here).
I fell head-over-heels with the stuff thanks to Tertulia de Sabores post on Prunes with the sherry and Earl Gray tea. Double swoon. A wine review gushes: “The impressive 1927 Pedro Ximenez Solera, from a Solera begun nearly 80 years ago, boasts a dark amber color as well as an extraordinary nose of creme brulee, liquefied nuts, marmalade, and maple syrup. Huge and viscous, yet neither cloyingly sweet nor heavy,” it has a “ wonderful, caramelized texture, {that} evolves into a mature tobacco leaf and cigar box palate, still revealing hints of burnt sugar and tea leaf, with incredible length and purity on the silky finish.” You get the idea, (how do they write like that?). So, in homage to the beloved scents of our lives... to things that make you flush with pleasure... to small, private smiles, I give you:  Pedro Ximenez Ice Cream with Prunes. 4 oz prunes 1/3 c P.X. Sherry (you could use cream sherry but the difference would be astronomically huge and just wrong—spend the $20 to get the real deal or wait to make it until you can). Pinch of 5 spice (or, if you are feeling like an adventurous alchemist, try homemade Garam Masala with rose petals—I’ll give you the recipe if you ask) 1 Earl Gray tea bag (in 1 c of boiling water, let steep 2-3 minutes and remove. Add the prunes and cook 20 minutes on a low flame until prunes are softened. Remove with remaining liquid(only a few tablespoons should be left), add sherry and let this macerate overnight or at least 5 hours. Take 1/3c sugar and caramelize with 2T water. 1 c cream, warmed. Add to caramel slowly and dissolve any clumps you may have over a low flame. I use 5 egg yolks, beaten to lemon yellow Slowly add warm caramel cream to eggs, return to pan and stir till thickened over a low heat (not above 160º). Then add 1 c milk and a pinch of salt. Puree ½ of the prunes and sherry and add to the mix. Refrigerate the mixture overnight. Blend in an ice cream maker. When it is almost done, add the rest of the prunes, finely chopped with the accumulated juices and finish blending. Freeze to finish. Best eaten softly frozen… and with chocolate! Cookies, flourless chocolate cake, whatever appeals… and more sherry, either in a glass or poured over the ice cream. Or, you could make the best chocolate sauce ever: 1/2 c sugar 1 c heavy cream(warmed) 7 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped 1/2 t vanilla 1 T cognac Melt the sugar till it turns dark amber, add heavy cream slowly taking care to melt any caramel that seizes up. Remove from stove and add chopped chocolate. Stir till smooth and add cognac and vanilla.
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