The Country Lady’s Director
Part II
Since I have publish’d the Receipts I gathered together, with regard to the several Preparations of the Products of a Farm, for the Table; entitled, The Lady’s Monthly Director, &c. (now in its sixth Edition:) I have received a great number of Letters relating to many Improvements that may be made to it, and am desired to publish them, in order to render my first Volume more compleat. And, as I find they will be of public Use, I shall begin with one concerning the Preservation of Flesh, Fowls and Fish from Putrefaction, or Stinking; which is too often the Case, in Summer-time, when it is rare to find any sweet Morsels, although they have undergone the Discipline of Salting. As for the common Notion, that Women cannot lay Meat in Salt, equally with success, at all Times, it is false; it is the Manner of doing it, and not the state of the Women who handle it, that makes it right; there must be a right way of Management to preserve it, and render it fit for the Palate, as the following Letter informs us.
To Mr. Bradley.
Sir,
I have not only read your Book call’d, The Lady’s Monthly Director, but have tasted many elegant Dishes of Meat, ordered by the Receipts in it; but I think, as you are a philosophical Gentleman, you should have taken a little more Notice of the preservation of Flesh from Putrefaction: For in many places I have set down to a Dinner which has sent me out of the Room by the very smell of it; even, though I am so much of the French Taste, that I can bear the Fumette. The Husband, in this Case, has blamed his Wife; and the Wife has taken the opportunity of whispering to her Husband, that the Maid was not in right Sorts when she salted the Meat: but I am sure, I shall set you to rights in that Point.
I have taken pains in my Family, which consists of thirty Persons, to have my Wife order the Experiment to be made, and I am satisfied from her Arguments, that there is nothing in the Notion above. But now to the purpose. Let your Flesh-Meat be fresh, and take all the bleeding Arteries from it; then sprinkle it with common Salt, and let it lie in the Air for twelve Hours; but salt the Places, where the Arteries were, more particularly: then wipe your Meat dry, and make some Salt very hot, over the Fire, then rub in the Salt very well, and lay the Pieces of salted Meat one upon another, and it will keep for several Months.
Or with common Salt, rub the several Pieces of Meat briskly with it, after the Blood is out, and especially in the hollow Places lay Salt enough. So will you be sure to have your Meat sweet, either Beef or Pork.
To send Venison Sweet in hot Weather.
Give it a little Salt, and have the Haunches parted, taking out the Marrow and all the Veins, as they are called, that bleed; and then wipe all of it quite dry after you have wash’d it with Vinegar, and then powder it with Pepper, and in an open Basket send it up to London.
Sometimes Venison (meaning a Buck) comes up to London, not fit for the Table; to prevent which, order the Keeper, when he has killed it, to strew three or four Pounds of Pepper, beaten fine, upon it; and especially upon the Neck Parts of the Sides, after he has wash’d them with Vinegar and dried them well.
But if it stinks, when you receive it, wash it with Vinegar, and dry it, then pepper it and wrap it in a dry Cloth, bury it in the Ground, three foot deep at least, and in sixteen Hours it will be sweet, fit for eating; then wash off the Pepper with Vinegar, and dry it with a Cloth, and hang it where the cool Air may pass, and the blue Flies cannot come at it. Query. Is it not strange, that we see daily the Limbs of Horses hung up in Trees, and they do not stink, but remain good a long while fit for Dogs Meat? If any one will say, that Dogs all delight to eat Carrion, I must deny that; but that every sort of Dog will roll himself in Carrion, when he can find it, is certain.
To send Partridges a long way in hot Weather.
When you have killed your Partridges, take out the Crop, and the Artery which bleeds in the Neck, then fill the Place with Pepper; and the Mouths of the Fowls should be fill’d with the same, for these Parts take a taint sooner than the rest; the Vent too, ought to be taken care of, and open’d, and filled with Pepper, beaten grossly. N.B. This Pepper may be always wash’d away without leaving any Season or Flavour behind it, and is a certain Antidote against Corruption. So the same may be done with Pheasants, and you should likewise leave on their Feathers.
To keep an Hare a long Time.
As soon as ’tis kill’d and discharged of its Entrails, take care that all the Blood be dried away with Cloths about the Liver, for there it is apt to settle, then dust the Liver well with Pepper; and fill the Body with Nettles, or dry Moss, for these will not raise a ferment as Hay and Straw will do, when they come to be wet; then fill the Mouth with Pepper, and it will keep a long time.
To keep Wild-Ducks fresh.
Draw them, and fill the Body with red Sage, after the inside is well pepper’d; and likewise pepper the inside of the Mouth, leave on the Feathers. A Goose may be serv’d the same way.
But if they be too long kept, or through want of Care, they should receive a taint; then, when they are pull’d, wash the Inside very well, with Vinegar and Water, and dry it well with a Cloth; and scrape away, if need be, what are call’d the Kidneys; then strew the Inside afresh with Pepper, and hang them up for an Hour or two, where the Air may pass through them.
Some in such a case will put an Onion into the Body, which does very well towards restoring it to a freshness; then wash out all, and prepare it for the Spit.
Helps towards the Preservation of Fish.
If you would keep Fish long, kill them as soon as they are out of the Water, and take out their Gills; then fill their Heads as much as may be, with Pepper, and wipe them very dry, and pack them in dry Wheat-Straw.
T. R.
To make Wine of White Elder-berries, like Cyprus Wine from Mrs. Warburton of Cheshire.
To nine Gallons of Water, put nine Quarts of the Juice of White Elder berries, which has been pressed gently from the Berries, with the Hand, and passed thro’ a Sieve, without bruising the Kernels of the Berries; add to every Gallon of Liquor three Pounds of Lisbon Sugar, and to the whole Quantity put an Ounce and a half of Ginger, sliced, and three quarters of an Ounce of Cloves; then boil this near an Hour, taking off the Scum, as it rises, and pour the whole to cool, in an open Tub, and work it with Ale-Yeast, spread upon a Toast of white Bread, for three Days, and then tun it into a Vessel that will just hold it; adding about a Pound and a half of Raisins of the Sun split, to lie in the Liquor till we draw it off, which should not be till the Wine is fine, which you will find about January. This Wine is so like the fine rich Wine brought from Cyprus, in its Colour and Flavour, that it has deceiv’d the best Judges, These Berries are ripe in August, and may be had at the Ivy-House at Hoxton.
To make Wine of Black Elder-berries, which is equal to the best Hermitage Claret; from Henry Marsh, Esq. of Hammersmith.
Take nine Gallons of Spring Water, and half a Bushel of Elder-berries, pick’d clean from the Stalks; boil these till the Berries begin to dimple, then gently strain off the Liquor, and to every Gallon of it put two Pounds of good Lisbon Sugar, and boil it an Hour; then let it stand to cool, in an open Tub, for if it was to cool in the Copper, or Brass Kettle, it was boil’d in, the Liquor would be ill-tasted. When it is almost cool, spread some Ale-Yeast upon a Toast of White Bread, and put it into the Liquor, to work three Days in the open Tub, stirring the Liquor once or twice a Day, and then tun it in a Vessel of a right size, to hold it: At the same time add to every Gallon one pound of Raisins of the Sun whole, and let them lie in the Cask till the Wine is drawn off.
Such a small quantity of Wine, as is here directed, will be fit to bottle the January next after it is made, but larger Casks should not be drawn off till March or April.
A Receipt from Barbadoes, to make Rum; which proves very good.
In Barbadoes the Rum is made of the Scum and Offal of the Sugar, of which they put one ninth part, or eighth part, to common Water, about eighteen Gallons, all together, in a wooden open Vessel or Tub; cover this with dry Leaves of Palm, or for want of them, with the Leaves of Platanus or the Leaves of Fern in England, or the Parts or Leaves which Flagg-Brooms are made of. Let this remain for nine Days, till it changes of a clean yellow Colour, and it will be then fit to distil; then put it into an Alembic, and you will have what we call the Low-Wines. A Day or two after distil it again, and in the Cap of the Still, hang a small muslin Bag of sweet Fennel-Seeds, and the Spirit will be of a fine Flavour. Some will use Anniseed in the Bag, and some use a little Musk with the sweet Fennel Seeds, or else distil the Spirit twice, viz., once with the sweet Fennel-Seeds, and the next with a little Musk.
N.B. The wooden Vessels, or open Tubs, must not be made of any Wood that is unwholesome, or sweet-scented; such as Deal, Firr, or Manchineel.
In England, Treacle may be used with equal Success, and is cheap enough to get a good livelihood; as appears by the several Ways mention’d above, that have been privately experienced.
To make Citron-Water, from Barbadoes.
Take Citron, or Lemon Flowers, for the word Citron in French signifies Lemon; though we generally in England esteem the large Lemons to be Citrons, and the middle-siz’d we call Lemons, and the smallest of that race is call’d the Lime. In these, however, there are as many varieties as we have in Apples, one is finer flavour’d than the other. The Oranges too are of as many different Sorts, the Rind of one pleasanter than the other, and the Juice likewise, and so are the Flowers various in their Smells, some more odorous than others; yet all these are used indifferently, according to the Kinds that happen to grow upon the several Estates, where the Citron-Water is made, and this is the Reason why one Sort is better than another; and therefore, those who have the most pleasant Sorts, make the best Waters of this Kind.
We must take, either of Citron, Lemon, or Orange-Flowers, four Ounces to a Gallon of clean Spirit, or French-Brandy; put these in the Spirits, with two Pounds of white Sugar-Candy, beaten fine: then take of the best Citron-Peels, or Lemon-Peels, six Ounces, and let them steep in the Spirits till the Liquor is strong enough of every Ingredient; and when that is done, pour it off, through a Sieve. And in some places they put about half a Drachm of Musk to six Gallons of Liquor; and this has been sold for sixteen Shillings the Quart in London.
To make fine Vinegar.
There is no doubt but the making of Vinegar will be a considerable Article, seeing that few of our fine Preparations for the Table can be made without it. A Gentleman of great note has given me the following Receipt for it, viz.
To nine Gallons of Water, put eighteen Pounds of Malaga Raisins, chopt a little, Stalks and all; put this into a Cask, bound with Iron Hoops, and place it in the warmest Exposure you can find in the open Air: then take a Florence Flask, divested of its Straw, and put the Neck of it into the Bung-hole, fixing it as close as may be, with some Linnen-Cloth, and a little Pitch and Rosin melted together. By this Means, if the Weather prove fair and warm, your Vinegar will be fit for Use in three Weeks time. The use of the Glass, is, that in the heat of the Day it will fill itself with the Liquor, and when the cool of the Evening comes on, that Liquor will again be return’d into the Cask; by which means the Liquor will become sour much sooner than it will otherwise do. As soon as it is clear, draw it off.
To make Irish Usquebaugh; from Lord Capell’s Receipt, when he was Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.
To every Gallon of French-Brandy, put one Ounce of Liquorice sliced, one Ounce of sweet Fennel-Seeds, one Ounce of Anniseeds, one Pound of Raisins of the Sun split and stoned, a quarter of a Pound of Figs split, two Drachms of Coriander-Seeds, let these infuse about eight or nine Days, and pour the Liquor clear off, then add half an Ounce of Saffron, in a Bag, for a Day or two, and when that is out, put in a Drachm of Musk. If when this Composition is made, it seems to be too high a Cordial for the Stomach, put to it more Brandy, till you reduce it to the Temper you like. This is the same Receipt King William had when he was in Ireland.
To make Green Usquebaugh.
To every Gallon of French-Brandy put one Ounce of Anniseeds, and another of sweet Fennel-Seeds, two Drachms of Coriander-Seeds. Let these infuse nine Days, then take of the Spirit of Saffron one Drachm, distil’d from Spirit of Wine, mix with the rest; infuse during this time some Liquorice sliced in Spirits, one Pound of Raisins of the Sun, and filter it; put then a Quart of pure White-Wine to a Gallon of the Liquor, and when all is mix’d together, take the Juice of Spinach boil’d, enough to colour it; but do not put the Spinach Juice into the Liquor till it is cold. To this put one Pound of white Sugar candied, finely powder’d, to a Gallon of Liquor.
To make a Cabbage-Pudding; from a Gentlewoman in Suffolk, as it was written by herself.
Sir,
You will excuse me, if I send you a Receipt for a Pudding, which is accounted so agreeable by my Acquaintance, that they think it worth a place in your Book, call’d, The Lady’s Monthly Director, in the Management of the several Products of a Farm. It may as well be made by People of the lower as of the higher Rank.
Take a Piece of boil’d Beef, which is not always done enough; the Parts of it which are the least done, and chop them small: take as much boil’d Cabbage as you have Meat, and chop that as small as the Beef, season this with Pepper and Salt, and two or three Eggs beaten, to mix it up in the manner of farced Meat. Whatever else of seasoning you like, put it to it; and when it is made into a thin Paste, put the Mixture into a Linnen-Cloth, and boil it till it is enough, then serve it to the Table. But this Pudding is much better made with raw salt Beef and boil’d Cabbage, for is makes an extraordinary Paste, and is much softer and fuller of Gravey than the first.
N.B. If it is of the first Sort, the quantity of half a Quartern Loaf of fine Bread, may boil an Hour, and the latter Sort may boil an Hour and a half.
I am Yours, C. B.
Serve it with Butter and Gravey, with Lemon-Juice.
Of the Gourmandine-Pea, and its several Ways of Dressing.
P.S. You have mention’d in one of your Books a sort of Pea, which is call’d the Gourmandine, or Gourmand; which I suppose one may call, in English, the Glutton’s Pea, because we eat all of it. For the Pods of it are very sweet and have no Film, or Skin in them, so that the Cods may be as well eaten as the Peas themselves; for which reason, when we have drawn the Strings from them, as we do from Kidney Beans, you may broil them upon a Gridiron, and serving them with gravey Sauce, they are very good; or to cut them into Pieces, and fry them with Mutton Steaks; or else you may fry them with Beef, and they are still better. But the best way, is to cut them cross, as you do French-Beans, and stew them in Gravey with a little Pepper and Salt, there is not any thing in my Opinion can eat better, and to be put in a gravey Soop, are incomparable; especially, if they have been parboil’d, and rubb’d dry, and then fry’d in burnt Butter.
The smallest dwarf crooked Sugar-Pea, that you recommend, is of the same quality, but rather better, for all these Uses, being somewhat sweeter than the former, and the Pod fuller of Pulp.
C. B.