Cream Custard. From Lady H.
Boil a Quart of Cream, with some grated Nutmeg, and a little Mace finely powder’d; then beat the Yolks of twelve Eggs, with half as many Whites, with a little Salt: then add a spoonfull of Sack, and one of Orange-Flower Water, or Rose-Water: then put about six Ounces of fine Loaf-Sugar beaten fine, and well sifted; and mix all together, when the Cream is not too hot; then pass it through a fine Sieve, and bake it in China Cups.
To imitate the fat Livers of Capons roasted. From the same.
Take a Calf’s Liver fresh, and cut it in pieces, in the shape of large Capons Livers. Dip every one in Flour, and spit them on Lark-Spits, the flat Sides against each other, but minding to put between them a slice of fat Bacon. Roast them, and baste them well with Butter, and drudging them often with rasped Bread sifted, and flour with a little Salt. When they are enough, serve them with the following Sauce. Take two or three Necks of Fowls, if you have them, or else, a little clean Beef Gravey, a little Water, a little Ale, or small Beer; an Onion and some Pepper and Salt: then strain off the Sauce, and pour it into the Dish before you lay in your Livers, and garnish with Slices of Lemon, sliced Beet-Roots pickled, and sifted raspings of Bread. These do well likewise to be laid about a roasted Chicken.
To make Pound Cakes. From the same.
Take a Pound of double refined Loaf-Sugar beaten and sifted; then beat eight Eggs and stir the Sugar in them; then melt a Pound of Butter, and stir that in with the rest, and then stir in a Pound of Flour, some Mace finely beat, with some Nutmeg grated, and some Sack, and Orange-Flower Water; beat these all together for an hour and a half till all is well mix’d; then stir in some Currans plump’d a little. To make good the name of the Cake, there should be a Pound of a sort. Some put about a quarter of a Pound of Caraway Comfits; but every way is good. Bake these in little Pans, in, a gentle Oven, and when they are quite cold, turn them out, and keep them in oaken Boxes, with Papers between them, in a dry Place.
To make a Six Hour Pudding. From the same.
Take a Pound of Beef Suet, pick’d clean from the Skins and bloody Parts, and chop it pretty small; then take a Pound of Raisins of the Sun, and stone them; then shred them, and mix them together: add to them a large spoonfull of Flour, and six Eggs beaten, a little Lisbon Sugar, some Salt, and some Cloves, and Mace, beaten. Then mix these well together, and make two Puddings of them, tied up in Cloths well flour’d; boil them six Hours, and serve them with Sugar and Butter in Cups. This will cut very firm, and not taste at all greasy. And if you save one cold, cut it in Slices, and lay it upon a Grid-Iron, under Beef while it is roasting, and it eats very well with Beef Gravey hot.
To make a Venison Pasty. From the same.
Take six Pounds of Cambridge potted Butter, and rub it into a peck of Flour, but do not rub in your Butter too small; and then make it into a Paste, with Water: then butter your Pan well, and when your Paste is roll’d out thick, lay it in the Pan, preserving only enough for the Lid. The Cambridge Butter is mention’d, because it is a little Salt; or else, if you use fresh Butter, there should be some Salt put into the Crust. When that is prepar’d, take a side of Venison, and take off the Skin, as close as can be, and take the Bones out quite free from the Flesh; then cut this through length-ways, and cut it cross again, to make four Pieces of it; then strew these Pieces with Pepper and Salt, well mix’d, at discretion: and after having laid a little of the Pepper and Salt at the bottom of the Pasty, with some pieces of Butter; then lay in your pieces of Venison, so that at each Corner the Fat may be placed; then lay some Butter over it, in pieces, and close your Pasty. When it is ready for the Oven, pour in about a Quart of Water, and let it bake from five a Clock in the Morning till one in the Afternoon, in a hot Oven. And at the same time put the Skin and the Bones broken, with Water enough to cover them, and some Pepper and Salt into a glaz’d earthen Pan, into the same Oven; and when you draw the Pasty, pour off as much as you think proper, of the clear Liquor, into your Pasty. Serve it hot, but it is properly a side-board Dish, and the Carver ought always to take the Services, of the Pasty, from the Corners where the Fat is, to do honour to the Master and his Park.
To roast a Hog’s Harslet. From the same.
Take a Hog’s Harslet, as soon as the Hog is kill’d, lay aside the Lights, and cut the Liver in thick Slices, and the Heart in thinner Pieces; then take some of the Crow of an Hog, and cut that in Pieces equal with the rest. Then take the Sweetbreads, with some of the Sticking-Pieces, as they are called, and some Slices of fat Bacon. Dip these into Eggs beaten, and then dip them again into grated Bread, some red Sage chopt small, and some Pepper and Salt, with a little sweet Marjoram, or sweet Basil powder’d; then put the Pieces, broad-side one to another, upon a small Spit, always observing to put the Bacon next the Heart, and the Crow next the Liver; then wrap them up in a Cawl of Veal, and roast it. Put these Pieces as close as you can together, and when it is done, serve it with some melted Butter and Mustard, with a little Lemon-Juice.
To make Cream of Raspberries. From Mrs. Heron.
Take thick Cream, a Quart, and put to that, either some Raspberry Syrup, or some Jamm of Raspberries; but the Syrup will mix much easier with it: however, the Jamm of Raspberries is accounted the best by some, because that has the Seeds in it. But I think, that Syrup of Raspberries is better, because all is smooth, and the Cream tastes sufficiently of the Raspberries. One must serve this with the Desert. But if you use the Jamm of Raspberries, you must beat it with some of the Cream a good while before it will mix; and then put it to the other Cream, and stir it a little, and it will mix.
Artificial Cream, to be mix’d with any Preserves of Fruit. From Mrs. M. S. of Salisbury.
Take a Quart of Milk, and when it is boil’d, put in the Yolks of eight Eggs well beaten with the Whites of six. Put not in the Eggs while the Milk is too hot, lest they curdle. Then, when they are well mix’d, set them over a gentle Fire, and stir them all the while; and when you perceive them to be thick enough, put into them what quantity you please of Syrup, or Jamms of Apricots, Peaches, or Plums, or Cherries, or Oranges, Lemons, or other Fruits, stirring them well till they partake enough of the preserv’d Fruit’s taste, and then serve them up, in China Basons, cold, in a Desert, without any Ornament of Flowers.
To make Sweet-meat Cream. From the same.
Take either clean Cream from the Dairy, or else make the foregoing artificial Cream, and slice preserv’d Apricots, or preserv’d Peaches or Plums, into it, having first sweeten’d the Cream well, with fine Loaf Sugar, or with the same Syrup they were preserv’d in. Mix these well, and serve them separately, cold, in China Basons.
To embalm Pidgeons. From a Lady in Suffolk.
This Receipt was communicated in this manner: viz. Sir, I have seen the Method you propose to embalm Partridges, in your Farmer’s Monthly Director, and have tried it so far, that I have kept them, done that way, a Month. I had then a mind to try what I could do with Pidgeons; and as soon as they were kill’d, I was diligent to take out all the Blood, and wash them, and dry them, as is directed, with warm Cloths, both inside and outside. I then laid them in Pans of earthen Ware, and cover’d them with melted Butter, which kept them very well, for a long time. I wash’d the Necks of the Pidgeons, when the Crops were taken out, with Vinegar, and dry’d them. Then I used them as you direct for Partridges, and they kept sweet a Month, fit for Roasting; and they eat the same as if they were fresh kill’d. This I send you word of, because you may know how far your embalming of Partridges has taken Effect, and to tell you, the Lady who told you of it, understood very well what she did. As for my part, I used fresh Butter; but you did not say whether it should be salt or fresh, and I try’d Pidgeons, because they are Fowls which decay sooner than any. If you think this worth your Notice,
I am,
Your humble Servant.
S. F.
To preserve Pidgeons another way. From the same.
Take Pidgeons fresh kill’d; wash them from the Blood, and take off the Flesh, as clean as you can from the Bones, and discharge all the Inside: then season them well with Pepper and Salt, with a little Mace and Nutmeg grated, and boil them in equal quantities of Vinegar and Water, till they are very tender with Cloves, or other Spice, as you like, and if you add a Bay-leaf or two it will be better. When your Pidgeons are boil’d tender enough, take them from the Fire, and when the Liquor is cold, lay your Pidgeons in a large Gally-pot, and pour the Liquor upon them, and cover them up close with Leather, and they will keep a long time.
An Attempt to preserve Cucumbers, for Stewing, in the Winter. From the same.
Sir,
You have often told me, that you was a Lover of Cucumbers, and more especially stew’d, than any other way; which I find many others of my Friends come into. I propose, that you should pare and slice Cucumbers as usual for stewing; and then with a little Salt and Pepper, with their own Liquor stew them in a Sauce-Pan till they are a little tender; then pour them into a Cullendar, and when they are drain’d well from the Liquor, boil some White Wine, with Water, half one, and half the other, with whole Pepper; and when the Liquor is cold, put the Cucumbers into a Gally-pot, and pour the Liquor over them: and, if you put a little Oil upon the Liquor, I am persuaded they will keep several Months. I wish it may be try’d, for I have thought of it; and according to my Judgment it may be fit to use, any time in the Winter, for stewing.
When you use these, pour away all the Liquor, and let them pass through a Saucepan with a little Salt and Water, till they are tender, as you would have them; then drain them again in a Cullendar, and fry them brown, with burnt Butter, first flouring them, and a little Pepper; and when they are enough, put in a Glass of Claret, or a Glass of White Wine.
I am,
Your humble Servant.
S. F.
Pippin Tart. From the same.
Cut some golden Pippins in halves, pare them, and take out the Cores; then stew them with half their weight of Sugar, and some Lemon-Peel, cut in thin long Slices, and Water enough to cover them. When they are clear, they are enough; then set them by to cool, and strain off the Liquor, or Syrup, and put that in a Pan to stew gently, with some candy’d Lemon and Orange-Peel, in slices; then have a sweet Paste prepared in a Dish, and lay in your Pippins, and pour the Syrup, and Sweetmeats, over them, and bake them in a gentle Oven; and when it is hot, pour some Cream either pure or artificial over them, and serve them to the Table.
To Pickle Marygold-Flowers. From Mr. T. of Buckingham.
Though the Marygold Flower is of old date in Pottage; yet it continues still its stand among the useful things of the Kitchen, and cannot more easily be worn out, according to the custom of the Country, when the Country Folks make Broth. Mint with Pease, Fennel with Mackarel, and such like, cannot be forgot. And as the Marygold-Flowers are used in Porridge, I send the Receipt how to pickle them. Strip the Flower-leaves off, when you have gather’d the Flowers, at Noon, or in the Heat of the Day, and boil some Salt and Water; and when that is cold, put your Marygold-Flower Leaves in a Gallypot, and pour the Salt and Water upon them; then shut them up close till you use them, and they will be of a fine Colour, and much fitter for Porridge than those that are dry’d.
Seed-Cake. From the same.
Make some Paste of fine Flour, such as you would make for light Bread, with Yeast. Take five Pounds of this Dough, Without Salt in it, and cover it before a Fire for half an Hour, to make it rise; then take two Pounds and a half of fresh Butter melted, and five Eggs beaten well with half a Pound of fine Lisbon Sugar. Mix these well with your Paste, and work it till it is as light as possible; and when your Oven is very hot and clean, strew into your Cake a Pound of smooth Caraway Comfits; then put some Butter on the Sides and Bottom of your Pan, and put in your Cake, and one Hour and a quarter will bake it. When it comes out of the Oven, cover it with Cloths of Linnen till it is cold; then put it, the next Day, a little while into an Oven. N.B. You must be sure to put in the Sugar after the Butter. One may put on an Iceing if one will.
To make Orange-Chips. From the same.
Take some fresh Oranges about February, and pare them very thin; they are then very cheap. Boil them in several Waters till they are tender, and have lost their Bitterness; then put them into cold Water for twelve Hours or more. Then make a Syrup for them in the following manner. Take about their weight of fine Sugar powder’d, and mix it with as much Water as it will take in, or a little more. Boil this, and scum it well; then drain the Orange-Peels from the Water they were steep’d in, and put them in a glaz’d earthen Vessel, and then pour the boiling hot Syrup upon them, letting them remain so till the Day following; then pour the Syrup from them, and boil it afresh, and pour it on a second time, and repeat the same work till your Peels are very clear, and the Syrup very thick; and then dry them in a Stove, and they will be fit for use, in the Condition we buy them. One may candy Lemon-Chips after the same manner.
To make Hartshorn-Jelly. From the same.
Take six Ounces of Harts-horn Shavings; put them into two Quarts of Water, and two or three bits of Lemon-Peel, and set this in a Sand-heat, for six or eight Hours, or let them infuse about ten Hours upon hot Embers. Then boil it briskly, and when you find it will jelly, as you may do, by taking out a little of the Liquor in a Spoon, and cooling it; then strain it off, and add to it about half a Pound of double-refined Sugar powder’d very fine; about a Gill of Sack, or two or three spoonfuls of Mountain Wine, the Juice of two Lemons; then set this on a slow Fire, and as it heats, beat the Whites of two Eggs to a froth, and put it into the Pan, where the Jelly is, at times as it rises; and then, when it just boils up, take it from the Fire, and it will be clarified. Then pour it by small quantities into the Jelly-bag, and let it drop or run into some Receiver; but it will be apt to run thick at first: then take that which is first run, if it be thick, and pour again into the Jelly-bag, and you will find it come clear. Then place your Glasses to receive it, and change the full one for another, which you must carefully watch, that your Glasses be not soil’d in the least, for the Beauty of this, in one particular, is its transparency; and again, it should not be too stiff. Some only take the Harts-horn Shavings, six Ounces to two Quarts of Water, and boil it gently till the Liquor will jelly, without the expence of a Sand-heat, or setting it on hot Embers. The boiling it is the best way, but requires more Patience.
To make a Tart of the Ananas, or Pine-Apple. From Barbadoes.
Take a Pine-Apple, and twist off its Crown: then pare it free from the Knots, and cut it in Slices about half an Inch thick; then stew it with a little Canary Wine, or Madera Wine, and some Sugar, till it is thoroughly hot, and it will distribute its Flavour to the Wine much better than any thing we can add to it. When it is as one would have it, take it from the Fire; and when it is cool, put it into a sweet Paste, with its Liquor, and bake it gently, a little while, and when it comes from the Oven, pour Cream over it, (if you have it) and serve it either hot or cold.
Marmalade of Pine-Apples, or Ananas.
When you have small Pine-Apples in Fruit, which are not noble enough to be brought to the Table, twist off their Crowns, and pare them; then slice them, and put them into a Syrup of Water, Sugar, and Pippins; and boil them with half their quantity of Sugar added to them, with a little White Wine, breaking them with a Spoon, as they boil, till they come to a Mash, or are a little tender. Then take them from the Fire, and put the Marmalade into Glasses to keep, and cover every Glass with white Paper, preserving them in a dry Place.
To dress the Giblets of a Tortoise, or Sea-Turtle. From a Barbadoes Lady.
Take the Head, the Feet, and the Tail, of either of these, and taking off their Scales, stew them three or four Hours, in Salt and Water, till they are almost tender; then broil them a little with Pepper and Salt on them, and then put them into a Stew-pan with a Shallot, and some Spice and sweet Herbs, according to your Taste; some strong Gravey, and some Wine, and thicken the Sauce, taking out the bunch of sweet Herbs. You may put then some Juice of Limes to them, or Chadocks or Lemons, to make them fine. N.B. This is a dainty Dish, if they are broil’d, after the first stewing, because as they are sinewey, the Sinews ought to be a little scorched by broiling, or else they will not be so tender as one would have them.
There are two Sorts of Tortoises, the Land, and the Sea-Tortoise; but the Sea-Tortoise or Turtle, is what I mean, which is that which we have about the West-Indies. This is a fine Animal, partaking of the Land and Water. Its Flesh between that of Veal, and that of a Lobster, and is extremely pleasant, either roasted or baked. There are some of these Creatures that weigh near two hundred Weight. They are frequently brought to England in Tubs of Sea Water, and will keep alive a long time.
To roast a Piece of Turtle, or Tortoise. From the same.
Take a piece of the Flesh of about five or six Pounds, and lay it in Salt and Water two Hours; then stick a few Cloves in it, and fasten it to the Spit, baste it at first with Wine and Lemon-Juice; and when it is near enough, drudge some Flour over it, with the raspings of Bread sifted; and then baste it well, either with Oil, or Butter, strewing on, from time to time, more Flour and Raspings till it is enough; then take the Liquor in the Pan, and pouring off the Fat, boil it with some Lemon-Peel, and a little Sugar and Salt, and pour it over the Turtle. So serve it hot.
To make a Turtle, or _Tortoise-_Pye. From the same.
Cut the Flesh of Turtle, or Tortoise, into Slices, about an Inch thick; then take Cloves beaten fine, with some Pepper and Salt, and a little sweet Herbs, and season your Pieces with them; then lay them in your Crust, with some Lemons sliced, and a quarter of a Pint of Oil-Olive pour’d over them, Or else some Butter laid in bits upon them. In the cutting your Pieces, distribute your Fat and Lean, equally as may be; and though the Fat is of a greenish colour, it is yet very delicious: then close your Pye, and just before you put it in the Oven, pour in some White Wine, and bake it in a gentle Oven till it is tender. Then serve it hot.
To preserve Ginger-Roots. From the same.
Take Roots of Ginger, as we have them dry in England; wash them well, and lay one Pound of them to steep, ten or twelve Days, in White Wine and Water, stirring them every Day. Then take two Quarts of White Wine, and about half a Pint of Lemon-Juice, and boil them together a quarter of an Hour; then add two Pounds and a half of fine Sugar, and boil it to a Syrup, taking off the Scum as it rises; then put in your Ginger, and boil it a quarter of an Hour; then let it cool in a glazed Pan till the next Day, and then boil it again in the Syrup for half an Hour, and let it cool, as before, till the Day following, and repeat the boiling and cooling till your Ginger is clear, and put it into your Glasses, and cover them with Papers. It makes a fine Sweet-meat for the Winter.
To preserve Ginger-Roots, fresh taken out of the Ground. From the same.
As Ginger is very common in the West-Indies, so the Roots are either preserved or pickled, when they are fresh taken out of the Ground, and we have now Ginger, growing in Pots, almost in every Garden where there is a Stove; and in a Year’s time a single Root will almost fill a Pot; so that one might easily have enough of our own, to preserve every Year. We must take them up, when they have no Leaves upon them; and then scald them in Water, and rub them with a coarse Cloth till they are dry; then put them into White Wine and Water, and boil them half an. Hour; then let them cool, and boil them again half an Hour. Then make a Syrup with White Wine two Quarts, half a Pint of Lime or Lemon-Juice, and two Pounds and a half of fine Sugar, with two Ounces of the Leaves of Orange-Flowers. When these boil together, put in your Ginger, and boil it gently half an Hour; then let it cool in an earthen glaz’d Vessel, and continue to boil it every Day, and cooling it till the Roots of your Ginger are clear. Then put it up in Gallypots, or in Glasses, and cover them with Papers, to keep for use.
To make Paste of Pippins, or other fine Apples. From the same.
Take large Golden-Pippins, or Golden-Rennets, and scald them, with their Skins on; then pare them, and take out the Cores, and beat them in a Marble Mortar very well, with a little Lemon-Peel grated. Take then their weight of fine Sugar, and a little Water, and boil that in a Skillet to a candy height; then put in your Apples, and boil them thick in the Syrup till they will leave the Skillet, and when it is almost cold, work it up with fine Loaf-Sugar powder’d, and mould it into Cakes, then dry them.
To preserve Cornelian-Cherries. From the same.
Take Cornelian-Cherries, when they are full ripe, and take their weight in fine Sugar powder’d; then put these into your preserving Pan, and lay a Layer of Sugar, and another of Fruit; and so on till you have laid all in, covering them with Sugar; then pour upon them half a Pint of White Wine, and set it on the Fire, and as soon as the Sugar is all melted, boil them up quick, and take off the Scum as it rises, stirring them every now and then: and when the Fruit is clear, they are enough. Then put them into Glasses, and cover them with Papers.
To make Marmalade of Cornelian-Cherries. From the same.
When your Cornelian-Cherries are full ripe, take out the Stones, and to every Pound of Fruit, take its weight of fine Sugar powder’d. Wet it with White Wine, and boil it to a candy’d height; then put in your Fruit, with the Juice that comes from them; then boil them very quick, and stir it often, scumming it clean; and when you see it very clear, and of a good Consistence, put it into a glaz’d earthen Pan; and when it is almost cold, put it into Glasses, and cover them with white Paper, and keep it in a dry Room. Note, If you let any of these sharp Fruits stand to cool in your Sweet-meat-Pans, they will take an ill taste from them.
To make Jamm of Damsons. From the same.
Take Damsons, full ripe, a Gallon; pick them from the Stalks, that may happen to be about them, and the Leaves that are sometimes gather’d with them: then take near their weight of Sugar, and about a Quart of Water, and boil them well together, and put in your Damsons, and boil them till they are tender, breaking them with a Spoon, all the while, till the whole is thicken’d. Then put it in Gallypots, and set it to cool; then close the Pots down with Leather.
To preserve Currans in Jelly. From the same.
Take some of the large Dutch red or white Currans, when they are ripe, and pick them from the Stalks; then, with a Pin, pick out the Stones; or, you may, if you will, leave them on the Stalks, if they are large Bunches, but still pick out the Kernels. Then take their weight in Sugar, and wet it with a little Water, and add a little Syrup of Raspberries to it; then boil it to a Syrup, scumming it as it rises: then put in your Currans, and boil them up quick, shaking them often, still taking off the Scum as it rises. They will be enough done to put up, when the Syrup will jelly, as you may try by putting some in a Spoon, and letting it cool. When you find this, pour out all into Glasses, when it has cool’d a little. If your Currans are pick’d from the Stalks, or if they are in Bunches, then let the Syrup be half cold, and pour it into the Glasses; and then put in your Bunches, placing them as you would have them situated, and as it cools, they will fix in their several Stations; cover the Glasses then with white Paper.
Note, The red Currans ought to be done by themselves, and the white by themselves, for both together will make a disagreeable Mixture.
To dry Apricots. From Mrs. Walsingham of Suffolk.
Chuse for this use, the large Turkey or Roman-Apricot, almost ripe; Stone them, and pare them; then throw them into cold Water, with the Parings; weigh the pared Apricots, and prepare an equal weight of fine Sugar powder’d; then put some of the Water the Apricots were steep’d in, to the Sugar, and boil them to a candy’d height: you may then put in your Apricots, and boil them till they are clear, and when they have lain a few Days, in the Syrup, lay them upon a fine Wyre-Sieve, and dry them in a warm Place. Then, when they are done, put them in oaken Boxes, with Papers between them.