The Compleat Cook · Chapter 4The Compleat Cook: (4)
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To make a Sack Posset without Milk or Cream.
Take eighteen Eggs wites and all, taking out the treads, let them be beaten very well, take a pint of Sack and a quart of Ale boyled, and scum it, then put in three quarters of a pound of Sugar and a little Nutmeg, let it boyle a little together, then take it off the fire stirring the Eggs still, put into them two or three Ladle-fulls of drink, then mingle all together and set it on the fire, and keepe it stirring till you finde it thick, then serve it up.
To make a stump Pye.
Take a Leg of mutton, one pound and a half of the best Suet, mince both small together, then season it with a quarter of a pound of Sugar, and a small quantity of salt, and a little cloves & mace, then take a good handful of Parsly half as much Tyme, and mince them very small, and mingle them with the rest; then take six new laid Eggs and break them into the meat and worke it well together, and put it into the past; then upon the Top put Raisins, Currans and Dates a good quantity, cover and bake it, when it is baked, and when it is very hot, put into it a quarter of a Pint of White wine Vinegar, and strow Sugar upon it, and so serve it.
To make Mrs. Leeds Cheese Cakes.
Take six quarts of milk and ren it prety cold, and when it is tender come drayn from it your Whey in a strainer, then hang it up till all the Whey be dropt from it, then presse it, change it into dry cloaths till it wet the cloth no longer, then beat it in a stone Morter till it be like butter, then straine it through a thin strayner, mingle it with a pound and a halfe of butter with your hands, take one pound of Almonds, and heat them with Rosewater till they are like your Curd, then mingle them with the yolks of twenty Eggs and a quart of Cream, two great Nutmegs, one pound and a half of sugar, when your Coffins are ready and going to set in the Oven; then mingle them together, let your Oven be made hot enough for a Pigeon Pye, and let a stone stand up till the scorcthing be past, then set them in, half an hour will bake them well, your Coffins must be made with Milk and Butter as stiffe as for other Past, then you must set them into a pretty hot Oven, and fill them full of Bran, and when they are harded, take them out, and with a Wing, brush out the Bran, they must be pricked.
To make Tarts called Taffaty Tarts.
First wet your Past with Butter and cold Water, and rowle it very thin, also then lay them in layes, and between every lay of Apples strew some Sugar, and some Lemon Pill, cut very small, if you please put some Fennell-seed to them; then put them into a stoak hot Oven, and let them stand an hour in or more, then take them out, and take Rose-water and Butter beaten together, and wash them over with the same, and strew fine Sugar upon them; then put them into the Oven again, let them stand a little while and take them out.
To make Fresh Cheese.
Take three pints of raw Cream and sweeten it well with Sugar, and set it over the fire, let it boyle a while, then put in some Damask-Rose-Water, keep it still stirring least it burn too, and when you see it thickned and turned, take it from the fire, and wash the strainer and Cheesefat with Rose-water, then rowl it too and fro in the Strainer to draine the Whey from the Curd, then take up the Curd with a spoon and put them into the Fat, let it stand till it be cold, then put it into the Cheese Dish with some of the Whey, and so serve it up.
To make Sugar Cakes or Jumbals.
Take two pound of flower, dry it and season it very fine, then take a pound of Loaf Sugar, and beat it very fine, and searce it, mingle your Flower and Sugar very well, then take a pound and a halfe of sweet Butter and wash out the Salt, and breake it into bits with your Flower and Sugar, then take yolks of foure new laid Eggs, and four or five spoonfuls of Sack, and four spoonfuls of Creame; beat all these together, then put them into your Flower, and knead them to a Past, and make them into what fashion you please, and lay them upon Paper or Plates, and put them into the Oven, and be carefull of them, for a very little thing bakes them.
For Jumbals you must only adde the whites of two or three Eggs.
To hash a Shoulder of Mutton.
Take a Shoulder of Mutton and slice it very thin till you have almost nothing but the Bone, then put to the meat some Claret wine, a great Onion, some Gravy of Mutton, six Anchoves, a hand full of Capers, the tops of a little Tyme, mince them very well together, then take nine or tenne Egges, the juyce of one or two Lemons, to make it tart, and make leere of them, then put the meat all in a Frying-Pan over the fire till it be very hot; then put in the leere of Eggs and soak altogether over the fire till it be very thick; then boyle your bone, and put it on the top of your meat being Dished, Garnish your Dish with Lemons, serve it up.
To dresse Flounders or Playce with Garlick and Mustard.
Take Flounders very new, and cut all the Fins and Tailes, then take out the Guts and wipe them very clean, they must not be at all washt, then with your Knife scorch them on both sides very grosely; then take the Tops of Tyme and cut them very small, and take a little Salt, Mace, and Nutmeg, and mingle the Tyme and them together, and season the Flounders; then lay them on the Grid-iron and bast them with Oyle or Butter, let not the fire be too hot, when that side next the fire is brown; turn it, and when you turn it, bast it on both sides till you have broyl'd them brown, when they are enough make your sauce with Mustard two or three Spoonfull according to discretion, six Anchoves dissolved very well, about halfe a pound of butter drawn up with garlick, vinegar, or bruised garlick in other vinegar, rubb the bottome of your Dish with garlick. So put your sauce to them, and serve them, you may fry them if you please.
A Turkish Dish.
Take fat of Beefe or Mutton cut in thin slices, wash it well, put it into a pot that hath a close cover, then put into it a good quantity of clean pick'd rice, skim it very well; then put into it a quantity of whole Pepper, two or three whole Onyons; let all this boyle very well, then take out the Onyon and dish it in Sippets, the thicker it is the better.
To dresse a Pyke.
Cut him in peices, and strew upon him salt and scalding vinegar, boyle him in water and White wine, when he is boyling put in sweet Herbs, Onyon, Garlick, Ginger, Nutmeg, and salt; when he is boyled take him out of the Liquor, and let him drayn, in the mean time beat Butter and Anchoves together, and pour it on the fish, squeezing a little Orange and Lemon upon it.
To dresse Oysters.
Take Oysters and open them, and save the Liquor, and when you have opened so many as you please, adde to this Liquor, some White-wine, wherein you must wash your Oysters one by one very clean, and lay them in another Dish; then strain to them that mixed wine and Liquor wherein they were washed, adding a little more Wine to them with an Onion divided with some Salt and Pepper, so done, cover the Dish and stew them till they be more then halfe done; then take them and the Liquor, and pour it in to a Frying-Pan, wherein they must fry a pretty while, then put into them a good peice of sweet butter, and fry them therein so much longer; in the mean time you must have beaten the yolks of some Eggs, as four or five to a quart of Oysters; These Eggs must be beaten with some Vinegar, wherein you must put some minced Parsly and Nutmeg finely scraped, and put therein the Oysters in the Pan, which must still be kept stirring least the Liquor make the Eggs curddle, let this all have a good warme on the fire, and serve it up.
To dresse Flounders.
Flea of the black skin, and scowre the Fish over on that side with a Knife, lay them in a dish, and poure on them some Vinegar, and strew good store of Salt, let them lie for halfe an houre; in the mean time set on the fire some water with a little White-Wine, Garlick, and sweet Herbs as you please, putting into it the Vinegar and Salt wherein they lay, when it boyles put in the biggest fish, then the next till all be in; when they are boyled, take them out and drain them very well, then draw some sweet butter thick, and mix with it some Anchoves shred small, which being dissolved in the Butter, poure it on the fish, strewing a little sliced Nutmeg, and minced Oranges and Barberries.
To dresse Snails.
Take Snailes, and put them in a Kettle of water, and let them boyle a little, then take them out, and shake them out of the shels into a Bason; then take some Salt and scoure them very well, and wash them in warme water, untill you find the slime cleane gone from them; then put them into a Cullender and let them draine well, then mince some sweet hearbs, and put them into a Dish with a little Pepper and Sallet-Oyle together, then let them stand an hour or two; then wash the shels very well and dry them, and put into every shell a Snail, and fill up the shell with Sallet-Oyle and herbs, then set them on a gridiron upon a soft fire, and so let them stew a little while, and dish them up warm and serve them up.
To dresse pickle fish.
Wash them well while they are in the shell in salt water, put them into a Kettle over the fire with out water; and stirre them till they are open, then take them out of their shels, and wash them in hot water and salt, then take some of their owne liquor that they have made in the Kettle, a little white wine, butter, vinegar, Spice, Parsley; let all these boyle together, and when it is boyled, take the yolk of three or four Eggs and put into the broth. Scollops may be dressed on this manner or broiled like oysters with Oyle or juyce of Lemons.
To fricate Beefe Pallats.
Take Beefe Pallats after they be boyled very tender, blaunch and pare them clean, season them with fine beaten cloves Nutmeg, Pepper, Salt and some grated bread; then have some butter in a frying Pan, put your pallats therein, and so fricate them till they be browne on both sides, then take them forth and put them on a dish, and put thereto some Gravy of Mutton, wherein two or three Anchoves are dissolved, grate in your sauce a little Nutmeg, wring in the juyce of a Lemon, so serve them.
A Spanish Olio.
Take a peice of Bacon not very fat, but sweet and safe from being rusty, a peice of fresh beefe, a couple of hoggs Eares, and foure feet if they can be had, and if not, some quantity of sheeps feet, (Calves feet are not proper) a joynt of Mutton, the Leg, Rack, or Loyne, a Hen, halfe a dozen pigeons, a bundle of Parsley, Leeks, and Mint, a clove of Garlick when you will, a small quantity of Pepper, Cloves, and Saffron, so mingled that not one of them over-rule, the Pepper and Cloves must be beaten as fine as possible may be, and the Saffron must be first dryed, and then crumble in powder and dissolved apart in two or three spoonfuls of broth, but both the Spices and the Saffron may be kept apart till immediately before they be used, which must not be, till within a quarter of a houre before the Olio be taken off from the fire; a pottle of hard dry pease, when they have first steept in water some dayes, a pint of boyl'd Chesnuts: particular care must be had that the pot wherein the Olio is made, be very sweet; Earthen I thinke is the best, and judgement is to be had carefully both in the size of the Pot, and in the quantity of the Water at the first, that so the Broth may grow afterwards to be neither too much nor too little, nor too grosse, nor too thin; thy meat must be long in boyling, but the fire not too fierce, the Bacon, the Beef, the Pease, the Chesnuts, the Hogs Eares may be put in at the first. I am utterly against those confused Olios into which men put almost all kinds of meats and Roots, and especially against putting of Oyle, for it corrupts the Broath, instead of adding goodnesse to it. To do well, the Broth is rather to be drunk out of a Porringer then to be eaten with a spoon, though you add some smal slices of bread to it, you wil like it the worse. The Sauce for thy meat must be as much fine Sugar beaten smal to powder, with a little Mustard, as can be made to drink the Sugar up, and you wil find it to be excellent, but if you make it not faithfully and justly according to this prescript, but shall neither put Mace, or Rosemary, or Tyme to the Herbs as the manner is of some, it will prove very much the worse.
To make Metheglin.
Take all sorts of Herbs that are good and wholesome, as Balme, Mint, Fennell, Rosemary, Angelica, wilde Tyme, Isop, Burnet, Egrimony, and such other as you think fit; some Field Herbs, but you must not put in too many, but especially Rosemary or any strong Hearb, lesse then halfe a handfull will serve of every sort, you must boyle your Herbs and straine them, and let the Liquor stand till to Morrow and settle them, take off the clearest Liquor, two Gallons and a halfe to one Gallon of Honey, and that proportion as much as you will make, and let it boyle an houre, then set it a cooling as you doe Beere, when it is cold take some very good Ale Barme, and put into the bottome of the Tubb a little and a little as they doe Beere, keeping backe the thicke setling, that lyeth in the bottome of the Vessell that it is cooled in, and when it is all put together, cover it with a Cloth, and let it worke very neere three dayes, and when you mean to put it up, skim off all the Barme clean, put it up into the Vessell, but you must not stop your Vessell very close in three or four dayes, but let it have all the vent, for it will worke, and when it is close stopped, you must looke very often to it, and have a peg in the top to give it vent; when you heare it make a noyse, as it will do, or else it will breake the Vessell; sometime I make a Bag and put in good store of Ginger sliced, some Cloves and Cinnamon, and boyl it in, and other times I put it into the Barrel and never boyle it, it is both good, but Nutmeg and Mace do not well to my Tast.
To make a Sallet of Smelts.
Take halfe a hundred of Smelts, the biggest you can get, draw them and cut off their Heads, put them into a Pipkin with a Pint of White wine, and a Pint of White wine Vinegar, an Onion shred a couple of Lemons, a Race of Ginger, three or foure blades of Mace, a Nutmeg sliced, whole Pepper, a little Salt, cover them, and let them stand twenty foure houres; if you will keep them three or four dayes, let not your Pickle be to strong of the Vinegar, when you will serve them, take them out one by one, scrape and open them as you do Anchoves, but throw away the bones, lay them close one by one, round a Silver dish, you must have the very utmost rind of a Lemon or Orange so small as grated bread and the Parsley, then mix your Lemon Pill, Orange and Parsley together with a little fine beaten Pepper, and strew this upon the dish of Smelts with the meat of a Lemon minced very small, also then power on excellent Sallet Oile, and wring in the juyce of two Lemons, but be sure none of the Lemon-seed be left in the Sallet, so serve it.
To Roast a Fillet of Veal.
Take a Fillet of Beefe which is the tenderest part of the Beast, and lieth only in the inward part of the Surloyne next to the Chine, cut it as big as you can, then broach it on a broach not too big, and be carefull you broach it not thorow the best of the meat, roast it leasurely and baste it with sweet butter. Set a Dish under it to save the Gravy while the Beefe is roasting, prepare the Sauce for it, chop good store of Parsley with a few sweet Herbs shred small, and the yolks of three or foure Eggs, and mince among them the pill of an Orange, and a little Onyon, then boyle this mixture, putting into it sweet butter, Vinegar, and Gravy, a spoonfull of strong broth, when it is well boyled, put it into your beef, and serve it very warm, sometimes a little grosse Pepper or Ginger into your sauce, or a pill of an Orange or Lemon.
To make a Sallet of a cold Hen or a Capon.
Take the breast of a hen or Capon, and slice it as thin as you can in steaks, put therein Vinegar, and a little Sugar as you thinke fit, then take six Anchoves, and a handfull of Capers, a little long, grosse or a carrigon, and mince them together, but not too small, strew them on the Sallet, Garnish it with Lemons, Oranges or barberies, so serve it up with a little salt.
To stew Mushrums.
Take them fresh gathered and cut off the hard end of the stalk, & as you Pil them throw them into a Dish of white Wine, after they have lain half an houre or thereupon draine them from the wine, and put them between two silver Dishes, then set them on a soft fire without any liquor, and when they have so stewed a while, pour away the liquor that comes from them which will be very black, then put your Mushrums into another clean Dish with a sprig or two of Tyme, an Onion whole, four or five cornes of whole Pepper, two or three Cloves, a bit of an Orange, a little Salt, a bit of sweet butter, and some pure gravy of Mutton, cover them, and set them on a gentle fire, so let them stew softly till they be enough and very tender, when you dish them blow off all the fat from them, and take out the Time, spice, and Orange, then wring in the juyce of a Lemon, and grate a little Nutmeg among the Mushrums, tosse them two or three times; put them in a clean dish, and serve them hot to the Table.
The Lord Conway his Lordships receipt for the making of Amber Puddings.
First take the Guts of a young hog, and wash them very clean, and then take two pound of the best hogs fat, and a pound and a halfe of the best Jurden almonds, the which being blancht, take one half of them, & beat them very small, and the other halfe reserve whole unbeaten, then take a pound and a halfe of fine Sugar and four white Loaves, and grate the Loaves over the former composition, and mingle them well together in a bason having so done, put to it halfe an ounce of Ambergreece, the which must be scrapt very small over the said composition, take halfe a quarter of an ounce of levant musk and bruise it in a marble morter, with a quarter of a Pint of orange flower water, then mingle these all very well together, and having so done, fill the said Guts therwith, this Receipt was given his Lordship by an Italian for a great rariety, and has been found so to be by those Ladies of honour to whom his lordship has imparted the said reception.
To make a Partridge Tart.
Take the flesh of four or five Partridges minced very small with the same weight of Beef marrow as you have Partridge flesh, with two ounces of Orangeadoes and green citron minced together as small as your meate, season it with Cloves and Mace and Nutmeg and a little salt and Sugar, mix all together, and bake it in puff past; when it is baked, open it, and put in halfe a Grain of Muske or Amber braid in a Morter or Dish, and with a spoonfull of Rosewater and the juyce of three or four Oranges, when you put all these therein, stir the meat and cover it again, and serve it to the Table.
To keepe Venison all the yeare.
Take the hanch, and parboyle it a while, then season it with two Nutmegs, a spoonfull of Pepper, and a good quantity of salt, mingle them altogether, then put two spoonfulls of white Wine-Vinegar, and having made the Venison full of holes, as you do when you Lard it, when it is Larded, put in the Venison at the holes, the Spice and Vinegar, and season it therewith, then put part into the Pot with the fat side downwards, cover it with two pound of Butter, then close it up close with course Past, when you take it out of the Oven take away the Past, and lay a round Trencher with a weight on the top of it to keep it down till it be cold, then take off the Trencher, and lay the Butter flat upon the Venison, then cover it close with strong white Pepper, if your Pot be narrow at the bottom it is the better, for it must be turned upon a Plate, and stuck with Bayleaves when you please to eat it.
To bake Brawn.
Take two Buttocks and hang them up two or three dayes, then take them down and dip them into hot Water, and pluck off the skin, dry them very well with a clean Cloth, when you have so done, take Lard, cut it in peices as big as your little finger, and season it very well with Pepper, Cloves, Mace, Nutmeg, and Salt, put each of them into an earthen Pot, put in a Pint of Claret wine, a pound of Mutton Suet. So close it with past let the Oven be well heated; and so bake them, you must give them time for the baking according to the bignesse of the Haunches, and the thicknesse of the Pots, they commonly allot seven hours for the baking of them; let them stand three dayes, then take off their Cover, and poure away all the Liquor, then have clarified Butter, and fill up both the Pots, to keep it for the use, it will very well keep two or three moneths.
To roast a Pike.
Take a Pike, scoure off the slime, take out the Entralls, Lard it with the backs of Pickled Herrings, you must have a sharp Bodkin to make the holes, no Larding pins will go thorow, then take some great Oysters, Claret Wine, season it with Pepper, Salt, and Nutmeg, stuff the belly of the Pike with these Oysters, intermix with them Rosemary, Tyme, Winter-Savory, sweet Marjoram, a little Onyon and Garlick, sow these in the belly of the Pike, prepare two sticks about the breadth of a Lath, these two sticks and the Spit must be as broad as the Pike being tyed on the Spit, tye the Pike on, winding Pack-thread about the Pike along, but there must be tyed by the Pack-thred all a long the side of the pike which is not defended by the spit, and the Lathes Rosemary and Bayes, bast the Pike with Butter and Claret-Wine, with some Anchoves dissolved in it, when it is wasted, rip up the belly of the Pike and the Oyster will be the same, but the Herbs which are whole must be taken out.
To sauce Eeles.
Take two or three great Eeles, rubb them in salt, draw out the Guts, wash them very clean, cut them a thwart on both sides found deep, and cut them again cross way, then cut them through in such pieces as you think fit, and put them into a dish with a pint of Wine-Vinegar, and a handfull of Salt, have a kettle over the fire with faire Water, and a bundle of Sweet Herbs, two or thee great Onyons, some Mace, a few Cloves, you must let these lie in Wine-Vinegar and Salt, and put them into boyling liquor, there let them boyl according to Cookery, when enough, take out the Eeles, and drain them from the Liquor, when they are cold, take a pint of White-wine, boyle it up with Saffron to colour the Wine, then take out some of the Liquor, and put it in an earthen pan take out the onyons and all the herbs, only let the Cloves and Mace remaine, you must beat the Saffron to powder, or else it will not colour.
To make Sausages without skins.
Take a leg of young Pork, two pound of Beef-suet, two handfuls of Sage, two loaves of white bread, Salt and Pepper to your tast, halfe the pork, and halfe the suet, must be very well beat in a stone Morter, the rest cut very small, be sure to cut out all the gresles and Lenets in the pork, when you have mixed these altogether, knead them into a stiffe past with the yolks of two or three Eggs, so rowle them into Sausages.
To dresse a Pike.
Take a Male Pike, rub his skin off whil'st he lives, with bay salt, having well cleared the outside, lay him in a large Dish or Tray, open him so as you break not his gall, cut him according to the size of the fish, in two or three peices, from the head to the taile must be slit, this done, they are to be layd as flat as you can, in a great Dish or Tray, poure upon it halfe a pint of White wine-Vinegar, more or lesse, according to the size of the Fish, then strew upon the inside of the Fish, white Salt plentifully, Bay salt beaten very small is better, whilest this is a doing, let a Skellet with a sufficient quantity of Renish Wine, or good white Wine be pat over the fire, with the Wine, Salt, Ginger, Nutmeg, an Onion, foure or five Cloves of Garlick, a bunch of sweet herbs, viz. Sweet Marjoram, Rosemary, peel of halfe a Lemon, let these boyl to the heighth, put in the Pike, with the Vinegar, in such manner as not to quench or allay, if possibly the heat of the Liquor, but the thickest peece first that will aske most boyling, and the Vinegar last of all; while the Pike boyles, take two quarters of a pound of Anchoves, one quarter of very good butter, a Saucer of the Liquor your Pike was boyled in, dissolved Anchoves. Note that the Liquor, Sauce, the Spice, and the other ingredients must follow the proportion of the Pike; if your Sauce be too strong of the Anchoves, adde more faire water to it. Note also that the Liquor wherein this Pike was dressed, is better to boyle a second Pike therein, then it was at the first.
To dresse Eeles.
Cut two or three Eeles into pieces of a convenient length, set them end-wayes in a pot of Earth, put in a spoolful or two of Water, and to them put some Herbs and Sage chopt small, some Garlick Pepper, and Salt, so let them be baked in an Oven.
To boyle a pudding after the French fashion.
Take a Turkey that is very fat, and being pul'd and drest, Lard him with long pieces of Lard, first wholed in seasoning of Salt, Pepper, Nutmegs, Cloves and Mace, then take one piece of Lard whole in the seasoning, put it into the belly with a sprig of Rosemary and Bayes, sow it very close in a clean cloth, and let it lye all night covered with White-Wine, let it be put into a pot with the same Liquor, and no more, let it be close stopped, then hang it over a very soft and gentle fire, there to continue six houres in a simpering boyle, when it is cold, take it out of the cloth, not before, put it in a Pye-plate, and stick it full of Rosemary and Bayes, so serve it up with Mustard and Sugar, they are wont to lay it on a napkin folded square, and lay it corner wise.