A Book of Fruits and Flowers Part 2

_An Almond Candle_.

Blanch Jordan _Almonds_, beat them with a little small Ale, and strayne them out with as much more Ale as you minde to make your Caudle of, then boyle it as you doe an Egg Caudle, with a little Mace in it, and when it is off the fire sweeten it with Sugar.

_To make fine white Leach of Almonds_.

Take halfe a pound of small Almonds, beat them, and strayne them with Rose water, and sweet Milk from the Cow, and put into it two or three pieces of large Mace, one graine of Musk, two ounces of Isingla.s.se, and so boyle it in a Chafin-dish of coales, a quarter of an hour, till it will stand, which you shall try thus, set a saucer in a little cold water, so that none come into it, and put a spoonfull of the Leach into it, and if you see that stand, rake the other off the fire, then you may slice it in what fashion you please.

_To make Almond b.u.t.ter_.

Blanch one pound of _Almonds_, or more; or lesse, as you please, lay them four hours in cold water, then stamp them with some Rose water, as fine as you can, put them in a cloath, and presse out as much Milk as you can, then if you think they be not enough beat them, and straine them againe, till you get as much Milk of them, as you can, then set it on the fire, till they be ready to boyle, putting in a good quant.i.ty of Salt and Rose water, to turne it after one boyling, being turned, take it off, cast it abroad upon a linnen cloath, being holden between two, then with a spoon take off the Whey under the cloath, so long as any will drop or run, then take so much of the finest Sugar you can get, as will sweeten it, and melt it in as much Rose-water as will serve to dissolve it, put thereto so much _Saffron_ in fine powder, as will colour it, and so steeping the _Saffron_ and _Sugar_ in Rose-water, season your b.u.t.ter therewith, when you make it up.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Olives]

_To make Almond Cakes_.

Take of Jordan Almonds, one pound, beat them as you doe for Almond milk, draw them through a strainer, with the yolks of two or three Eggs, season it well with Sugar, and make it into a thick Batter, with fine flower, as you doe for Bisket bread, then powre it on small Trencher plates, and bake them in an Oven, or baking pan, and these are the best Almond Cakes.

_To make Paste of Almonds_.

Take one pound of small Almonds, blanch them out of hot water into cold, then dry them with a cloath, and beat them in a stone Morter, till they come to Past, putting now and then a spoonful of Rose water to them, to keep them from Oyling, when they are beaten to fine past, take halfe a pound of _Sugar_ finely beaten and sea.r.s.ed, put it to your past, and beat it till it will twist between your fingers and thumb, finely without knots, for then it is enough, then make thereof Pyes, Birds, Fruits, Flowers, or any pretty things, printed with Molds, and so gild them, and put them into your Stove, and use them at your pleasure.

_To make a Marchpine_.

Take a pound of small Almonds, blanch them, and beat them, as you doe your past of Almonds, then drive it into a sheet of past, and spread it on a botome of wafers, according to the proportion, or bignesse you please, then set an edge round about it, as you doe about a Tart, and pinch it if you will, then bake it in a pan, or Oven, when it is enough, take it forth, and Ice it with an Ice made of Rose-water and Sugar, as thick as batter, spread it on with a brush of bristles, or with feathers, and put it in the Oven againe, and when you see the Ice rise white and dry, take it forth, and stick long comfits in it, and set up a staddard in the middest of it, so gild it, and serve it.

_To make White-Broth with Almonds_.

First look that the Meat be clean washed, and then set it on the fire, and when it boyleth, sc.u.m it clean, and put some salt into the pot, then take _Rosemary, Thyme, Hysop_, and _Marjerome_, bind them together, and put them into the pot, then take a dish of sweet b.u.t.ter, and put it also into the pot amongst the meat, and take whole Mase, and bind them in a cloath, and put them into the pot, with a quant.i.ty of Verjuice, and after that take such a quant.i.ty of Almonds as shall serve turne, blanch them, and beat them in the Morter, and then straine them with the broth when your Meat is in, and when these Almonds are strained put them in a pot by themselves, with some _Sugar_, a little _Ginger_, and also a little Rose water, then stir it while it boyle, and after that take some sliced _Oringes_ without the kernels, and boyle them with the broth of the pot, upon a chafin-dish of coales, with a little _Sugar_, and then have some Sipits ready in a platter, and serve the meat upon them, and put not your Almonds in till it be ready to be served.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Straw-berries]

_Of Straw-Berries._

_A Tart of Straw-Berries._

Pick and wash your _Straw-Berries_ clean, and put them in the past one by another, as thick as you can, then take _Sugar, Cinamon_, and a little _Ginger_ finely beaten, and well mingled together, cast them upon the _Straw Berries_, and cover them with the lid finely cut into Lozenges, and so let them bake a quarter of an houre, then take it out, stewing it with a little _Cinamon_, and _Sugar_, and so serve it.

_Of Hartichoakes_.

_How to make a Hartichoake Pye._

Boyle your _Hartichoakes_, take off all the leaves, pull out all the strings, leaving only the bottoms, then season them with _Cinamon_ and _Sugar_, laying between every _Hartichoake_ a good piece of b.u.t.ter; and when you put your Pye into the Oven, stick the _Hartichoakes_ with slices of _Dates_, and put a quarter of a pint of White-wine into the Pye, and when you take it out of the Oven, doe the like againe, with some b.u.t.ter, and sugar, and Rose-water, melting the b.u.t.ter upon some coales, before you put it into the Pye.

_To keep Hartichoakes for all the yeare._

The fittest time is about _Michaelmas_, and then according to the proportion of _Hartichoakes_ you will keep, seeth a quant.i.ty of water in a pot or pan, seasoning it so with white salt that it may have a reasonable tast, then put a fit quant.i.ty of white salt into the water, and boyle them together, and sc.u.m them well; then put a good quant.i.ty of good _Vineger_ to them, to make the liquor somewhat sharp, and boyle it again, then parboyle your _Hartichoakes_ that you mind to keep, in another liquor, take them out of it, and let them coole, then set your first liquor againe on the fire to boyle, and sc.u.mming it throughly, let it coole againe; when it is throughly cold, put it up in some firkin, or large earthen pot, and put in your _Hartichoakes_ to them handsomely, for bruising them; then cover them close from the aire, and so keep them to spend at your pleasure.

_To Preserve Hartichoakes_.

Heat water scalding hot first, then put in your _Hartichoakes_ and scald them, and take away all the bottomes, and leaves about them, then take _Rose water_ and _Sugar_ and boyle them alone a little while, then put the _Hartichoakes_ therein, and let them boyle on a soft fire till they be tender enough, let them be covered all the time they boyle, then take them out and put them up for your use.

_To make a maid dish of Hartechoakes_.

Take your _Hartichoakes_ and pare away all the top, even to the Meat, and boyle them in sweet Broth till they be somewhat tender, then take them oat, and put them in a dish, and seeth them with _Pepper, Cinamon_, and _Ginger_, then put them in the dish you mean to bake them in and put in marrow to them good store, and so let them bake, and when they be baked, put in a little _Vineger_ and _b.u.t.ter_, and stick three or four leaves of the _Hartichoakes_ in the dish when you serve them up, and sc.r.a.pe Sugar upon the dish.

*OF MEDICINES.*

_An Excellent Medicine or Salve for an Ache coming of cold, easie to be made by any Countrey Housewife._

Take of good Neats-foot Oyle, Honey, and new Wax, like quant.i.ties, boyle them all well together, then put to them a quarter so much _of Aqua vitae_ as was of each of the other, and then setting it on the fire, boyle it till it be well incorporated together, then spread it upon a piece of thin Leather, or thick linnen cloath, and so apply it to the place pained.

_To cake the Ague out of any place_.

Take _Vervine_ and _Black Hemlocke_, of each an handfull, boyle them in a pint of fresh _b.u.t.ter_ till they be soft, and begin to parch againe, then straine the _b.u.t.ter_ from the hearbs, and put it into a gally pot, and two or three times annoynt the place grieved with a spoonfull or two thereof, _probat_.

_For the Ague in Children, or Women with Child_.

Take _Venice Terpentine_, spread it on the rough side of a piece of thin _Leather_, two fingers breadth, and strew thereon the powder of _Frankincense_ finely beaten, and upon it some _Nutmeg_ grated, binde this upon the wrists an hour before the fit comes, and renew it still till the fit be gone.