English Housewifery Part 14

Take a pound of London flour dry'd well before the fire, nine eggs, a pound of loaf sugar beaten and sifted, put one half to your eggs and the other to your b.u.t.ter; take a pound of b.u.t.ter and melt it without water put it into a stone bowl, when it is almost cold put in your sugar and a spoonful or two of rose water, beat it very quick, for half an hour, till it be as white as cream; beat the eggs and sugar as long and very quick, whilst they be white; when they are well beat mix them all together; then take half a pound of currans cleaned well, and a little shred of mace, so you may fill one part of your tins before you put in your currans; you may put a quarter of a pound of almonds shred (if you please) into them that is without currans; you may ice them if you please, but do not let the iceing be thicker than you may lie on with a little brush.

244. _To make a_ BISKET CAKE.

Take a pound of London flour dry'd before the fire, a pound of loaf sugar beaten and sifted, beat nine eggs and a spoonful or two of rose water with the sugar for two hours, then put them to your flour and mix them well together; put in an ounce of carraway seeds, then put it into your tin and bake it an hour and a half in a pretty quick oven.

245. _To make_ CRACKNELS.

Take half a pound of fine flour, half a pound of sugar, two ounces of b.u.t.ter, two eggs, and a few carraway seeds; (you must beat and sift the sugar) then put it to your flour and work it to paste; roll them as thin as you can, and cut them out with queen cake tins, lie them on papers and bake them in a slow oven.

They are proper to eat with chocolate.

246. _To make_ PORTUGAL CAKES.

Take a pound of flour, a pound of b.u.t.ter, a pound of sugar, a pound of currans well cleaned, and a nutmeg grated; take half of the flour and mix it with sugar and nutmeg, melt the b.u.t.ter and put it into the yolks of eight eggs very well beat, and only four of the whites, and as the froth rises put it into the flour, and do so till all is in; then beat it together, still strowing some of the other half of the flour, and then beat it till all the flour be in, then b.u.t.ter the pans and fill them, but do not bake them too much; you may ice them if you please, or you may strow carraway comfits of all sorts on them when they go into the oven. The currans must be plump'd in warm water, and dried before the fire, then put them into your cakes.

247. _To make_ PLUMB-CAKES _another way_.

Take two pounds of b.u.t.ter, beat it with a little rose water and orange-flower water till it be like cream, two pounds of flour dried before the fire, a quarter of an ounce of mace, a nutmeg, half a pound of loaf sugar, beat and sifted, fifteen eggs (beat the whites by themselves and yolks with your sugar) a jack of brandy and as much sack, two pounds of currans very well cleaned, and half a pound of almonds blanch'd and cut in two or three pieces length-way, so mix all together, and put it into your hoop of tin; you may put in half a pound of candid orange and citron if you please; about an hour will bake it in a quick oven; if you have a mind to have it iced a pound of sugar will ice it.

248. _To make a_ GINGER BREAD-CAKE.

Take two pounds of treacle, two pounds and a quartern of flour, and ounce of beat ginger, three quarters of a pound of sugar, two ounces of coriander seeds, two eggs, a pennyworth of new ale with the yeast on it, a gla.s.s of brandy, and two ounces of lemon-peel, mix all these together in a bowl, and set it to rise for half an hour, then put it into a tin to bake, and wet it with a little treacle and water; if you have a quick oven an hour and a half will bake it.

249. _To make_ CHOCOLATE CREAM.

Take four ounces of chocolate, more or less, according as you would have your dish in bigness, grate it and boil it in a pint of cream, then mill it very well with a chocolate stick; take the yolks of two eggs and beat them very well, leaving out the strain, put to them three or four spoonfuls of cream, mix them all together, set it on the fire, and keep stirring it till it thicken, but do not let it boil; you must sweeten it to your taste, and keep stirring it till it be cold, so put it into your gla.s.ses or china dishes, which you please.

250. _To make white_ LEMON CREAM.

Take a jill of spring water and a pound of fine sugar, set it over a fire till the sugar and water be dissolv'd, then put the juice of four good lemons to your sugar and water, the whites of four eggs well beat, set it on the fire again, and keep it stirring one way till it just simmers and does not boil, strain it thro' a fine cloth, then put it on the fire again, adding to it a spoonful of orange-flower water, stir it till it thickens on a slow fire, then strain into basons or gla.s.ses for your use; do not let it boil, if you do it will curdle.

251. _To make_ CREAM CURDS.

Take a gallon of water, put to it a quart of new milk, a little salt, a pint of sweet cream and eight eggs, leaving out half the whites and strains, beat them very well, put to them a pint of sour cream, mix them very well together, and when your pan is just at boiling (but is must not boil) put in the sour cream and your eggs, stir it about and keep it from settling to the bottom; let it stand whilst it begins to rise up, then have a little fair water, and as they rise keep putting it in whilst they be well risen, then take them off the fire, and let them stand a little to sadden; have ready a sieve with a clean cloth over it, and take up the curds with a laddle or egg-slicer, whether you have; you must always make them the night before you use them; this quant.i.ty will make a large dish if your cream be good; if you think your curds be too thick, mix tho them two or three spoonfuls of good cream, lie them upon a china dish in lumps, so serve them up.

252. _To make_ APPLE CREAM.

Take half a dozen large apples, (coslings or any other apples that will be soft) and coddle them; when they are cold take out the pulp; then take the whites of four or five eggs, (leaving out the strains) three quarters of a pound of double-refined sugar beat and sifted, a spoonful or two of rose-water and grate in a little lemon-peel, so beat all together for an hour, whilst it be white, then lay it on a china dish, to serve it up.

253. _To fry_ CREAM _to eat hot_.

Take a pint of cream and boil it, three spoonfuls of London flour, mix'd with a little milk, put in three eggs, and beat them very well with the flour, a little salt, a spoonful or two of fine powder sugar, mix them very well; then put your cream to them on the fire and boil it; then beat two eggs more very well, and when you take your pan off the fire stir them in, and pour them into a large pewter dish, about half an inch thick; when it is quite cold cut it out in square bits, and fry it in b.u.t.ter, a light brown; as you fry them set them before the fire to keep hot and crisp, so dish them up with a little white wine, b.u.t.ter and sugar for your sauce, in a china cup, set it in the midst, and grate over some loaf sugar.

254. _To make_ RICE _or_ ALMOND CREAM.

Take two quarts of cream, boil it with what seasoning you please, then take it from the fire and sweeten it, pick out the seasoning and divide it into two parts, take a quarter of a pound of blanch'd almonds well beat with orange-flower water, set that on the fire, and put to it the yolks of four eggs well beat and strained, keep it stirring all the time it is on the fire, when it rises to boil take it off, stir it a little, then put it into your bason, the other half set on the fire, and thicken it with flour of rice; when you take it off put to it the juice of a lemon, orange-flower water or sack, and stir it till it be cold, then serve it up.

255. _To make_ CALF'S FOOT JELLY.

Take four calf's feet and dress them, boil them in six quarts of water over a slow fire, whilst all the bones will come out, and half the water be boiled away, strain it into a stone-bowl, then put to them two or three quarts more water, and let it boil away to one: If you want a large quant.i.ty of flummery or jelly at one time; take two calf's feet more, it will make your stock the stronger; you must make your stock the day before you use it, and before you put your stock into the pan take off the fat, and put it into your pan to melt, take the whites of eight or ten eggs, just as you have jelly in quant.i.ty, (for the more whites you have makes your jelly the finer) beat your whites to a froth, and put to them five or six lemons, according as they are of goodness, a little white wine or rhenish, mix them well together (but let not your stock be too hot when you put them in) and sweeten it to your taste; keep it stirring all the time whilst it boil; take your bag and dip it in hot water, and wring it well out, then put in your jelly, and keep it shifting whilst it comes clear; throw a lemon-peel or two into your bag as the jelly is coming off, and put in some bits of peel into your gla.s.ses.

You may make hartshorn jelly the same way.

256. _To make_ ORANGE CREAM.

Take two seville oranges and peel them very thin, put the peel into a pint of fair water, and let it lie for an hour or two; take four eggs, and beat them very well, put to them the juice of three or four oranges, according as they are in goodness, and sweeten them with double refin'd sugar to your taste, mix the water and sugar together, and strain them thro' a fine cloth into your tankard, and set it over the fire as you did the lemon cream, and put it into your gla.s.ses for use.

257. _To make yellow_ LEMON CREAM.

Take two or three lemons, according as they are in bigness, take off the peel as thin as you can from the white, put it into a pint of clear water, and let it lie three or four hours; take the yolks of three or four eggs, beat them very well, about eight ounces of double refin'd sugar, put it into your water to dissolve, and a spoonful or two of rose-water or orange-flower water, which you can get, mix all together with the juice of two of your lemons, and if your lemons prove not good, put in the juice of three, so strain them through a fine cloth into a silver tankard, and set it over a stove or chafing dish, stirring it all the time, and when it begins to be as thick as cream take it off, but don't let it boil, if you do it will curdle, stir it whilst it be cold and put it into gla.s.ses for use.

258. _To make white_ LEMON CREAM _another Way_.

Take a pint of spring water, and the whites of six eggs, beat them very well to a froth, put them to your water, adding to it half a pound of double refin'd sugar, a spoonful of orange-flower water, and the juice of three lemons, so mix all together, and strain them through a fine close into your silver tankard, set it over a slow fire in a chafing dish, and keep stirring it all the time; as you see it thickens take it off, it will soon curdle then be yellow, stir it whilst it be cold, and put it in small jelly gla.s.ses for use.

259. _To make_ SAGOO CUSTARDS.

Take two ounces of sagoo, wash it in a little water, set it on to cree in a pint of milk, and let it cree till it be tender, when it is cold put to it three jills of cream, boil it altogether with a blade or two of mace, or a stick of cinnamon; take six eggs, leave out the strains, beat them very well, mix a little of your cream amongst your eggs, then mix altogether, keep stirring it as you put it in, so set it over a slow fire, and stir it about whilst it be the thickness of a good cream; you must not let it boil; when you take it off the fire put in a tea cupfull of brandy, and sweeten it to your taste, then put it into pots or gla.s.ses for use. You may have half the quant.i.ty if you please.

260. _To make_ ALMOND CUSTARDS.

Boil two quarts of sweet cream with a stick of cinnamon; take eight eggs, leaving out all the whites but two, beat them very well; take six ounces of Jordan almonds, blanch and beat them with a little rose-water, so give them a boil in your cream; put in half a pound of powder sugar, and a little of your cream amongst your eggs, mix altogether, and set them over a slow fire, stir it all the time whilst it be as thick as cream, but don't let it boil; when you take it off put in a little brandy to your taste, so put it into your cups for use.

You may make rice-custard the same way.

261. _To make a_ SACK POSSET.

Take a quart of cream, boil it with two or three blades of mace, and grate in a long bisket; take eight eggs, leave out half the whites, beat them very well, and a pint of gooseberry wine, make it hot, so mix it well with your eggs, set it over a slow fire, and stir it about whilst it be as thick as custard; set a dish that is deep over a stove, put in your sack and eggs, when your cream is boiling hot, put it to your sack by degrees, and stir it all the time it stands over your stove, whilst it be thoroughly hot, but don't let it boil; you must make it about half an hour before you want it; set it upon a hot harth, and then it will be as thick as custard; make a little froth of cream, to lay over the posset; when you dish it up sweeten it to your taste; you may make it without bisket if you please, and don't lay on your froth till you serve it up.