The accomplisht cook Part 60

_To souce and jelly Pike, Eeel, Tench, Salmon, Conger,_ &c.

Scale the foresaid fishes, being scal'd, cleansed and boned, season them with nutmeg and salt, or no spices at all, roul them up and bind them like brawn, being first rouled in a clean white cloth close bound up round it, boil them in water, white-wine, and salt, but first let the pan or vessel boil, put it in and sc.u.m it, then put in some large mace and slic't ginger. If you will only souce them boil them not down so much; if to jelly them, put to them some ising-gla.s.s, and serve them in collars whole standing in the jelly.

_Otherways to souce and jelly the foresaid Fishes._

Make jelly of three tenches, three perches, and two carps, scale them, wash out the blood, and soak them in fair water three or four hours, leave no fat on them, then put them in a large pipkin with as much fair spring water as will cover them, or as many pints as pound of fish, put to it some ising-gla.s.s, and boil it close covered till two parts and a half be wasted; then take it off and strain it, let it cool, and being cold take off the fat on the top, pare the bottom, and put the jelly into three pipkins, put three quarts of white-wine to them, and a pound and a half of double refined sugar into each pipkin; then to make one red put a quarter of an ounce of whole cinamon, two races of ginger, two nutmegs, two or three cloves, and a little piece of turnsole dry'd, the dust rubbed out and steep'd in some claret-wine, put some of the wine into the jelly.

To make another yellow, put a little saffron-water, nutmeg, as much cinamon as to the red jelly, and a race of ginger sliced.

To the white put three blades of large mace, a race of ginger slic't, then set the jelly on the fire till it be melted, then have fiveteen whites of eggs beaten, and four pound and a half of refined sugar, beat amongst the eggs, being first beaten to fine powder; then divide the sugar and eggs equally into the three foresaid pipkins, stir it amongst the sugar very well, set them on the fire to stew, but not to boil up till you are ready to run it; let each pipkin cool a little before you run it, put a rosemary branch in each bag, and wet the top of your bags, wring them before you run them, and being run, put some into orange rinds, some into scollop sh.e.l.ls, or lemon rindes in halves, some into egg sh.e.l.ls or muscle sh.e.l.ls, or in moulds for Jellies. Or you may make four colours, and mix some of the jelly with almonds-milk.

You may dish the foresaid jellies on a pie-plate on a great dish in four quarters, and in the middle a lemon finely carved or cut into branches, hung with jellies, and orange peels, and almond jellies round about; then lay on a quarter of the white jelly on one quarter of the plate, another of red, and another of amber-jelly, the other whiter on another quarter, and about the outside of the plate of all the colours one by another in the rindes of oranges and lemons, and for the quarters, four scollop sh.e.l.ls of four several colours, and dish it as the former.

_Pike Jelly otherways._

Take a good large pike, draw it, wash out the blood, and cut it in pieces, then boil it in a gallon or 6 quarts of fair spring water, with half a pound of ising-gla.s.s close covered, being first clean sc.u.m'd, boil it on a soft fire till half be wasted; then strain the stock or broth into a clean bason or earthen pan, and being cold pare the bottom and top from the fat and dregs, put it in a pipkin and set it over the fire, melt it, and put it to the juyce of eight or nine lemons, a quart of white-wine, a race of ginger pared and slic't, three or four blades of large mace, as much whole cinamon, and a grain of musk and ambergriese tied up in a fine clean clout, then beat fifteen whites of eggs, and put to them in a bason four pound of double refined sugar first beaten to fine powder, stir it with the eggs with a rouling pin, and then put it among the jelly in the pipkin, stir them well together, and set it a stewing on a soft charcoal fire, let it stew there, but not boil up but one warm at least, let it stew an hour, then take it off and let it cool a little, run it through your jelly-bag, put a sprig of rosemary in the bottom of the bag, and being run, cast it into moulds. Amongst some of it put some almond milk or make it in other colours as aforesaid.

_To make White Jelly of two Pikes._

Take two good handsome pikes, scale and draw them, and wash them clean from the blood, then put to them six quarts of good white-wine, and an ounce of ising-gla.s.s, boil them in a good large pipkin to a jelly, being clean sc.u.mmed, then strain it and blow off the fat.

Then take a quart of sweet cream, a quart of the jelly, a pound and a half of double refined sugar fine beaten, and a quarter of a pint of rose-water, put all together in a clean bason, and give them a warm on the fire, with half an ounce of fine sea.r.s.ed ginger, then set it a cooling, dish it into dice-work, or cast it into moulds and some other coloured Jellies. Or in place of cream put in almond-milk.

_To roast a Pike._

Take a pike, scour off the slime, and take out the entrails, lard the back with pickled herrings, (you must have a sharp bodkin to make the holes to lard it) then take some great oysters and claret-wine, season the oysters with pepper and nutmeg, stuff the belly with oysters, and intermix the stuffing with rosemary, tyme, winter savory, sweet marjoram, a little onion, and garlick, sow these in the belly of the pike; then prepare two sticks about the breadth of a lath, (these two sticks and the spit must be as broad as the pike being tied on the spit) tie the pike on winding packthred about it, tye also along the side of the pike which is not defended by the spit and the laths, rosemary, and bays, baste the pike with b.u.t.ter and claret wine with some anchoves dissolved in it; when the pike is wasted or roasted, take it off, rip up the belly, and take out the whole herbs quite away, boil up the gravy, dish the pike, put the wine to it, and some beaten b.u.t.ter.

_To fry Pikes._

Draw them, wash off the slime and the blood clean, wipe them dry with a clean cloth, flour them, and fry them in clarifi'd b.u.t.ter, being fried crisp and stiff, make sauce with beaten b.u.t.ter, slic't lemon, nutmeg, and salt, beaten up thick with a little fried parsley.

Or with beaten b.u.t.ter, nutmeg, a little claret, salt, and slic't orange.

Otherways, oyster-liquor, a little claret, beaten b.u.t.ter, slic't orange, and nutmeg, rub the dish with a clove of garlick, give the sauce a warm, and garnish the fish with slic't lemon or orange and barberries. Small pikes are best to fry.

_To fry a Pike otherways._

The pike being scalded and splatted, hack the white or inside with a knife, and it will be ribbed, then fry it brown and crisp in clarified b.u.t.ter, being fried, take it up, drain all the b.u.t.ter from it, and wipe the pan clean, then put it again into the pan with claret, slic't ginger, nutmeg, an anchove, salt, and saffron beat, fry it till it half be consumed, then put in a piece of b.u.t.ter, shake it well together with a minced lemon or slic't orange, and dish it, garnish it with lemon, and rub the dish with a clove of garlick.

_To broil a Pike._

Take a pike, draw it & scale it, broil it whole, splat it or scotch it with your knife, wash out the blood clean, and lay it on a clean cloth, salt it, and heat the gridiron very hot, broil it on a soft fire, baste it with b.u.t.ter, and turn it often; being finely broil'd, serve it in a dish with beaten b.u.t.ter, and wine-vinegar, or juyce of lemons or oranges, and garnish the fish with slices of oranges or lemons, and bunches of rosemary.

_Otherways._

Take a pike, as abovesaid, being drawn, wash it clean, dry it, and put it in a dish with some good sallet oyl, wine vinegar, and salt, there let it steep the s.p.a.ce of half an hour, then broil it on a soft fire, turn it and baste it often with some fine streight sprigs of rosemary, parsley, and tyme, baste it out of the dish where the oyl and vinegar is; then the pike being finely broil'd, dish it in a clean dish, put the same basting to it being warmed on the coals, lay the herbs round the dish, with some orange or lemon slices.

_To broil Mackarel or Horn kegg._

Draw the Mackarel at the gills, and wash them, then dry them, and salt and broil them with mints, and green fennil on a soft fire, and baste them with b.u.t.ter, or oyl and vinegar, and being finely broil'd, serve them with beaten b.u.t.ter and vinegar, or oyl and vinegar, with rosemary, time, and parsley; or other sauce, beaten b.u.t.ter, and slices of lemon or orange.

_To broil Herrings, Pilchards, or Sprats._

Gill them, wash and dry them, salt and baste them with b.u.t.ter, broil them on a soft fire, and being broi'ld serve them with beaten b.u.t.ter, mustard, and pepper, or beaten b.u.t.ter and lemon; other sauce, take the heads and bruise them in a dish with beer and salt, put the clearest to the herrings.

_To bake Pikes._

Bake your pikes as you do carp, as you may see in the foregoing Section, only remember that small pikes are best to bake.

SECTION XV.

or

The Third Section for dressing of FISH.

_The most excellent ways of Dressing Salmon, Bace, or Mullet._

_To Calver Salmon to be eaten hot or cold._

Chine it, and cut each side into two or three peices according to the bigness, wipe it clean from the blood and not wash it; then have as much wine and water as you imagine will cover it, make the liquor boil, and put in a good handful of salt; when the liquor boils put in the salmon, and boil it up quick with a quart of white-wine vinegar, keep up the fire stiff to the last, and being througly boil'd, which will be in the s.p.a.ce of half an hour or less, then take it off the fire and let it cool, take it up into broad bottomed earthen pans, and being quite cold, which will be in a day, a night, or twelve hours, then put in the liquor to it, and so keep it.

Some will boil in the liquor some rosemary bound up in a bundle hard, two or three cloves, two races of slic't ginger, three or four blades of large mace, and a lemon peel. Others will boil it in beer only.

Or you may serve it being hot, and dish it on sippets in a clean scowred dish; dish it round the dish or in pieces and garnish it with slic't ginger, large mace, a clove or two, gooseberries, grapes, barberries, slic't lemon, fryed parsley, ellicksaders, sage, or spinage fried.

To make sauce for the foresaid salmon, beat some b.u.t.ter up thick with a little fair water, put 2 or three yolks of eggs dissolved into it, with a little of the liquor, grated nutmeg, and some slic't lemon, pour it on the salmon, and garnish the dish with fine sea.r.s.ed manchet, barberries, slic't lemon, and some spices, and fryed greens as aforesaid.

_To stew a small Salmon, Salmon Peal, or Trout._

Take a salmon, draw it, scotch the back, and boil it whole in a stew-pan with white-wine, (or in pieces) put to it also some whole cloves, large mace, slic't ginger, a bay-leaf or two, a bundle of sweet herbs well and hard bound up, some whole pepper, salt, some b.u.t.ter, and vinegar, and an orange in halves; stew all together, and being well stewed, dish them in a clean scowred dish with carved sippets, lay on the spices and slic't lemon, and run it over with beaten b.u.t.ter, and some of the gravy it was stewed in; garnish the dish with some fine sea.r.s.ed manchet or sea.r.s.ed ginger.