The Closet of Sir Kenelm Digby Knight Opened Part 16

RED-HERRINGS BROYLED

My Lord d'Aubigny eats Red-herrings thus broiled. After they are opened and prepared for the Gridiron, soak them (both sides) in Oyl and Vinegar beaten together in pretty quant.i.ty in a little Dish. Then broil them, till they are hot through, but not dry. Then soak them again in the same Liquor as before, and broil them a second time. You may soak and broil them again a third time; but twice may serve. They will be then very short and crisp and savoury. Lay them upon your Sallet, and you may also put upon it, the Oyl and Vinegar, you soaked the Herrings in.

AN OAT-MEAL-PUDDING

Take a Pint of Milk; and put to it a Pint of large or midling Oat-meal; let it stand upon the fire, until it be scalding hot: Then let it stand by and soak about half an hour: Then pick a few sweet Herbs and shred them, and put in half a pound of Currants, and half a pound of Suet, and about two spoonfuls of Sugar, and three or four Eggs. These put into a bag, and boiled, do make a very good Pudding.

TO MAKE PEAR-PUDDINGS

Take a cold Capon, or half-rosted, which is much better; then take Suet, shred very small the meat and Suet together; then half as much grated bread, two spoonfuls of Flower, Nutmegs, Clove and Mace; Sugar as much as you please; half a Pound of Currants; the yolks of two Eggs, and the white of one; and as much Cream, as will make it up in a stiff Paste. Then make it up in fashion of a pear, a stick of Cinnamon for the stalk, and the head a Clove.

TO MAKE CALL-PUDDINGS

Take three Marrow-bones, slice them; water the Marrow over night, to take away the blood. Then take the smallest of the Marrow, and put it into the Puddings, with a Peny-loaf grated, a spoonful of Flower, and Spice as before; a quarter of a pound of Currants; Sugar as much as you please, four Eggs, two of the whites taken away. Cream as much as will make it as stiff as other Puddings. Stuff the Call of Veal cut into the bigness of little Hogs-puddings; you must sow them all to one end; and so fill them; then sow up the other end, and when they are boiled, take hold of the thred, and they will all come out. You must boil them in half white Wine and half Water; with one large Mace, a few Currants, a spoonful of the Pudding stuff, the Marrow in whole lumps; all this first boiled up, then put in your Puddings, and when half boiled, put in your Marrow. One hour will boil them. Serve them up with Sippets, and no more Liquor, then will serve them up; you must put Salt in all the Puddings.

A BARLEY PUDDING

Take two Ounces of Barley pick'd and washed; boil it in Milk, till it is tender; then let your Milk run from it; Then take half a Pint of Cream, and six spoonfuls of the boiled Barley; eight spoonfuls of grated bread, four Eggs, two whites taken away. Spice as you please, and Sugar and Salt as you think fit, one Marrow-bone, put in the lumps as whole as you can; Then make Puff-paste, and rowl a thin sheet of it, and lay it in a dish. Then take a piece of Green-citron sliced thin, lay it all over the dish. Then take Cream, grated bread, your Spice, Sugar, Eggs and Salt; beat all these very well together half a quarter of an hour, pour it on your dish where Citron is, then cover it over with puff-paste, and let it bake in a quick oven three quarters of an hour. Sc.r.a.pe Sugar on it, and serve it up.

A PIPPIN-PUDDING

Take Pippins and pare, and cut off the tops of them pretty deep. Then take out as much of your Apple as you can take without breaking your Apple, then fill your Apple with pudding-stuff, made with Cream, a little Sack, Marrow, Grated bread, Eggs, Sugar, Spice and Salt; Make it pretty stiff.

Put it into the Pippins; lay the tops of the Pippins upon the Pippins again, stick it through with a stick of Cinnamon. Set as many upright in your dish as you can: and so fill it up with Cream, and sweeten it with Sugar and Mace; and stew them between two dishes.

TO MAKE A BAKED OATMEAL-PUDDING

Take middle Oat-meal, pick it very clean, steep it all night in Cream, half a Pint of Oat-meal, to a quart of Cream, make your Cream scalding hot, before you put in your Oat-meal, so cover it close. Take a good handful of Penny-royal, shred it very small, with a pound of Beef-suet. Put it to your Cream with half a pound of Raisins of the Sun, Sugar, Spice, four or five Eggs, two whites away. So bake it three quarters of an hour; and then serve it up.

A PLAIN QUAKING-PUDDING

Take about three Pints of new morning Milk, and six or seven new laid Eggs, putting away half the whites, and two spoonfuls of fine-flower, about a quarter of a Nutmeg grated, and about a quarter of a pound of Sugar (more or less, according to your taste,) After all these are perfectly mingled and incorporated together, put the matter into a fit bag, and so put it into boiling water, and boil it up with a quick fire. If you boil it too long, the Milk will turn to whay in the body or substance of the Pudding, and there will be a slimy gelly all about the outside. But in about half an hour, it will be tenderly firm, and of an uniform consistence all over.

You need not put in any b.u.t.ter or Marrow or Suet, or other Spice, but the small proportion of Nutmeg set down, not grated bread. For the Sauce, you pour upon it thickened melted b.u.t.ter, beaten with a little Sack, or Orange-flower water, and Sugar; or compounded in what manner you please, as in other such like Puddings.

A GOOD QUAKING BAG-PUDDING

Set a quart of good morning Milk upon the fire, having seasoned it with Salt, and sliced or grated Nutmeg. When it beginneth to boil, take it from the fire, and put into it four peny Manchets of light French-bread sliced very thin (If it were Kingstone-bread, which is firmer, it must be grated) and a lump of Sweet-b.u.t.ter as big as a Wall-nut, and enough Sugar to season it; and cover the possnet with a plate to keep the heat in, that the bread may soak perfectly. Whiles this standeth thus, take ten yolks of New-laid-eggs, with one White, and beat them very well with a spoonful or two of Milk; and when the Milk is cooled enough, pour it (with the bread in it,) into the bason, where the beaten Eggs are, (which likewise should first be sweetned with Sugar to their proportion,) and put about three spoonfuls of fine flower into the composition, and knead them well together. If you will, you may put in a spoonful of Sack or Muscadine, and Ambared Sugar, working all well together; as also, some lumps of Marrow or Suet shred very small: but it will be very good without either of these.

Then put this mixtion into a deep Woodden dish (like a great b.u.t.ter-box) which must first be on the inside a little greased with b.u.t.ter, and a little Flower sprinkled thereon, to save the Pudding from sticking to the sides of the dish. Then put a linnen cloth or handkercher over the mouth of the dish, and reverse the mouth downwards, so that you may tye the Napkin close with two knots by the corners cross, or with a strong thred, upon the bottom of the dish, then turned upwards; all which is, that the matter may not get out, and yet the boiling water get through the linnen upon it on one side enough to bake the pudding sufficiently. Put the Woodden-dish thus filled and tyed up into a great Possnet or little Kettle of boiling water.

The faster it boils, the better it will be. The dish will turn and rowl up and down in the water, as it gallopeth in boiling. An hours boiling is sufficient. Then unty your linnen, and take it off, and reverse the mouth of the dish downwards into the Silver-dish you will serve it up in; wherein is sufficient melted b.u.t.ter thickened with beating, and sweetened to your taste with Sugar, to serve for Sauce. You may beat a little Sack or Muscadine, or Rose, or Orange-flower-water with the Sauce; a little of any of which may also go into the Composition of the Pudding. If you put in more Flower, or more then one white of Egg to this proportion, it will binde the Pudding too close and stiff.

In plain Bag-puddings it makes them much more savoury, to put into them a little Penny-royal shreded very small, as also other sweet-Herbs. You must put in so little, as not to taste strong of them, but onely to quicken the other flat Ingredients.

ANOTHER BAKED PUDDING

Take a Pint and half of good Sweet-cream; set it on the fire, and let it just boil up, take a peny Manchet, not too new, cut off the crust, and slice it very thin, put it into a clean earthen pan, and pour the Cream upon it, and cover it very close an hour or thereabouts, to steep the bread; when it is steeped enough, take four New laid-eggs, yolks and whites, beat them with a spoonful of Rose-water, and two of Sack; grate into it half a Nutmeg, and put into it a quarter of a pound of good white-Sugar finely beaten, stir all this together with the Cream and Bread; then shred very small half a pound of good Beef-kidney-suet, and put this to the rest, and mingle them very well together with a slice or spoon; then size your dish, that you intend to bake it in, and rub the bottom of it with a little sweet-b.u.t.ter; then put your pudding into it, and take the Marrow of two good bones, and stick it in lumps here and there all over your Pudding; so put it into the oven three quarters of an hour, in which time it will be well baked. Strew on it some fine Sugar, and serve it.

TO MAKE BLACK PUDDINGS

Take a pottle of half-cut Groats; pick them clean, that there may be no husks nor foulness in them; then put them into a Mortar, bruise them a little with a Pestle; then have ready either Milk, or fresh meat-broth boiled up, and the Oat-meal immediately put into it; It must be just so much as will cover it; then cover the thing close that it is in, and let it steep twenty four hours; To this two quarts of Oatmeal, put a pint and half of blood, season it well with Salt, and a little Pepper, and a little beaten Cloves and Mace, eight Eggs, yolks and whites, five pound of Kidney-beef-suet shred, but not too small; then put in of these herbs; Peny-royal, Fennel, Leek-blades, Parsley, Sage, Straw-berry-leaves and Violet leaves, equal parts, in all to the quant.i.ty of a good handful; let them be pick'd and washed very clean, and chop'd very small, and mingled well with the former things; Then fill your Puddings.

Make ready your guts in this manner. Cleanse them very well, when they are fresh taken out of the Hog; and after they are well washed and scowred, lay them to soak in fair water three days and three nights, shifting the water twice every day: and every time you shift the water, scour them first with Water and Salt. An hour and a quarter is enough to boil them.

TO PRESERVE PIPPINS IN JELLY, EITHER IN QUARTERS, OR IN SLICES

Take good sound clear Pippins, pare, quarter and coar them; then put them into a skillet of Conduit-water, such a proportion as you intend to make; boil it very well: then let the liquor run from the pulp through a sieve, without forcing, and let it stand till the next morning. Take Orange or Limon peel, and boil in a skillet of water, till they are tender; then rowl them up in a linnen cloth to dry the water well out of them; let them lie so all night. Then take of double refined and finely beaten and searced Sugar a pound to every pint of Pippin Liquor that ran through the sieve, and to every pound of Sugar, and pint of liquor, put ten Ounces of Pippins in quarters or in slices, but cut them not too thin; boil them a little while very fast in the Pippin-liquor, before you put in the Sugar, then strew in the Sugar all over them as it boileth, till it is all in, keeping it still fast boiling, until they look very clear; by that you may know they are enough. While they boil, you must still be sc.u.mming them; then put in your juyce of Limon to your last, and Amber, if you please; and after let it boil half a dozen walms, but no more. Then take it from the fire, and have ready some very thin Brown-paper, and clap a single sheet close upon it, and if any sc.u.m remain, it will stick to the Paper. Then put your quarters or slices into your Gla.s.ses, and strew upon them very small slices of Limon or Orange (which you please) which you had before boiled; then fill up your Gla.s.ses with your jelly.

For making your Pippin-liquor, you may take about some fourty Pippins to two quarts of water, or so much as to make your Pippin-liquor strong of the Pippins, and the juyce of about four Limons.

MY LADY DIANA PORTER'S SCOTCH COLLOPS

Cut a leg or two of Mutton into thin slices, which beat very well. Put them to fry over a very quick fire in a pan first glased over, with no more b.u.t.ter melted in it, then just to besmear a little all the bottom of the Pan. Turn them in due time. There must never be but one row in the pan, nor any slice lying upon another; but every one immediate to the pan. When they are fryed enough, lay them in a hot dish covered, over a Chafing-dish, and pour upon them the Gravy that run out of them into the Pan. Then lay another row of slices in the Pan to fry as before; and when they are enough, put them into the dish to the other. When you have enough, by such repet.i.tions, or by doing them in two or three pans, all at a time; take a Porrenger full of Gravy of Mutton, and put into it a piece of b.u.t.ter as much a Wall-nut, and a quartered Onion if you will (or rub the dish afterwards with Garlike) and Pepper and Salt, and let this boil to be very hot; then throw away the Onion, and pour this into the dish upon the slices, and let them stew a little together; then squeese an Orange upon it, and serve it up.

A FRICACEE OF VEAL

Cut a leg of Veal into thin slices, and beat them; or the like with Chicken, which must be flead off their skin. Put about half a pint of water or flesh-broth to them in a frying-pan, and some Thyme, and Sweet-marjoram, and an Onion or two quartered, and boil them till they be tender, having seasoned them with Salt, and about twenty Corns of whole white Pepper, and four or five Cloves. When they are enough, take half a pint of White wine, four yolks of Eggs, a quarter of a pound of b.u.t.ter (or more) a good spoonful of Thyme, Sweet-Marjoram and Parsley (more Parsley then of the others) all minced small; a Porrenger full of gravy. When all these are well incorporated together over the fire, and well beaten, pour it into the pan to the rest, and turn it continually up and down over the fire, till all be well incorporated. Then throw away the Onion and first sprigs of Herbs, squeese Orange to it, and so serve it up hot.

If instead of a Fricacee, you will make _un estuvee de veau_, stew or boil simpringly your slices of Veal in White-wine and water, _ana_, with a good lump of b.u.t.ter, seasoning it with Pepper and Salt and Onions. When it is enough, put to it store of yolks of Eggs beaten with Verjuyce, or White-wine and Vinegar, and some Nutmeg (and gravy if you will) and some Herbs as in the Fricacee; and stir all very well over the fire till the sauce be well _lie_ together.

A TANSY

Take three pints of Cream, fourteen New-laid-eggs (seven whites put away) one pint of juyce of Spinage, six or seven spoonfuls of juyce of Tansy, a Nutmeg (or two) sliced small, half a pound of Sugar, and a little Salt.

Beat all these well together, then fryit in a pan with no more b.u.t.ter then is necessary. When it is enough, serve it up with juyce of Orange or slices of Limon upon it.

TO STEW OYSTERS

Take what quant.i.ty you will of the best Oysters to eat raw. Open them, putting all their water with the fish into a bason. Take out the Oysters one by one (that you may have them washed clean in their own water) and lay them in the dish you intend to stew them in. Then let their water run upon them through a fine linnen, that all their foulness may remain behind. Then put a good great lump of b.u.t.ter to them, which may be (when melted) half as much, as their water. Season them with Salt, Nutmeg, and a very few Cloves. Let this boil smartly, covered. When it is half boiled, put in some crusts of light French-bread, and boil on, till all be enough, and then serve them up.

You may put in three or four grains of Ambergreece, when you put in the Nutmeg, that in the boiling it may melt. You may also put in a little White-wine or Verjuyce at the last, or some juyce of Orange.

TO DRESS LAMPREY'S

At Glocester they use Lamprey's thus. Heat water in a Pot or Kettle with a narrow mouth, till it be near ready to boil; so that you may endure to dip your hand into it, but not to let it stay in. Put your Lamprey's, as they come out of the River, into this scalding-water, and cover the pot, that little while they remain in, which must be but a moment, about an _Ave Maria_ while. Then with a Woodden ladle take them out, and lay them upon a table, and hold their head in a Napkin (else it will slip away, if held in the bare hand) and with the back of a knife sc.r.a.pe off the mud, which will have risen out all along the fish. A great deal and very thick will come off: and then the skin will look clean and shining and blew, which must never be flead off. Then open their bellies all along, and with a Pen-knife loosen the string which begins under the gall (having first cast away the gall and entrails) then pull it out, and in the pulling away, it will stretch much in length; then pick out a black substance, that is all along under the string, cutting towards the back as much as is needful for this end. Then rowl them up and down in a soft and dry napkin, changing this as soon as it is wet for another, using so many Napkins as may make the fishes perfectly dry; for in that consisteth a chief part of their preparation.

Then powder them well with Pepper and Salt, rubbing them in well, and lay them round in a Pot or strong crust upon a good Lare of b.u.t.ter, and store of Onions every where about them, and chiefly a good company in the middle.