The Compleat Cook Part 3

Take halfe a pound of fine flower, dryed and searced, as much fine sugar searced, mingled with a spoonfull of Coriander-seed bruised, halfe a quarter of a pound of b.u.t.ter rubbed in the flower and sugar, then wet it with the yolks of two Eggs, and halfe a spoonfull of white Rose-water, a spoonfull or little more of Cream as will wet it; knead the Past till it be soft and limber to rowle well, then rowle it extreame thin, and cut them round by little plates; lay them up on b.u.t.tered papers, and when they goe into the Oven, p.r.i.c.k them, and wash the Top with the yolk of an Egg beaten, and made thin with Rose-water or faire water; they will give with keeping, therefore before they are eaten, they must be dryed in a warme Oven to make them crisp.

_To Pickle Oysters._

Take Oysters and wash them cleane in their own Liquor, and let them settle, then strain it, and put your Oysters to it with a little Mace and whole pepper, as much Salt as you please, and a little Wine-Vinegar, then set them over the fire, and let them boyle leisurely till they are pretty tender; be sure to skim them still as the skim riseth; when they are enough, take them out till the Pickle be cold, then put them into any pot that will lye close, they will keep best in Caper barrels, they will keep very well six weeks.

_To boyle Cream with Codlings._

Take a quart of Cream and boyle it with some Mace and Sugar, and take two yolks of Eggs, and beat them well with a spoonfull of Rose-water and a grain of Amber-greece, then put it into the Cream with a piece of sweet b.u.t.ter as big as a Wall-nut, and stir it together over the fire untill it be ready to boyle, then set it some time to coole, stirring it continually till it be cold; then take a quarter of a pound of Codlings strained, and put them into a silver Dish over a few coales till they be almost dry, and being cold, and the Cream also, poure the Cream upon them, and let them stand on a soft fire covered an hour, then serve them in.

_To make the Lady Albergaveres Cheese._

To one Cheese take a Gallon of new Milk, and a pint of good Cream, and mix them well together, then take a Skillet of hot water as much as will make it hotter then it comes from the Cow, then put in a spoonfull of Rennet, and stir it well together and cover it, and when it is come, take a wet Cloth and lay it on your Cheese-Mot, and take up the Curd and not break it; and put it into your Mot; and when your Mot is full, lay on the Suiker, and every two hours turn your Cheese in wet Cloathes wrung dry; and lay on a little more wet, at night take as much salt as you can between your finger and thumb, and salt your Cheese on both sides; let them lye in Presses all night in a wet Cloth; the next day lay them on a Table between a dry Cloth, the next day lay them in Gra.s.se, and every other day change your Gra.s.se, they will be ready to eat in nine dayes; if you will have them ready sooner, cover them with a Blanket.

_To dresse Snayles._

Take your Snayles (they are no way so as in Pottage) and wash them well in many waters, and when you have done put them in a white Earthen Pan, or a very wide Dish, and put as much water to them as will cover them, and then set your Dish or Pan on some coales, that it may heat by little and little, and then the Snayles will come out of the sh.e.l.ls and so dye, and being dead, take them out, and wash them very well in Water and salt twice or thrice over; then put them in a Pipkin with Water and Salt, and let them boyle a little while in that, so take away the rude slime they have, then take them out againe and put them in a Cullender; then take excellent sallet Oyle and beat it a great while upon the fire in a frying Pan, and when it boyls very fast, slice two or three Onyons in it, and let them fry well, then put the Snayles in the Oyle and Onyons, and let them stew together a little, then put the Oyle, Onyons, and Snayles altogether in an earthen Pipkin of a fit size for your Snayles, and put as much warm water to them as will serve to boyle them, and make the Pottage and season them with Salt, and so let them boyle three or foure hours; then mingle Parsly, Pennyroyall, Fennell, Tyme, and such Herbs, and when they are minced put them in a Morter, and beat them as you doe for Green-sauce, and put in some crums of bread soaked in the Pottage of the Snayles, and then dissolve it all in the Morter with a little Saffron and Cloves well beaten, and put in as much Pottage into the Morter as will make the Spice and bread and Herbs like thickning for a pot, so put them all into the Snayles and let them stew in it, and when you serve them up, you may squeeze into the pottage a Lemon, and put in a little Vinegar, or if you put in a Clove of Garlick among the Herbs, and beat it with them in the Morter; it will not tast the worse; serve them up in a Dish with sippets of Bread in the bottom. The Pottage is very nourishing, and they use them that are apt to a Consumption.

_To boyle a rump of Beefe after the French fashion._

Take a rump of Beef, or the little end of the Brisket, and parboyle it halfe an houre, then take it up and put it in a deep Dish, then slash it in the side that the gravy may come out, then throw a little Pepper and salt betweene every cut, then fill up the Dish with the best Claret wine, and put to it three or foure pieces of large Mace, and set it on the coales close covered, and boyle it above an houre and a halfe, but turn it often in the mean time; then with a spoon take of the fat and fill it with Claret wine, and slice six Onyons, and a handfull of Cappers or broom buds, halfe a dozen of hard Lettice sliced, three spoonfuls of wine-Vinegar and as much verjuyce, and then set it a boyling with these things in it till it be tender, and serve it up with brown Bread and Sippets fryed with b.u.t.ter, but be sure there be not too much fat in it when you serve it.

_An excellent way of dressing Fish._

Take a piece of fresh Salmon, and wash it clean in a little Vinegar and Water, and let it lye a while in it, in a great Pipkin with a cover, and put to it six spoonfuls of Water and four of Vinegar, as much of white wine, a good deale of Salt, a bundle of sweet Herbs, a little whole Spice, a few Cloves, a little stick of Cinamon, a little Mace, take up all these in a Pipkin close, and set in a Kettle of seething Water and there let it stew three hours, You may doe Carps, Eeles, Trouts, &c.

this way, alter the tast to your mind.

_To make Fritters of Sheeps-feet._

Take your Sheeps feet, slit them and set them a stewing in a silver Dish, with a little strong Broth and Salt, with a stick of Cinamon, two or three Cloves, and a piece of an Orange Pill; when they are stewed, take them from the liquor and lay them upon a Pye-plate cooling; when they are cold, have some good Fritter-batter made with Sack, and dip them therein; then have ready to fry them, some excellent clarified b.u.t.ter very hot in a Pan, and fry them therein; when they are fryed wring in the juyce of three or four Oranges, and toss them once or twice in a Dish, and so serve them to the Table.

_To make dry Salmon Calvert in the boyling._

Take a Gallon of Water, put to it a quart of Wine or Vinegar, Verjuyce or sour Beer, and a few sweet herbs and Salt, and let your Liquor boyle extream fast, and hold your Salmon by the Tayle, and dip it in, and let it have a walme, and so dip it in and out a dozen times, and that will make your Salmon Calvert, and so boyle it till it be tender.

_To make Bisket Bread._

Take a pound of Sugar searced very fine, and a pound of flower well dryed, and twelve Eggs, a handfull of Carroway-seed, six whites of Eggs, a very little Salt, beat all these together, and keep them with beating till you set them in the Oven, then put them into your Plates or Tin things, and take b.u.t.ter and put into a Cloth and rub your Plate; a spoonfull into a Plate is enough, and so set them in the Oven, and let your Oven be no hotter then to bake small Pyes; if your flower be not dryed in the Oven before, they will be heavy.

_To make an Almond Pudding._

Take your Almonds when they are blanched, and beat them as many as will serve for your Dish, then put to it foure or five yolks of Eggs, Rose-water, Nutmeg, Cloves and Mace, a little Sugar, and a little salt and Marrow cut into it, and so set it into the Oven, but your Oven must not be hotter then for Bisket bread; and when it is half baked, take the white of an Egg, Rose-water and fine Sugar well beaten together and very thick, and do it over with a feather, and set it in againe, then stick it over with Almonds, and so send it up.

_This you may boyle in a Bag if you please, and put in a few crums of Bread into it, and eat it with b.u.t.ter and Sugar without Marrow._

_To make an Almond Caudle._

Take three pints of Ale, boyle it with Cloves and Mace, and sliced bread in it, then have ready beaten a pound of Almonds blanched, & strain them out with a pint of White wine, and thicken the Ale with it, sweeten it if you please, and be sure you skim the Ale well when it boyles.

_To make Almond bread._

Take Almonds and lay them in water all night, then blanch them and slice them, to every pound of Almonds, a pound of fine Sugar finely beaten, so mingle them together, then beat the whites of three Egs to high froth, and mix it well with the Almonds & Sugar, then have some Plates and strew some flower on them, and lay Wafers on them, and lay your Almonds with the edges upwards, lay them as round as your can, sc.r.a.pe a little Sugar on them, when they are ready to set in the Oven, which must not be so hot as to colour white Paper, and when they are a little baked, take them out, and them from the Plates, and set them in again, you must keepe them in a Stove.

_To make Almond Cakes._

Take halfe a pound of Almonds blanched in cold water, beat them with some Rose-water till they doe not glister, then they will be beaten; if you think fit, lay seven or eight Musque Comfits dissolved in Rosewater which must not be above six or seven spoonfuls for fear of spoyling the colour; when they be thus beaten, put in half a pound of Sugar finely sifted, beat them and the Almonds together till it be well mixed, then take the whites of two Eggs, and two spoonfuls of fine flower that hath been dried in an Oven; beat these wel together and poure it to your Almonds, then b.u.t.ter your Plates and dust your Cakes with Sugar and Flower, and when they are a little brown, draw them, and when the oven is colder set them in again on browne Papers, and they will looke whiter.

_Master_ Rudstones _Posset._

Take a Pint of Sack, a quarter of a pint of Ale three quarters of a pound of Sugar, boyle all these well together, take two yolks of Eggs and sixteen whites very well beaten, put this to your boyling Sack & slice it very well together till it be thick on the coales; then take the three pints of Milk or Cream being boyled to a quart, it must stand and cool till the Eggs thicken, put it to your Sack and Eggs, and stir them well together, then cover it with a Plate and so serve it.

_To boyle a Capon with Ranioles._

Take a good young Capon, trusse it and draw it to boyle, and parboyle it a little, then let it lye in fair Water being pickt very cleane and white, then boyle it in strong broth while it be enough, but first prepare your Ranioles as followeth; Take a good quant.i.ty of Beet leaves, and boyle them in Water very tender, then take them out, and get all the water very cleane out of them, then take six sweet breads of Veale, and boyle and mince them white, mince them small, and then boyl Herbs also, and four or five Marrow bones, break them and get all the Marrow out of them, and boyle the bigger peice of them in water by it selfe, and put the other into the minced Herbs, then take halfe a pound of Raisins of the Sun stoned, and mince them small, and halfe a pound of Dates the skin off, and mince them also, and a quarter of a pound of Pomecitron minced small, then take of Naples-bisket a good quant.i.ty, and put all these together on a Charger or a great Dish with halfe a pound of sweet b.u.t.ter, and worke it together with your hands as you do a peice of Past, and season it with a little Nutmeg, Ginger, Cinamon, and Salt, & Permasan Cheese grated with hard Sugar grated also, then mingle all together well, and make a Past with the finest flower, six yolks of Eggs, a little Saffron beaten small, halfe a pound of sweet b.u.t.ter, a little Salt, with some faire water hot (not boyling) and make up your Past, then drive out a long sheet of Past with an even Rowling Pin as thin as possible you can, and lay your ingredients in small heaps, round or long which you please in the Past, then cover them with the Past & cut them with a jag asunder and so make more or more till you have made two hundred or more, then have a good broad Pan or Kettle halfe full of strong Broth, boyling leisurely, and put in your Ransoles one by one, and let them boyle a quarter of an hour, then take up your Capon, lay it in a great Dish, and put one the Ransoles, & strew on them grated Cheese, Naples-Bisket grated, Cinamon and Sugar, then more and more Cinamon & Cheese, while you have filled your Dish; then put softly on melted b.u.t.ter with a little strong Broth, your Marrow Pomecitron, Lemons sliced and serve it up, and so put it into the Dish so Ransoles may be part fryed with sweet but Clarified b.u.t.ter, either a quarter of them or halfe as you please; if the b.u.t.ter be not Clarified, it will spoile your Ransoles.

_To make a Bisque of Carps._

Take twelve small Carps, and one great one, all Male Carps, draw them and take out all the Melts, flea the twelve small Carps, cut off their Heads and take out their Tongues and take the fish from the bones of the flead Carps, and twelve Oysters, two or three yelks of Hard eggs, mash altogether, season it with Cloves, Mace and Salt, and make thereof a stiffe searce, add thereto the yolks of foure or five Eggs to bind it, fashion that first into bals or Lopings as you please, lay them into a deep Dish or Earthen Pan, and put thereto twenty or thirty great Oysters, two or three Anchoves, the Milts and Tongues of your twelve Carps, halfe a pound of fresh b.u.t.ter, the Liquor of your Oysters, the juyce of a Lemon or two; a little White-wine some of Corbilion wherein your great Carpe is boyled, and a whole Onyon, so set them a stewing on a soft fire and make a hoop therewith; for the great Carp you must scald him and draw him, and lay him for half an hour with the other Carps Heads in a deep Pan with so much White wine Vinegar as will cover and serve to boyle him, and the other Heads in; put therein Pepper, whole Mace, a race of Ginger, Nutmeg, Salt sweet Herbs, an Onyon or two sliced, a Lemon; when you boyle your Carps, poure your Liquor with the Spice into the Kettle wherein you will boyle him; when it is boyled put in your Carp, let it not boyle too fast for breaking; after the Carp hath boyled a while put in the Head, when it is enough take off the Kettle, and let the Carps and the Heads keep warme in the Liquor till you goe to dish them. When you dresse your Bisque, take a large Silver dish, set it on the fire, lay therein Sippets of bread, then put in a Ladle-full of your Corbilion, then take up your great Carp and lay him in the midst of the Dish, then range the twelve heads about the Carp, then lay the searce of the Carp, lay that in, then your Oysters, Milts, and Tongues, then poure on the Liquor wherein the searce was boyled, wring in the juyce of a Lemon and two Oranges; Garnish your Dish with pickled Barberries, Lemons and Oranges, and serve it very hot to the Table.

_To boyle a Pike and Eele together._

Take a quart of White-Wine and a pint and a halfe of White-Wine-Vinegar, two quarts of Water, and almost a pint of Salt, a handfull of Rose-mary and Tyme; the Liquor must boyle before you put in your Fish and Herbs; the Eele with the skins must be put in a quarter of an hour before the Pike, with a little large Mace, and twenty cornes of Pepper.

_To make an Outlandish dish._

Take the liver of a Hogg, and cut it in small pieces about the bigness of a span, then take Anni-seed, or French-seed, Pepper and Salt, and season them therewithall, and lay every piece severally round in the caule of the Hogg, and so roast them on a Bird-Spit.

_To make a Portugall Dish._