English Housewifery Part 11

190. _To make_ GOOFER WAFERS.

Take a pound of fine flour and six eggs, beat them very well, put to them about a jill of milk, mix it well with the flour, put in half a pound of clarified b.u.t.ter, half a pound of powder sugar, half of a nutmeg, and a little salt; you may add to it two or three spoonfuls of cream; then take your goofer-irons and put them into the fire to heat, when they are hot rub them over the first time with a little b.u.t.ter in a cloth, put your batter into one side of your goofer-irons, put them into the fire, and keep turning the irons every now and then; (if your irons be too hot they burn soon) make them a day or two before you use them, only set them down before the fire on a pewter dish before you serve them up; have a little white wine and b.u.t.ter for your sauce, grating some sugar over them.

191. _To make common_ CURD CHEESE CAKES.

Take a pennyworth of curds, mix them with a little cream, beat four eggs, put to them six ounces of clarified b.u.t.ter, a quarter of a pound of sugar, half a pound of currans well wash'd, and a little lemon-peel shred, a little nutmeg, a spoonful of rose-water or brandy, whether you please, and a little salt, mix altogether, and bake them in small petty pans.

192. CHEESE CAKES _without_ CURRANS.

Take five quarts of new milk, run it to a tender curd, then hang it in a cloth to drain, rub into them a pound of b.u.t.ter that is well washed in rose-water, put to it the yolks of seven or eight eggs, and two of the whites; season it with cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar.

193. _To make a_ CURD PUDDING.

Take three quarts of new milk, put to it a little erning, as much as will break it when it is sc.u.mm'd break it down with your hand, and when it is drained grind it with a mustard ball in a bowl, or beat it in a marble-mortar; then take half a pound of b.u.t.ter and six eggs, leaving out three of the whites; beat the eggs well, and put them into the curds and b.u.t.ter, grate in half a nutmeg, a little lemon-peel shred fine, and salt, sweeten it to your taste, beat them all together, and bake them in little petty-pans with fast bottoms; a quarter of an hour will bake them; you must b.u.t.ter the tins very well before you put them in; when you dish them up you must lay them the wrong side upwards on the dish, and stick them with either blanch'd almonds, candid orange, or citron cut in long bits, and grate a little loaf sugar over them.

194. _To make a_ SLIPCOAT CHEESE.

Take five quarts of new-milk, a quart of cream, and a quart of water, boil your water, then put your cream to it; when your milk is new-milk warm put in your erning, take your curd into the strainer, break it as little as you can, and let it drain, then put it into your vat, press it by degrees, and lay it in gra.s.s.

195. _To make_ CREAM CHEESE.

Take three quarts of new-milk, one quart of cream, and a spoonful of erning, put them together, let it stand till it come to the hardness of a strong jelly, then put it into the mould, s.h.i.+fting it often into dry cloths, lay the weight of three pounds upon it, and about two hours after you may lay six or seven pounds upon it; turn it often into dry cloths till night, then take the weight off, and let it lie in the mould without weight and cloth till morning, and when it is so dry that it doth not wet a cloth, keep it in greens till fit for use; if you please you may put a little salt into it.

196. _To make_ PIKE _eat like_ STURGEON.

Take the thick part of a large pike and scale it, set on two quarts of water to boil it in, put in a jill of vinegar, a large handful of salt, and when it boils put in your pike, but first bind it about with coa.r.s.e inkle; when it is boiled you must not take off the inkle or baising, but let it be on all the time it is in eating; it must be kept in the same pickle it was boiled in, and if you think it be not strong enough you must add a little more salt and vinegar, so when it is cold put it upon your pike, and keep it for use; before you boil the pike take out the bone.

You may do scate the same way, and in my opinion it eats more like sturgeon.

197. _To Collar_ EELS.

Take the largest eels you can get, skin and split them down the belly, take out the bones, season them with a little mace, nutmeg and salt; begin at the tail and roll them up very tight, so bind them up in a little coa.r.s.e inkle, boil it in salt and water, a few bay leaves, a little whole pepper, and a little alegar or vinegar; it will take an hour boiling, according as your roll is in bigness; when it is boiled you must tie it and hang it up whilst it be cold, then put it into the liquor that it was boiled in, and keep it for use.

If your eels be small you may robe two or three of them together.

198. _To Pot_ SMELTS.

Take the freshest and largest smelts you can get, wipe them very well with a clean cloth, take out the guts with a skewer, (but you must not take out the milt and roan) season them with a little mace, nutmeg and salt, so lie them in a flat pot; if you have two score you must lay over them five ounces of b.u.t.ter; lie over them a paper, and set them in a slow oven; if it be over hot it will burn them, and make them look black; an hour will bake them; when they are baked you must take them out and lay them on a dish to drain, and when they are drained you must put them in long pots about the length of your smelts; when you lay them in you must put betwixt every layer the same seasoning as you did before, to make them keep; when they are cold cover them over with clarified b.u.t.ter, so keep them for use.

199. _To Pickle_ SMELTS.

Take the best and largest smelts you can get; gut, wash and wipe them, lie them in a flat pot, cover them with a little white wine vinegar, two or three blades of mace and a little pepper and salt; bake them in a slow oven, and keep them for use.

200. _To stew a_ PIKE.

Take a large pike, scale and clean it, season it in the belly with a little mace and salt; skewer it round, put it into a deep stew-pan, with a pint of small gravy and a pint of claret, two or thee blades of mace, set it over a stove with a slow fire, and cover it up close; when it is enough take part of the liquor, put to it two anchovies, a little lemon-peel shred fine, and thicken the sauce with flour and b.u.t.ter; before you lie the pike on the dish turn it with the back upwards, take off the skin, and serve it up. Garnish your dish with lemon and pickle.

201. SAUCE _for a_ PIKE.

Take a little of the liquor that comes from the pike when you take it out of the oven, put to it two or three anchovies, a little lemon-peel shred, a spoonful or two of white wine, or a little juice of lemon, which you please, put to it some b.u.t.ter and flour, make your sauce about the thickness of cream, put it into a bason or silver-boat, and set in your dish with your pike, you may lay round your pike any sort of fried fish, or broiled, if you have it; you may have the same sauce for a broiled pike, only add a little good gravy, a few shred capers, a little parsley, and a spoonful or two of oyster and c.o.c.kle pickle if you have it.

202. _How to roast a_ PIKE _with a Pudding in the Belly_.

Take a large pike, scale and clean it, draw it at the gills.--_To make a pudding for the Pike_. Take a large handful of bread-crumbs, as much beef-suet shred fine, two eggs, a little pepper and salt, a little grated nutmeg, a little parsley, sweet-marjoram and lemon-peel shred fine; so mix altogether, put it into the belly of your pike, skewer it round and lie it in an earthen dish with a lump of b.u.t.ter over it, a little salt and flour, so set it in the oven; an hour will roast it.

203. _To dress a_ COD'S HEAD.

Take a cod's head, wash and clean it, take out the gills, cut it open, and make it to lie flat; (if you have no conveniency of boiling it you may do it in an oven, and it will be as well or better) put it into a copper-dish or earthen one, lie upon it a littler b.u.t.ter, salt, and flour, and when it is enough take off the skin.

SAUCE _for the_ COD'S HEAD.

Take a little white gravy, about a pint of oysters or c.o.c.kles, a little shred lemon-peel, two or three spoonfuls of white wine, and about half a pound of b.u.t.ter thicken'd with flour, and put it into your boat or bason.

_Another_ SAUCE _for a_ COD'S HEAD.

Take a pint of good gravy, a lobster or crab, which you can get, dress and put it into your gravy with a little b.u.t.ter, juice of lemon, shred lemon-peel, and a few shrimps if you have them; thicken it with a little flour, and put it into your bason, set the oysters on one side of the dish and this on the other; lay round the head boiled whitings, or any fried fish; pour over the head a little melted b.u.t.ter. Garnish your dish with horse-radish, slices of lemon and pickles.

204. _To stew_ CARP _or_ TENCH.

Take your carp or tench and wash them, scale the carp but not the tench, when you have cleaned them wipe them with a cloth, and fry them in a frying pan with a little b.u.t.ter to harden the skin; before you put them into the stew-pan, put to them a little good gravy, the quant.i.ty will be according to the largeness of your fish, with a jill of claret, three or four anchovies at least, a little shred lemon-peel, a blade or two of mace, let all stew together, till your carp be enough, over a slow fire; when it is enough take part of the liquor, put to it half a pound of b.u.t.ter, and thicken it with a little flour; so serve them up.

Garnish your dish with crisp parsley, slices of lemon and pickles.

If you have not the convenience of stewing them, you may broil them before a fire, only adding the same sauce.

205. _How to make_ SAUCE _for a boiled_ SALMON _or_ TURBOT.

Take a little mild white gravy, two or three anchovies, a spoonful of oyster or c.o.c.kle pickle, a little shred lemon-peel, half a pound of b.u.t.ter, a little parsley and fennel shred small, and a little juice of lemon, but not too much, for fear it should take off the sweetness.

206. _To make_ SAUCE _for_ HADDOCK _or_ COD, _either broiled or boiled_.

Take a little gravy, a few c.o.c.kles, oysters or mushrooms, put to them a little of the gravy that comes from the fish, either broiled or boiled, it will do very well if you have no other gravy, a little catchup and a lump of b.u.t.ter; if you have neither oysters nor c.o.c.kles you may put in an anchovy or two, and thicken with flour; you may put in a few shred capers, or a little mango, if you have it.