The Country Housewife and Lady's Director in the Management of a House Part 22

Then stew these till the Fish is enough, and pour off the Liquor, through a Sieve, and thicken it with burnt b.u.t.ter, having first put to it the Juice of a Lemon. Then pour the Sauce over the Fish, and garnish with Lemon sliced, and the Roots of red Beets pickled and sliced, with Horse-Radish sc.r.a.ped, and fry'd Bread.

A Hash of raw _Beef._ From Mr. _Moring_ at the Blue-Posts _Temple-Bar._

Cut some thin Slices of tender Beef, and put them in a Stew-Pan, with a little Water, a bunch of sweet Herbs, some Lemon-Peel, an Onion, with some Pepper, Salt, and some Nutmeg. Cover these close, and let them stew till they are tender; then pour in a Gla.s.s or two of Claret; and when it is warm, clear your Sauce of the Onion, Herbs, _&c_. and thicken it with burnt b.u.t.ter. It is an excellent Dish. Serve it hot, and garnish with Lemon diced, and red Beet-Roots, Capers, and such like.

Thin _Beef-Collups_ stew'd. From _Oxford._

Cut raw Beef in thin Slices, as you would do Veal, for _Scots_ Collups; lay them in a Dish, with a little Water, a Gla.s.s of Wine, a Shallot, some Pepper and Salt, and a little sweet Marjoram powdered; then clap another Dish over that, having first put a thin slice or two of fat Bacon among your Collups: then set your Mess, so as to rest upon the backs of two Chairs, and take six Sheets of whited-brown Paper, and tear it in long Pieces; and then lighting one of them, hold it under the Dish, till it burns out, then light another, and so another till all your Paper is burnt; and then your Stew will be enough, and full of Gravey. Some will put in a little Mushroom Gravey, with the Water, and the other Ingredients, which is yet a very good way.

Stew'd _Beef-Steaks._ From the _Spring-Gardens_ at _Vaux-Hall, Surrey._

Take good Rump-Beef Steaks, and season them with Pepper and Salt; then lay them into the Pan, and pour in a little Water; then add a bunch of sweet Herbs a few Cloves, an Anchovy, a little Verjuice, an Onion, and a little Lemon-Peel, with a little bit of b.u.t.ter, or fat Bacon, and a Gla.s.s of White Wine. Cover these close, and stew them gently, and when they are tender, pour away the Sauce, and strain it; then take out the Steaks, and flour them, and fry them; and when you put them in the Dish, thicken the Sauce, and pour it over them. This way was much approved.

To make _Cologn's-Geneva._ From _Cologn._

Take good Brandy, one Gallon; then take two Pounds of Juniper-berries fresh gather'd, and full ripe. Press these till you perceive a greenish Liquor come from them; then put them into the Brandy, and let them remain about ten Days: then pour them through a Cloth of coa.r.s.e Linnen, and squeeze it, and when you have the Liquor, if you find it too strong, you may add to it some more Brandy, and half a Pound of fine Sugar to a Gallon. Then put it in Flasks, or Bottles.

Then take the Pressings, and infuse them again in Brandy, for six or seven Days, and distil them. This they call double _Cologn's_ Gin, and the best is sold in _Holland_, at three s.h.i.+llings and Six-pence _per_ Quart.

To make _Scots-Snuff,_ or pure _Tobacco-Snuff._ From Mr. _Hyslop._

Take the Leaves of good Tobacco, and spread them open; then dry them gently in the Sun, or before the Fire, and strip them from the Stalks; when the leafy part will crumble, between the Fingers; then put it into a Mill, and with a Pestle rolling about it, the Tobacco will presently be ground, as fine as Snuff; or else, if you have never a Mill, when your Tobacco will break between the Fingers, lay it on an oaken Table, and pa.s.s the flat side of a Knife over it, backwards and forwards, as if you was whetting it, pressing it hard, and you will make fine Snuff. This I mention here, because, sometimes, the Snuff-takers are without Snuff, and remote from any Place where it may be had, and would give any Money for it; which was my Case, when I learn'd this Receipt, and by the last Means was presently supplied: we may make it likewise of cut Tobacco dry'd before the Fire.

Or if we raise Tobacco in our Gardens, pick the Leaves from the Stalks, towards the Root, when they are full grown, tie six in a bunch together, and hang them up to dry in the Shade; then dip them in Water, or some Beer or Ale, and hang them up again to dry, and then press the Leaves one upon another, in their Bunches, in a Box or Tub, as hard as possible; and in a few Months time, they will make very good Snuff, being order'd as above directed.

_b.u.t.ter_ turned to _Oil_ recovered. From Mrs. _M. N._

There are some Lands, as well as some Treatments of b.u.t.ter in the Dairy, that makes the b.u.t.ter so very fat and greasy, that it is hard to melt, without running to Oil; while, on the other hand, there is a sort of b.u.t.ter, which cuts as firm as Wax; and even this will sometimes turn to Oil in the melting, but very seldom. However, when it so happens, pour your oil'd b.u.t.ter into a Porringer, and letting it stand a little, melt a little fresh, and as soon as it is liquid, pour into it, by gentle degrees, at times, some of the b.u.t.ter that was oil'd before, keeping your Sauce-pan shaking all the while; and if you find it any way difficult to be recovered, pour in a little Milk, and shake them together, and it will recover. _Memorandum_, A Sauce-pan that is very thin at the Bottom is apt to oil b.u.t.ter, let it be ever so good.

_Orange_ or _Lemon-Cakes._ From the same.

Take some preserv'd Orange or Lemon-Peels, wash'd from their Syrup; then beat them, in a Marble Mortar, to a Pulp, adding a little Orange-Flower Water to them, and a very little Gum-Arabic to it powder'd, this will become a Paste; then mould it into Cakes, with double-refined Sugar beaten fine, and dry them; they must then be laid in Boxes, between sheets of white Paper, and kept in a dry Place.

To dry _Plums,_ of any sort, without _Sugar._ From the same.

Take a Wyre Sieve, and gather your Plums, not too ripe, nor in the heat of the Day; run a Needle through the Skin of each of them, and lay them on the Sieve, so as not to touch one another. Put your Sieve then into a declining Oven, and let it stand twelve Hours; then set it by, and repeat the same the second and third time, and if the Plums are large, then it may be they will require the fourth or fifth time; but turn them every time, when you are going to put them in the Oven. They will dry by this Means so well, that you may keep them all the Winter, for use, in Boxes, in a dry Place.

_Memorandum_, Some of them will candy on the Outsides. The Mussel-Plum is a very good one for this use.

The _Shrops.h.i.+re_ and _Worcesters.h.i.+re-Dish._ From the same.

Sir,

If you would please all People, by the several Receipts you publish, you ought to have the particular Dish that is the Favourite of every County. In _Worcesters.h.i.+re_ and _Shrops.h.i.+re_, the following is in esteem, and I believe you will oblige several Gentlemen and Ladies of these Parts, if you would insert it in some of your Works.

Take some good middling Bacon, and fry it; then put in some Calf's Liver, and cut it in thick Pieces, pepper it, and salt it; and when it is enough, for it must not be fry'd hard, have ready prepared some Cabbage-Lettuce, some white Beet-Cards, or Beet-Leaves, and some Spinach-Leaves, and chop them together, with some Parsley, but not too small; then chop some Onion, and mix with the rest; then throw them into your Frying pan, with a piece of b.u.t.ter, when the Bacon and Liver is out, and fry them till they are tender, and as brown as may be; putting in a spoonful of Verjuice, or the Juice of a Lemon, a little before they are enough. And having kept the Liver and Bacon hot all the while, pour these Herbs over them, which ought to be in good quant.i.ty.

Fine _Cakes_ to keep. From the same.

Take a Pound of fine Sugar powder'd, and somewhat less than a Quart of Flour. Rub these with a Pound of fresh b.u.t.ter, and mix it with three or four Yolks of Eggs, with some Orange-Flower-Water, and a little Ale-Yeast: set this Paste before the Fire to rise, and roll out your Cakes thin, while the Paste is hot; then cut them into what Shapes you please, and p.r.i.c.k them on the top, and bake them in a gentle Oven. They will keep a long time and are very good.

To make _Penzance-Cakes._ From the same.

Take the Yolks of Eggs well beaten, put to them some Mace finely powder'd, with a few spoonfuls of Wine, a little Salt, and as much Sugar as you please; then add as much Flour as is necessary, and a small quant.i.ty of Ale-Yeast, and work your Dough pretty stiff; then add some fresh b.u.t.ter, broken in little bits, and work it in till all the Paste has partaken of it, and the Dough becomes as stiff as at first. Make your Cakes then, and bake them. They will keep some time.

To make Crystal candy'd _Sweet-meats._ From the same.

When we propose to make these candy'd Sweet-meats, we must first know what Fruits, Flowers, _&c_. are proper for them, and how those ought to be gathered and prepared.

First of all, to begin with the Flowers. Take Orange-Flowers, or Lemon, or Citron-Flowers; gather them, when the Dew is upon them, in the Morning, because the Leaves of them will be then full, and then they are best to use, when the Leaves are pick'd off, and then the Dew will be gone; but if they lie a Day, they will shrink, turn bitter, and of a yellowish brown Colour. Take these Leaves fresh pick'd, and pour the following Composition upon them.

You may take also some Orange, or Lemon, or Citron, preserved, and dry'd, and cut them in small pieces. Or Apricots dry'd and cut into small pieces, or such sorts as are a little hard in themselves will do. If one was to cut some Pine-Apple, or Ananas, simply or preserv'd, and cut that in pieces, it would be entomb'd in a Rock of Sugar; or Currans preserv'd upon their Stalks may do, if you think it worth while; but Orange-Flower-Leaves do very well. It is a fine Candy to carry in the Pocket.

Then to begin your Business. Take one Pound of double-refined Loaf-Sugar beat small, and finely sifted; mix this with four or five spoonfuls of Orange-Flower-Water, and about half a Drachm of Gum-Arabic finely beaten; then put three spoonfuls of White Wine, and mix all together, and boil them in a glazed earthen Vessel till the Liquor will hardly run, or at least run in Ropes; then have small Jars of earthen Ware glazed, and put into each of them the several sorts of Fruits, and Flowers, you would inclose in candy'd Sugar, making those Jars very hot, and immediately pour the Liquor upon them, and stop them close; then put the Jars into a Stove, for a fortnight or more, and you may then break the Jars, and your several Fruits and Flowers will be inclosed in a crystal like Candy, such as white Sugar Candy. And then with a slight blow of an Hammer, break these Candies into Pieces of about a Finger's length, and keep them in Gla.s.ses stopt close, in a dry Place, and they will remain good several Years. The little Pots must be broken of course.

To make a _Hackin._ From a Gentleman in _c.u.mberland._

Sir,

There are some Counties in _England_, whose Customs are never to be set aside; and our Friends in _c.u.mberland_, as well as some of our Neighbours in _Lancas.h.i.+re_, and else-where, keep them up. It is a Custom with us every _Christmas_-Day in the Morning, to have, what we call an Hackin, for the Breakfast of the young Men who work about our House; and if this Dish is not dressed by that time it is Day-light, the Maid is led through the Town, between two Men, as fast as they can run with her, up Hill and down Hill, which she accounts a great shame. But as for the Receipt to make this Hackin, which is admired so much by us, it is as follows.

Take the Bag or Paunch of a Calf, and wash it, and clean it well with Water and Salt; then take some Beef-Suet, and shred it small, and shred some Apples, after they are pared and cored, very small. Then put in some Sugar, and some Spice beaten small, a little Lemon-Peel cut very fine, and a little Salt, and a good quant.i.ty of Grots, or whole Oat-meal, steep'd a Night in Milk; then mix these all together, and add as many Currans pick'd clean from the Stalks, and rubb'd in a coa.r.s.e Cloth; but let them not be wash'd. And when you have all ready, mix them together, and put them into the Calf's-Bag, and tye them up, and boil them till they are enough. You may, if you will, mix up with the whole, some Eggs beaten, which will help to bind it. This is our Custom to have ready, at the opening of the Doors, on _Christmas_-Day in the Morning. It is esteem'd here; but all that I can say to you of it, is, that it eats somewhat like a _Christmas_-Pye, or is somewhat like that boil'd. I had forgot to say, that with the rest of the Ingredients, there should be some Lean of tender Beef minced small.