The Closet of Sir Kenelm Digby Knight Opened Part 14

Slice thin two peny-roles, or one, of French-bread, the tender part. Lay it in a dish or pan. Pour upon it a quart of Cream, that hath been well boiled. Let it stand almost half an hour, till it be almost cold. Then stir the bread and Cream very well together, till the bread be well broken and Incorporated. (If you have no French bread, take stale Kingston bread, grated) add to this two spoonfuls of fine Wheat-flower, the yolks of four Eggs, and the whites of two; a Nutmeg--grated small; Sugar to your tast; a little Salt, and the Marrow of two bones a little shreded. Stir all these together; then pour it into a dish greased over with b.u.t.ter, and set it uncovered in the Oven to bake. About half an hour will serve, and give the top a yellow crispiness. Before you put in the Marrow, put in a quarter of a pound and a half of Raisins of the Sun, and as much of Currants; Ordering them so, that they may not fall to the bottom, but be all about the pudding.

MY LADY OF PORTLAND'S MINCED PYES

Take four pounds of Beef, Veal or Neats-Tongues, and eight pounds of Suet; and mince both the meat and Suet very small, befor you put them together.

Then mingle them well together and mince it very small, and put to it six pounds of Currants washed and picked very clean. Then take the Peel of two Limons, and half a score of Pippins, and mince them very small. Then take above an Ounce of Nutmegs, and a quarter of an Ounce of Mace, some Cloves and Cinnamon, and put them together, and sweeten them with Rose-water and Sugar. And when you are ready to put them into your Paste, take Citron and Orangiadoe, and slice them very thin, and lay them upon the meat. If you please, put dates upon the top of them. And put amongst the meat an Ounce of Caraway seeds. Be sure you have very fine Paste.

My Lady of Portland told me since, that she finds Neats-tongues to be the best flesh for Pies. Parboil them first. For the proportion of the Ingredients she likes best to take equal parts of flesh, of suet, of currants and of Raisins of the Sun. The other things in proportion as is said above. You may either put the Raisins in whole, or stone the greatest part, and Mince them with the Meat. Keep some whole ones, to lay a bed of them at the top of the Pye, when all is in. You will do well to stick the Candid Orange-peel, and green Citron-peel into the meat. You may put a little Sack or Greek Muscadine into each Pye. A little Amber-sugar doth well here. A pound of flesh, and proportionably of all things else, is enough for once in a large family.

ANOTHER WAY OF MAKING EXCELLENT MINCED PYES OF MY LADY PORTLANDS

Parboil Neats-tongues. Then Peel and hash them with as much as they weigh of Beef-suet, and stoned Raisins and picked Currants. Chop all exceeding small, that it be like Pap. Employ therein at least an hour more, then ordinarily is used. Then mingle a very little Sugar with them, and a little wine, and thrust in up and down some thin slices of green Candyed Citron-peel. And put this into coffins of fine light well reared crust.

Half an hour baking will be enough. If you strew a few Carvi comfits on the top, it will not be amiss.

MINCED PYES

My Lady La.s.son makes her finest minced Pyes of Neats-tongues; But she holdeth the most savoury ones to be of Veal and Mutton equal parts very small minced. Her finest crust is made by sprinkling the flower (as much as it needeth) with cold water, and then working the past with little pieces of raw b.u.t.ter in good quant.i.ty. So that she useth neither hot water, nor melted b.u.t.ter in them; And this makes the crust short and light. After all the meat and seasoning, and Plums and Citron Peel, &c. is in the Coffin, she puts a little Ambered-sugar upon it, thus; Grind much two grains of Ambergreece and half a one of Musk, with a little piece of hard loaf Sugar.

This will serve six or eight pyes, strewed all over the top. Then cover it with the Liddle, and set it in the oven.

TO ROST FINE MEAT

When the Capon, Chickens, or Fowl, have been long enough before the fire, to be through hot, and that it is time to begin to baste them: baste them once all over very well with fresh b.u.t.ter; then presently powder it all over very thin with Flower. This by continuing turning before the fire, will make a thin crust, which will keep in all the juyce of the meat.

Therefore baste no more, nor do any thing to it, till the meat be enough rosted. Then baste it well with b.u.t.ter as before, which will make the crust relent and fall away; which being done, and that the meat is growing brown on the Out-side, besprinkle it over with a little ordinary white Salt in gross-grains; and continue turning, till the outside be brown enough.

The Queen useth to baste such meat with yolks of fresh Eggs beaten thin, which continue to do all the while it is rosting.

SAVOURY COLLOPS OF VEAL

Cut a Leg of Veal into thin Collops, and beat them well with the back of a Knife. Then lay them in soak a good half hour in the yolks of four eggs, and the whites of two very well beaten, and a little small shreded Thyme mingled with it; then lay them in the Frying-pan, wherein is boiling b.u.t.ter, and pour upon them the rest of the Eggs, that the Collops have not Imbibed, and carry with them, and fry them very well, turning them in due time. Then pour away all the b.u.t.ter, and make them a Sauce of Gravy seasoned with Salt and Spice, and juyce of Orange at last squeesed upon them.

A FRICACEE OF LAMB-STONES, OR SWEET-BREADS, OR CHICKEN, OR VEAL, OR MUTTON

Boil the meat in little pieces (if Chicken, flead and beaten) in the Pan with a pint of fair-water, with due seasoning. When it is very tender, put some b.u.t.ter to it, and pour upon it a Liquor made of four yolks of Eggs beaten with a little white wine and some Verjuyce; and keep this in motion over the fire, till it be sufficiently thickened. Then pour it into a warm dish, and squeese some juyce of Orange upon it, and so serve it up. If you would have the meat first made brown and _Rissole_, fry it first with b.u.t.ter, till it be brown on the outside; then pour out all the b.u.t.ter, and put water to it, in which boil it, and do all as before. If you like Onions or Garlike, you may put some to the water. Fresh broth may be used (both ways) instead of water, and maketh it more Savoury.

A NOURIs.h.i.+NG HACHY

Take good Gravy of Mutton or Veal, or of both, with the fat clean skimmed off. Break into it a couple of new-laid Eggs, and stir them in it over a Chafing-dish of Coals; in the mean time, mingle some small cut juycy hashy of Rabet, Capon or Mutton with another parcel of like Gravy as above, till it be pretty thin. Then put this to the other upon the fire, and stir them well with a spoon, whiles they heat. When all is heated through, it will quicken of a sudden. You may put in at first a little chipping of crusty bread, if you will. Season this with white Pepper, Salt, juyce of Orange or Verjuyce, of Berberies, or Onion, or what you like best.

A pint of Gravy (or less) four or five spoonfulls of hashy, and two Eggs, is a convenient proportion for a light Supper.

Such Gravy, with an Onion split in two, lying in it, whiles it is heating, and a little Pepper and Salt, and juyce of Limon or Orange, and a few Chippings of light-bread, is very good Sauce for Partridges or c.o.c.ks.

EXCELLENT MARROW-SPINAGE-PASTIES

Take Spinage, and chop it a little; then boil it, till it be tender. In the mean time make the best rich light Crust you can, and roul it out, and put a little of your Spinage into it, and Currants and Sugar, and store of lumps of Marrow; Clap the Past over this to make little Pasties deep within, and fry them with clarified b.u.t.ter.

TO PICKLE CAPONS MY LADY PORTLAND'S WAY

Take two large fleshy Capons, not too fat; when you have draw'd and trussed them, lay them upon a Chafing-dish of Charcoal to singe them, turning them on all sides, till the hair and down be clean singed off. Then take three pounds of good Lard, and cut it into larding pieces, about the thickness of a two-peny cord, and Lard it well, but first season your bits of Lard, with half an Ounce of Pepper, and a handful of Salt, then bind each of them well over with Pack-thread, and have ready over the fire about two Gallons of Beef-broth, and put them in a little before it boileth; when they boil, and are clean skimmed, then put in some six Bay-leaves; a little bunch of Thyme; two ordinary Onions stuck full of Cloves, and Salt, if it be not Salt enough already for pickle; when it hath boiled about half an hour, put in another half Ounce of beaten White-Pepper, and a little after, put in a quart of White-wine; So let it boil, until it hath boiled in all an hour; and so let it lie in the pickle till you use it; which you may do the next day, or any time within a fortnight; in stead of broth you may use water, which is better; in case you do four or six, which of themselves will make the pickle strong enough. If you will keep them above four days, you must make the pickle sharp with Vinegar.

VERY GOOD SAUCE FOR PARTRIDGES OR CHICKEN

To ordinary Sauce of sliced or grated-bread soaked in good Bouillon, with b.u.t.ter melted in it, put Gravy of Mutton, and a Cloven-Onion or two, to stew with it whiles you put it upon the fire to heat anew. Then take out the Onion, and put in some Limon sliced, or juyce of Limon, and some white Pepper. You put in his proportion of Salt before.

TO MAKE MINCED PYES

Take two Neats-tongues, and boil them. Shred them with Beef-suet, and put in Cloves and Mace, beaten very small, with Raisins, Currants and Sugar; you must mingle them before you put in your Suet. Fat double tripes boiled tender, then minced, make very good Pyes.

TO MAKE A FRENCH BARLEY POSSET

Take two quarts of Milk to half a pound of French-barley; boil it, until it is enough; when the Milk is almost boiled away, put to it three Pintes of good Cream. Let it boil together a quarter of an hour; then sweeten it; and put in Mace, Cinnamon in the beginning, when you first put in your Cream.

When you have done so, take White-wine a Pint, or Sack and White-wine together, of each half a Pint; sweeten it, as you love it, with Sugar; pour in all the Cream, but leave your Barley behind in the Skillet. This will make an Excellent Posset; nothing else but a tender Curd to the bottom; let it stand on the Coals half a quarter of an hour.

TO MAKE PUFF-PAST

Take a Gill of cold-water; two whites of Eggs, and one yolk; to a quart of Flower one pound of b.u.t.ter; so rowl it up, but keep out of the Flower so much as will rowl it up.

TO MAKE A PUDDING WITH PUFF-PAST

Take a new French peny-loaf, and slice it very thin, and lay it in a dish; and take three pints of Cream, and boil it with a little Mace and Nutmeg grated; sweeten it with a little Sugar, and add to it a little Salt. Then let it stand till it be cold. Then take ten yolks of Eggs; and beat them very well with two or three spoonfuls of the Cream; then put it into the Cream, and stir them well together: Take the Marrow of three bones; lay half the Marrow upon the bread in good big lumps, and some Citron, and Candid Limon, and what other sweet meats you like. Then pour it all upon the bread; then put the rest of your Marrow on the top with Citron and Candid Limon. I forgat to tell you, that you must lay a Puff-paste at the bottom of the dish, before you put in the bread, and cover it with the same.

TO MAKE PEAR-PUDDINGS

Take a cold Turky, Capon or cold Veal. Shred it very small; and put almost as much Beef-suet as your meat, and mince it very small. Then put Salt and Nutmeg grated, half a pound of Currants; a little grated-bread, and a little Flower. Then put in three yolks of Eggs, and one of the whites, beaten very well. Then take so much Cream, as will wet them, and make them up as big as a Bon-christian pear; and as you make them up, take a little flower in your hand, that they may not cling. Then put in little sticks at the bottom like the stems of Pears; or make them up in b.a.l.l.s. b.u.t.ter the dish very well, and send them up in the same dish you bake them in. They will be baked in about half an hour: I think the dish needeth not to be covered, whiles it baketh. You may make minced Pyes thus: and bake them with Puff-past in a dish like a Florenden, and use Marrow instead of Suet.

MARROW-PUDDINGS

Take the pith of Beeves; a good spoonful of Almonds very small beaten with Rose-water: beat the pith, when the skin is taken off very well with a spoon; then mingle it with the Almonds, and put in it six yolks of Eggs well beaten, and four spoonfuls of Cream boiled and cold, it must be very thick; put in a little Ambergreece, and as much Sugar, as will sweeten them; a little Salt, and the Marrow of two good bones, cut in little pieces. When your Beefs-guts are seasoned, fit them up and boil them.

TO MAKE RED DEAR

Take a piece of the b.u.t.tock of Beef, the leanest of it, and beat it with a rowling-pin the s.p.a.ce of an hour, till you think you have broken the grain of it, and have made it very open both to receive the sowsing-drink, and also to make it tender. Then take a pint of Vinegar, and a pint of Claret-wine and let it lie therein two nights, and two days. Then beat a couple of Nutmegs, and put them into the sowsing-drink; then Lard it. Your Lard must be as big as your greatest finger for consuming. Then take Pepper, Cloves, Mace and Nutmegs, and season it very well in every place, and so bake it in Pye-paste, and let it stand in the oven six or seven hours. And when it hath stood three hours in your oven, then put it in your sowsing-drink as is aforesaid; and you may keep it a quarter of a year, if it be kept close.