The Queen-like Closet or Rich Cabinet Part 8

131. _To dry old Pippins._

Pare them, and bore a hole through them with a little Knife or Piercer, and cut some of them in halves, take out the Cores of them as you cut them, then put them into a Syrup of Sugar and water, as much as will cover them in a broad preserving Pan, let them boil so fast as may be; taking them sometimes from the fire, sc.u.mming them clean; when you perceive your Apples clear, and Syrup thick, then take them up, and set them into a warm Oven from the Syrup, all night, the next morning turn them, and put them in again, so do till they are dry; if you please to glister some of them, put them into your Candy-pot but one night, and lay them to dry the next day, and they will look like Crystal.

132. _To preserve Bullace as green as gra.s.s._

Take them fresh gathered, and p.r.i.c.k them in several places, scald them as you do your green Peaches, then take their weight in fine sugar, and make a Syrup with a little water, then put in your Bullace, and boil them till they be very clear, and the Syrup very thick.

133. _To preserve Medlars._

Take them at their full growth, pare them as thin as you can, p.r.i.c.k them with your Knife, and parboil them reasonable tender, then dry them with a Cloth, and put to them as much clarified sugar as will cover them; let them boil leisurely, turning them often, till they have well taken the sugar, then put them into an earthen Pot, and let them stand till the next day, then warm them again half an hour; then take them up and lay them to drain, then put into that Syrup half a pint of water wherein Pippins have been boiled in slices, and a quarter of a Pound of fresh sugar, boil it, and when it will jelly, put it to the Medlars in Gallipots or Gla.s.ses.

134. _To make Conserve of Violets._

Take a pound clean cut from the whites, stamp them well in a Mortar, and put to them two or three Ounces of white Sugar-Candy, then take it out and lay it upon a sleeked Paper, then take their weight in fine sugar, and boil it to a Candy height with a little water, then put in your Violets, and a little Juice of Limon, and then let them have but one walm or two over the fire, stirring it well; then take it off; and when it is between hot and cold, put it up, and keep it.

135. _To cast all kinds of shapes, what you please, and to colour them._

Take half a pound of refined Sugar, boil it to a Candy height with as much Rosewater as will melt it, then take moulds made of Alabaster, and lay them in water one hour before you put in the hot Sugar, then when you have put in your Sugar turn the mould about in your hand till it be cool, then take it out of the mould, and colour it according to the nature of the Fruit you would have it resemble.

136. _To dry Pears without Sugar._

Pare them, and leave the stalks and pipps on them, then bake them in an earthen pot with a little Claret Wine, covered, then drain them from the Syrup, and dry them upon Sieves in a warm Oven, turning them morning and evening, every time you turn them hold them by the stalk and dip them in the Liquor wherein they were baked and flat them every time a little.

If you do them carefully they will look very red and clear and eat moist, when they are dry put them up.

137. _To make Rasberry Wine._

Take Rasberries and bruise them with the back of a spoon, and strain them, and fill a bottle with the juyce, stop it, but not very close, let it stand four or five days, then pour it from the Grounds into a Bason, and put as much White-wine or Rhenish as your juyce will well colour, then sweeten it with Loaf Sugar, then bottle it and keep it, and when you drink it you may perfume some of it with one of the Lozenges spoken of before.

138. _To preserve Oranges in jelly._

Take the thickest rind Oranges, chipped very thin, lay them in water three or four days, s.h.i.+fting them twice every day, then boil them in several waters, till you may run a straw through them, then let them lye in a Pan of water all night, then dry them gently in a Cloth, then take to every Pound of Oranges one Pound and an half of Sugar, and a Pint of water, make thereof a syrup; then put in your Oranges, and boil them a little, then set them by till the next day, and boil them again a little, and so do for four or five days together, then boil them till they are very clear, then drain them in a sieve, then take to every Pound of Oranges one quarter of a Pint of water wherein sliced Pippins have been boiled into your syrup, and to every quarter of a Pint of that water, add a quarter of a Pound of fresh Sugar, boil it till it will jelly, then put your Oranges into a Pot or a Gla.s.s, and put the jelly over them; you may if you please, take all the Meat out of some of your Oranges at one end, and fill it with preserved Pippin, and if you put in a little Juice of Orange and Limon into your Syrup when it is almost boiled, it will be very fine tasted.

138. [Transcriber's note: so numbered in original] _To make Cristal Jelly._

Take a Knuckle of Veal and two Calves Feet, lay them in water all night, then boil them in Spring water, till you perceive it to be a thick Jelly, then take them out, and let your Jelly stand till it be cold, then take the clearest, and put it into a Skillet, and sweeten it with Rosewater and fine Sugar, and a little whole Spice, and boil them together a little, and so eat it when it is cold.

139. _To make_ China-_Broth._

Take three Ounces of _China_ sliced thin, and three Pints of fair water, half an ounce of Harts-horn, let it steep together twelve hours, then put in a Red c.o.c.k cut in pieces and bruised, one Ounce of Raisins of the Sun stoned, one ounce of Currans, one ounce of Dates stoned, one Parsley root, one Fennel-root, the Pith being taken out, a little Burrage and Bugloss, and a little Pimpernel, two Ounces of Pearl Barley; boil all these together till you think they be well boiled, then strain it out.

140. _To make Court Perfumes._

Take three Ounces of Benjamin, lay it all night in Damask Rose buds clean cut from the white, beat them very fine in a stone Mortar till it come to a Paste, then take it out and mix it with a dram of Musk finely beaten, as much Civet, mould them up with a little searced Sugar, and dry them between Rose Leaves each of them, then dry them very well and keep them to burn, one at a time is sufficient.

141. _A Syrup for a Cold._

Take Long-wort of the Oak, Sage of _Jerusalem_, Hysop, Colts-foot, Maidenhair, Scabious, h.o.r.ehound, one handful of each, four Ounces of Licoras sc.r.a.ped, two Ounces of Anniseeds bruised, half a pound of Raisins of the Sun stoned, put these together into a Pipkin with two quarts of Spring water, let them stand all night to infuse close stopped, when it is half boiled away, strain it out, and put to it to every pint of liquor a pound of Sugar and boil it to a Syrup.

142. _To make white Marmalade of Quinces._

Coddle them so tender that a straw may run thorow them, then take grated Quinces and strain the Juice from them, then slice your scalded Quinces thin and weigh them, and take a little above their weight in fine Sugar, wet your Sugar with the raw juice, boil it and sc.u.m it, then put in your sliced Quinces and boil them up quick till they jelly, then put them into Gla.s.ses.

143. _The white juice of Licoras._

Take one pound of Licoras clean sc.r.a.ped, cut it thin and short, and dry it in an Oven, then beat it fine in a Mortar, then put it into a stone Jugg, and put thereto of the water of Colts-foot, Scabius, Hysop and h.o.r.ehound, as much as will stand four fingers deep above the Licoras, then set this Jugg, close stopped, into a Kettle of water, and keep the water boiling, let it be stuffed round with hay that it jog not, let it stand so four hours, and so do every other day for the s.p.a.ce of ten days; then strain it into a dish, set the dish over boiling water, and let it vapour away till it be thick, then add to it one pound of fine Sugar-Candy, the best and whitest you can get, beaten very well, then put it into several dishes and dry it in the Sun, or in a warm Oven, beating it often with bone knives till it be stiff, then take as much Gum Dragon steeped in Rose-water as will make it pliable to your hand, then make it into little Rolls, and add two grains of Musk or Ambergreece and a few drops of Oyl of Anniseed, and so make them into little Cakes, and print them with a Seal and then dry them.

144. _To dry Plumbs naturally._

Take of any sort and p.r.i.c.k them and put them into the bottom of a Sieve dusted with Flower to keep them from sticking, let them stand in a warm Oven all night, the next morning turn them upon a clean Sieve, and so do every day till you see that they are very dry.

145. _To dry preserved Pears._

Wash them from their Syrup, then take some fine Sugar and boil it to a Candy height with a little water, then put in your Pears, and shake them very well up and down, then lay them upon the bottom of a Sieve, and dry them in a warm Oven and so keep them.

146. _To make little Cakes with Almonds._

Put into a little Rosewater two grains of Ambergreece, then take a pound of blanched Almonds and beat them with this Rosewater, then take a Pound of your finest Sugar, beaten and searced, and when your Almonds are well beaten, mix some of the Sugar with them, then make your Cakes, and lay them on Wafer sheets; and when they are half baked, take the rest of the Sugar, being boiled to a Candy height with a little Rosewater, and so with a Feather wash them over with this, and let them stand a while longer.

147. _To make very pretty Cakes that will keep a good while._

Take a Quart of fine Flower and the yolks of 4 Eggs, a quarter of a pound of Sugar, and a little Rosewater, with some beaten Spice, and as much Cream as will work it into a Paste, work it very well and beat it, then rowl it as thin as possible, and cut them round with a Spur, such as the Pastry Cooks do use; then fill them with Currans first plumped a little in Rosewater and Sugar, so put another sheet of Paste over them and close them, p.r.i.c.k them, and bake them but let not your Oven be too hot; you may colour some of them with Saffron if you please, and some of them you may ice over with Rosewater and Sugar, and the White of an Egg beaten together.

148. _To make a Paste to wash your hands withal._

Take a Pound of bitter Almonds, blanch them and beat them very fine in a Mortar with four Ounces of Figgs, when it is come to a paste, put it into a Gallipot and keep it for your use; a little at a time will serve.

149. _To keep Flowers all the Year._