Chapter 10

Take your quinces and coddle them as you do apples, when they are soft pare them and cut them in pieces, as if you would cut them for apple pies, then put your cores, parings, and the waste of your quinces in some water, and boil them fast for fear of turning red until it be a strong jelly; when you see the jelly pretty strong strain it, and be sure you boil them uncovered; add as much sugar as the weight of your quinces into your jelly, till it be boiled to a height, then put in your coddled quinces, and boil them uncovered till they be enough, and set them near the fire to harden.

347. _To make_ Quiddeny _of_ Red Curranberries.

Put your berries into a pot, with a spoonful or two of water, cover it close, and boil 'em in some water, when you think they are enough strain them, and put to every pint of juice a pound of loaf sugar, boil it up jelly height, and put them into glasses for use.

348. _To preserve_ GOOSEBERRIES.

To a pound of ston'd gooseberries put a pound and a quarter of fine sugar, wet the sugar with the gooseberry jelly; take a quart of gooseberries, and two or three spoonfuls of water, boil them very quick, let your sugar be melted, and then put in your gooseberries; boil them till clear, which will be very quickly.

349. _To make little_ ALMOND CAKES.

Take a pound of sugar and eight eggs, beat them well an hour, then put them into a pound of flour, beat them together, blanch a quarter of a pound of almonds, and beat them with rose-water to keep 'em from oiling, mix all together, butter your tins, and bake them half an hour.

Half an hour is rather too long for them to stand in the oven.

350. _To preserve_ RED GOOSEBERRIES.

Take a pound of sixpenny sugar, and a little juice of currans, put to it a pound and a half of Gooseberries, and let them boil quick a quarter of an hour; but if they be for jam they must boil better than half an hour.

They are very proper for tarts, or to eat as sweet-meats.

351. _To bottle_ BERRIES _another Way_.

Gather your berries when they are full grown, pick and bottle them, tie a paper over them, prick it with a pin, and set it in the oven; after you have drawn, and when they are coddled, take them out and when they are cold cork them up; rosin the cork over, and keep them for use.

352. _To keep_ BARBERRIES _for_ TARTS _all the Year_.

Take barberries when they are full ripe, and pick 'em from the stalk, put them into dry bottles, cork 'em up very close and keep 'em for use.

You may do cranberries the same way.

353. _To preserve_ BARBERRIES _for_ TARTS.

Take barberries when full ripe, strip them, take their weight in sugar, and as much water as will wet your sugar, give it a boil and skim it; then put in your berries, let them boil whilst they look clear and your syrrup thick, so put them into a pot, and when they are cold cover them up with a paper dip'd in brandy.

354. _To preserve_ DAMSINS.

Take damsins before they are full ripe, and pick them, take their weight in sugar, and as much water as will wet your sugar, give it a boil and skim it, then put in your damsins, let them have one scald, and set them by whilst cold, then scald them again, and continue scalding them twice a day whilst your syrrup looks thick, and the damsins clear; you must never let them boil; do 'em in a brass pan, and do not take them out in the doing; when they are enough put them into a pot, and cover them up with a paper dip'd in brandy.

355. _How to keep_ DAMSINS _for_ TARTS.

Take damsins before they are full ripe, to every quart of damsins put a pound of powder sugar, put them into a pretty broad pot, a layer of sugar and a layer of damsins, tie them close up, set them in a slow oven, and let them have a heat every day whilst the syrrup be thick, and the damsins enough; render a little sheep suet and pour over them, to keep them for use.

356. _To keep_ DAMSINS _another Way_.

Take damsins before they be quite ripe, pick off the stalks, and put them into dry bottles; cork them as you would do ale, and keep them in a cool place for use.

357. _To make_ MANGO _of_ CODLINS.

Take codlins when they are at their full growth, and of the greenest sort, take a little out of the end with the stalk, and then take out the core; lie them in a strong salt and water, let them lie ten days or more, and fill them with the same ingredients as you do other mango, only scald them oftner.

358. _To pickle_ CURRANBERRIES.

Take currans either red or white before they are thoroughly ripe; you must not take them from the stalk, make a pickle of salt and water and a little vinegar, so keep them for use.

They are proper for garnishing.

359. _To make_ Barberries _instead of preserving_.

Take barberries and lie them in a pot, a layer of barberries and a layer of sugar, pick the seeds out before for garnishing sweet meats, if for sauces put some vinegar to them.

360. _To keep_ Asparagus _or_ Green Pease _a Year_.

Take green pease, green them as you do cucumbers, and scald them as you do other pickles made of salt and water; let it be always new pickle, and when you would use them boil them in fresh water.

361. _To make white Paste of_ PIPPENS.

Take some pippens, pare and cut them in halves, and take out the cores, then boil 'em very tender in fair water, and strain them thro' a sieve, then clarify two pounds of sugar with two whites of eggs, and boil it to a candy height, put two pounds and a half of the pulp of your pippens into it, let it stand over a slow fire drying, keeping it stirring till it comes clear from the bottom of your pan, them lie them upon plates or boards to dry.

362. _To make green Paste of_ PIPPENS.

Take green pippens, put them into a pot and cover them, let them stand infusing over a slow fire five or six hours, to draw the redness or sappiness from them and then strain them thro' a hair sieve; take two pounds of sugar, boil it to a candy height, put to it two pounds of the pulp of your pippens, keep it stirring over the fire till it comes clean from the bottom of your pan, then lay it on plates or boards, and set it in an oven or stove to dry.

363. _To make red Paste of_ PIPPENS.

Take two pounds of sugar, clarify it, then take rosset and temper it very well with fair water, put it into your syrrup, let it boil till your syrrup is pretty red colour'd with it, then drain your syrrup thro' a fine cloth, and boil it till it be at candy-height, then put to it two pounds and a half of the pulp of pippens, keeping it stirring over the fire till it comes clean from the bottom of the pan, then lie it on plates or boards, so dry them.

364. _To preserve_ FRUIT _green_.

Take your fruit when they are green, and some fair water, set it on the fire, and when it is hot put in the apples, cover them close, but they must not boil, so let them stand till thye be soft, and there will be a thin skin on them, peel it off, and set them to cool, then put them in again, let them boil till they be very green, and keep them whole as you can; when you think them ready to take up, make your syrrup for them; take their weight in sugar, and when your syrrup is ready put the apples into it, and boil them very well in it; they will keep all the year near some fire.

You may do green plumbs or other fruit.

365. _To make_ ORANGE MARMALADE.

Take three or four seville oranges, grate them, take out the meat, and boil the rinds whilst they are tender; shift them three or four times in the boiling to take out the bitter, and beat them very fine in a marble mortar; to the weight of your pulp take a pound of loaf sugar, and to a pound of sugar you may add a pint of water, boil and skim it before you put in your oranges, let it boil half an hour very quick, then put in your meat, and to a pint take a pound and a half of sugar, let it boil quick half an hour, stir it all the time, and when it is boiled to a jelly, put it into pots or glasses; cover it with a paper dipp'd in brandy.

366. _To make_ QUINCES WHITE _another Way_.

Coddle your quinces, cut them in small pieces, and to a pound of quinces take three quarters of a pound of sugar, boil it to a candy height, having ready a quarter of a pint of quince liquor boil'd and skim'd, put the quinces and liquor to your sugar, boil them till it looks clear, which will be very quickly, then close your quince, and when cold cover it with jelly of pippens to keep the colour.

367. _To make_ GOOSEBERRY VINEGAR.

To every gallon of water take six pounds of ripe gooseberries, bruise them, and pour the water boiling hot upon your berries, cover it close, and set it in a warm place to foment, till all the berries come to the top, then draw it off, and to every gallon of liquor put a pound and a half of sugar, then tun it into a cask, set it in a warm place, and in six months it will be fit for use.

368. _To make_ Gooseberry Wine _another Way_.

Take three pounds of ripe gooseberries to a quart of water, and a pound of sugar, stamp your berries and throw them into your water as you stamp them, it will make them strain the better; when it is strained put in your sugar, beat it well with a dish for half an hour, then strain it thro' a finer strainer than before into your vessel, leaving it some room to work, and when it is clear bottle it; your berries must be clean pick'd before your use them, and let them be at their full growth when you use them, rather changing colour.

369. _To make_ Jam of Cherries.

Take ten pounds of cherries, stone and boil them till the juice be wasted, then add to it three pounds of sugar, and give it three or four good boils, then put it into your pots.

370. _To preserve_ Cherries.

To a pound of cherries take a pound of sugar finely sifted, with which strow the bottom of your pan, having stoned the cherries, lay a layer of cherries and a layer of sugar, strowing the sugar very well over all, boil them over a quick fire a good while, keeping them clean skim'd till they look clear, and the syrrup is thick and both of one colour; when you think them half done, take them off the fire for an hour, after which set them on again, and to every pound of fruit put in a quarter of a pint of the juice of cherries and red currans, so boil them till enough, and the syrrup is jellied, then put them in a pot, and keep them close from the air.

371. _To preserve_ CHERRIES _for drying_.

Take two pounds of cherries and stone them, put to them a pound of sugar, and as much water as will wet the sugar, then set them on the fire, let them boil till they look clear, then take them off the fire, and let them stand a while in the syrrup, and then take them up and lay them on papers to dry.

372. _To preserve_ FRUIT _green all the Year_.

Gather your fruit when they are three parts ripe, on a very dry day, when the sun shines on them, then take earthen pots and put them in, cover the pots with cork, or bung them that no air can get into them, dig a place in the earth a yard deep, set the pots therein and cover them with the earth very close, and keep them for use.

When you take any out, cover them up again, as at the first.

373. _How to keep_ KIDNEY BEANS _all Winter_.

Take kidney beans when they are young, leave on both the ends, lay a layer of salt at the bottom of your pot, and then a layer of beans, and so on till your pot be full, cover them close at the top that they get no air, and set them in a cool place; before you boil them lay them in water all night, let your water boil when you put them in, (without salt) and put into it a lump of butter about the bigness of a walnut.

374. _To candy_ ANGELICA.

Take angelica when it is young and tender take off all the leaves from the stalks, boil it in the pan with some of the leaves under, and some at the top, till it be so tender that you can peel off all the skin, then put it into some water again, cover it over with some of the leaves, let it simmer over a slow fire till it be green, when it is green drain the water from it, and then weigh it; to a pound of angelica take a pound of loaf sugar, put a pint of water to every pound of sugar, boil and skim it, and then put in your angelica; it will take a great deal of boiling in the sugar, the longer you boil it and the greener it will be, boil it whilst your sugar be candy height by the side of your pan; if you would have it nice and white, you must have a pound of sugar boiled candy height in a copper-dish or stew pan, set it over a chafing dish, and put it into your angelica, let it have a boil, and it will candy as you take it out.

375. _To dry_ PEARS.

Take half a peck of good baking pears, (or as many as you please) pare and put them in a pot, and to a peck of pears put in two pounds of sugar; you must put in no water but lie the parings on the top of your pears, tie them up close, and set them in a brown bread oven; when they are baked lay them in a dripping pan, and flat them a little in your pan; set them in a slow oven, and turn them every day whilst they be through y dry; so keep them for use.

You may dry pippens the same way, only as your turn them grate over them a little sugar.

376. _To preserve_ CURRANS _in bunches_.

Boil your sugar to the fourth degree of boiling, tie your currans up in bunches, then place them in order in the sugar, and give them several covered boilings, skim them quick, and let them not have above two or three seethings, then skim them again, and set them into the stove in the preserving pan, the next day drain them, and dress them in bunches, strow them with sugar, and dry them in a stove or in the sun.

377. _To dry_ APRICOCKS.

To a pound of apricocks put three quarter of a pound of sugar, pare and stone them, to a layer of fruit lie a layer of sugar, let them stand till the next day, then boil them again till they be clear, when cold take them out of the syrrup, and lay them upon glasses or china, and sift them over with double refined sugar, so set them on a stove to dry, next day if they be dry enough turn them and sift the other side with sugar; let the stones be broke and the kernels blanch'd, and give them a boil in the syrrup, then put them into the apricocks; you must not do too many at a time, for fear of breaking them in the syrrup; do a great many, and the more you do in it, the better they will taste.

378. _To make_ JUMBALIS _another Way_.

Take a pound of meal dry, a pound of sugar finely beat, mix them together; then take the yolks of five or six eggs, as much thick cream as will make it up to a paste, and some corriander seeds; roll them and lay them on tins, prick and bake them in a quick oven; before you set them in the oven wet them with a little rose-water and double refin'd sugar, and it will ice them.

379. _To preserve_ ORANGES _Whole_.

Take what quantity of oranges you have a mind to preserve, chip off the rind, the thiner and better, put them into water twenty-four hours, in that time shift them in the water (to take off the bitter) three times; you must shift them with boiling water, cold water makes them hard; put double the weight of sugar for oranges, dissolve your sugar in water, skim it, and clarify it with the white of an egg; before you put in your oranges, boil them in syrrup three or four times, three or four days betwixt each time; you must take out the inmeat of the oranges very clean, for fear of mudding the syrup.

380. _To make_ JAM _of_ DAMSINS.

Take damsins when they are ripe, and to two pounds of damsins take a pound of sugar, put your sugar into a pan with a jill of water, when you have boiled it put in your damsins, let them boil pretty quick, skim them all the time they are boiling, when your syrrup looks thick they are enough put them into your pots, and when they are cold cover them with a paper dip'd in brandy, tie them up close, and keep them for use.

381. _To make clear_ Cakes _of_ Gooseberries.

Take a pint of jelly, a pound and a quarter of sugar, make your jelly with three or four spoonfuls of water, and put your sugar and jelly together, set it over the fire to heat, but don't let it boil, then put it into the cake pots, and set it in a slow oven till iced over.

382. _To make_ BULLIES CHEESE.

Take half a peck or a quartern of bullies, whether you please, pick off the stalks, put them in a pot, and stop them up very close, set them in a pot of water to boil for two hours, and be sure your pot be full of water, and boil them whilst they be enough, then put them in a hair-sieve to drain the liquor from the bullies; and to every quart of liquor put a pound and a quarter of sugar, boil it over a slow fire, keeping it stirring all the time: You may know when it is boiled high enough by the parting from the pan, and cover it with papers dip'd in brandy, so tie it up close, and keep it for use.

383. _To make_ JAM _of_ BULLIES.

Take the bullies that remained in the sieve, to every quart of it take a pound of sugar, and put it to your jam, boil it over a slow fire, put it in pots, and keep it for use.

384. _To make_ SYRRUP _of_ GILLIFLOWERS.

Take five pints of clipt gilliflowers, two pints of boiling water and put to them, then put them in an earthen pot to infuse a night and a day, take a strainer and strain them out; to a quart of your liquor put a pound and half of loaf sugar, boil it over a slow fire, and skim it whilst any skim rises; so when it is cold bottle it for use.

385. _To pickle_ GILLIFLOWERS.

Take clove gilliflowers, when they are at full growth, clip them and put them into a pot, put them pretty sad down, and put to them some white wine vinegar, as much as will cover them; sweeten them with fine powder sugar, or common loaf; when you put in your sugar stir them up that your sugar may go down to the bottom; they must be very sweet; let them stand two or three days, and then put in a little more vinegar; so tie them up for use.

386. _To pickle_ CUCUMBERS _sliced_.

Pare thirty large cucumbers, slice them into a pewter dish, take six onions, slice and strow on them some salt, so cover them and let them stand to drain twenty four hours; make your pickle of white wine vinegar, nutmeg, pepper, cloves and mace, boil the spices in the pickle, drain the liquor clean from the cucumbers, put them into a deep pot, pour the liquor upon them boiling hot, and cover them very close; when they are cold drain the liquor from them, give it another boil, and when it is cold pour it on them again; so keep them for use.

387. _To make_ CUPID HEDGE-HOG'S.

Take a quarter of a pound of jordan almonds, and half a pound of loaf sugar, put it into a pan with as much water as will just wet it, let it boil whilst it be so thick as will stick to your almonds, then put in your almonds and let them boil in it; have ready a quarter of a pound of small coloured comfits; take your almonds out of the syrrup one by one, and turn them round whilst they covered over, so lie them on a pewter dish as you do them, and set them before the fire, whilst you have done them all.

They are pretty to put in glasses, or to set in a desert.

388. _To make_ ALMOND HEDGE-HOGS.

Take half a pound of the best almonds, and blanch them, beat them with two or three spoonfuls of rose-water in a marble-mortar very small, then take six eggs, (leave out two of the whites) beat your eggs very well, take half a pound of loaf sugar beaten, and four ounces of clarified butter, mix them all well together, put them into a pan, set them over the fire, and keep it stirring whilst it be stiff, then put it into a china-dish, and when it is cold put it up into the shape of an hedge hog, put currans for eyes, and a bit of candid orange for tongue; you may leave out part of the almonds unbeaten; take them and split them in two, then cut them in long bits to stick into your hedge hog all over, then rake two pints of cream custard to pour over your hedge hog, according to the bigness of your dish; lie round your dish edge slices of candid or preserved orange, which you have, so serve it up.

389. _To pot_ SALMON _to keep half a Year_.

Take a side of fresh salmon, take out the bone, cut off the head and scald it; you must not wash it but wipe it with a dry cloth; cut it in three pieces, season it with mace, pepper, salt and nutmeg, put it into a flat pot with the skin side downward, lie over it a pound of butter, tie a paper over it, and send it to the oven, about an hour and a half will bake it; if you have more salmon in your pot than three pieces it will take more baking, and you must put in more butter; when it is baked take it out of your pot, and lie it on a dish plate to drain, and take off the skin, so season it over again, for if it be not well seasoned it will not keep; put it into your pot piece by piece; it will keep best in little pots, when you put it into your pots, press it well down with the back of your hand, and when it is cold cover it with clarified butter, and set it in a cool place; so keep it for use.

390. _To make a_ CODDLIN PIE.

Take coddlins before they are over old, hang them over a slow fire to coddle, when they are soft peel off the skin, so put them into the water again, then cover 'em up with vine leaves, and let them hang over the fire whilst they be green; be sure you don't let them boil; lie them whole in the dish, and bake them in puff-paste, but leave no paste in the bottom of the dish; put to 'em a little shred lemon-peel, a spoonful of verjuice or juice of lemon, and as much sugar as you think proper, according to the largeness of your pie.

391. _To make a_ COLLIFLOWER PUDDING.

Boil the flowers in milk, take the tops and lay then in a dish, then take three jills of cream, the yolks of eight eggs, and the whites of two, season it with nutmeg, cinnamon, mace, sugar, sack or orange-flower water, beat all well together, then pour it over the colliflower, put it into the oven, bake it as you would a custard, and grate sugar over it when it comes from the oven.

Take sugar, sack and butter for sauce.

392. _To make Stock for_ HARTSHORN JELLY.

Take five or six ounces of hartshorn, put it into a gallon of water, hang it over a slow fire, cover it close, and let it boil three or four hours, so strain it; make it the day before you use it, and then you may have it ready for your jellies.

393. _To make_ SYRRUP OF VIOLETS.

Take violets and pick them; to every pound of violets put a pint of water, when the water is just ready to boil put it to your violets, and stir them well together, let them infuse twenty four hours and strain them; to every pound of syrrup, take almost two pounds of sugar, beat the sugar very well and put it into your syrrup, stir it that the sugar may dissolve, let it stand a day or two, stirring it two or three times, then set it on the fire, let be but warm and it will be thick enough.

You may make your syrrup either of violets or gilliflowers, only take the weight of sugar, let it stand on the fire till it be very hot, and the syrrup of violets must be only warm.

394. _To pickle_ COCKLES.

Take cockles at a full moon and wash 'em, then put them in a pan, and cover them with a wet cloth, when they are enough put them into a stone bowl, take them out of the shells and wash them very well in their own pickle; let the pickle settle every time you wash them then clear it off; when you have cleaned 'em, put the pickle into a pan, with a spoonful or two of white wine and a little white wine vinegar, to you taste, put in a little Jamaica and whole pepper, boil it very well in the pickle, then put in you cockles, let 'em have a boil and skim 'em, when they are cold put them in a bottle with a little oil over them, set 'em in a cool place and keep 'em for use.

395. _To preserve Quinces whole or in quarters_.