Chapter 28

Strain the liquor from the oysters, wash them, and parboil them in a kettle, then dry them and roul them in flour, or make a batter with eggs, flour, a little cream, and salt, roul them in it, and fry them in butter. For the sauce, boil the juyce of two or three oranges, some of their own liquor, a slic't nutmeg, and claret; being boil'd a little, put in a piece of butter, beating it up thick, then warm the dish, rub it with a clove of garlick, dish the oysters, and garnish them with slices of orange.

_To bake Oysters._

Parboil your oysters in their own liquor, then take them out and wash them in warm water from the dregs dry them and season them with pepper, nutmeg, yolks of hard eggs, and salt; the pye being made, put a few currans in the bottom, and lay on the oysters, with some slic't dates in halves, some large mace, slic't lemon, barberries and butter, close it up and bake it, then liquor it with white-wine, sugar, and butter; or in place of white-wine, use verjuyce.

_To bake Oysters otherways._

Season them with pepper, salt, and nutmegs, the same quantity as beforesaid, and the same quantity oysters, two or three whole onions, neither currans nor sugar, but add to it in all respects else; as slic't nutmeg on them, large mace, hard eggs in halves, barberries, and butter, liquor it with beaten nutmeg, white-wine, and juyce of oranges.

Otherways, for change, in the seasoning put to them chopped tyme, hard eggs, some anchoves, and the foresaid spices.

Or bake them in Florentines, or patty-pans, and give them the same seasoning as you do the pies.

Or take large oysters, broil them dry and brown in the shells, and season them with former spices, bottoms of boil'd artichocks, pickled mushrooms, and no onions, but all things else as the former, liquor them with beaten butter, juyce of orange, and some claret wine.

_Otherways._

Being parboil'd in their own liquor, season them with a little salt, sweet herbs minced small one spoonful, fill the pie, and put into it three or four blades of large mace, a slic't lemon, and on flesh days a good handful of marrow rouled in yolks of eggs and butter, close it up and bake it, make liquor for it with two nutmegs grated, a little pepper, butter, verjuyce, and sugar.

_To make an Oyster Pye otherways._

Take a pottle of oysters, being parboil'd in their own liquor, beard and dry them, then season them with large mace, whole pepper, a little beaten ginger, salt, butter, and marrow, then close it up and bake it, and being baked, make a lear with white wine the oyster liquor, and one onion, or rub the ladle with garlick you beat it up with all; it being boil'd, put in a pound of butter, with a minced lemon, a faggot of sweet herbs, and being boil'd put in the liquor.

_To make minced Pies or Chewits of Oysters._

Take three quarts of great oysters ready opened and parboil'd in their own liquor, then wash them in warm water from the dregs, dry them and mince them very fine, season them lightly with nutmeg, pepper, salt, cloves, mace, cinamon, caraway-seed, some minced, rasins of the sun, slic't dates, sugar, currans, and half a pint of white wine, mingle all together, and put butter in the bottoms of the pies, fill them up and bake them.

_To bake Oysters otherways._

Season them with pepper, salt, nutmeg, and sweet herbs strowed on them in the pie, large mace, barberries, butter, and a whole onion or two, for liquor a little white wine, and wine-vinegar, beat it up thick with butter, and liquor the pie, cut it up, and lay on a slic't lemon, let not the lemon boil in it, and serve it hot.

_Otherways._

Season them as before with pepper, nutmeg, and salt, being bearded, but first fry them in clarified butter, then take them up and season them, lay them in the pie being cold, put butter to them and large mace, close it up and bake it; then make liquor with a little claret wine and juyce of oranges, beat it thick with butter, and a little wine vinegar, liquor the pie, lay on some slices of orange, and set it again into the oven a little while.

_To bake Oysters otherways._

Take great oysters, beard them, and season them with grated nutmeg, salt, and some sweet herbs minc'd small, lay them in the pye with a small quantity of the sweet herbs strowed on them, some twenty whole corns of pepper, slic't ginger, a whole onion or two, large mace, and some butter, close it up and bake it, and make liquor with white-wine, some of their own liquor, and a minced lemon, and beat it up thick.

_Otherways._

Broil great oysters dry in the shells, then take them out, and season them with great nutmeg, pepper, and salt, lay them in the pye, and strow on them the yolks of two hard eggs minced, some stripp'd tyme, some capers, large mace, and butter; close it up, and make liquor with claret wine, wine vinegar, butter, and juyce of oranges, and beat it up thick, and liquor the pye, set it again into the oven a little while, and serve it hot.

_To make a made Dish of Oysters and other Compounds._

Take oysters, cockles, prawns, craw-fish, and shrimps, being finely cleans'd from the grit, season them with nutmeg, pepper, and salt, next have chesnuts roasted, and blanch't, skerrets boil'd, blanched and seasoned; then have a dish or patty-pan ready with a sheet of cool butter paste, lay some butter on it, then the fishes, and on them the skirrets, chesnuts, pistaches, slic't lemon, large mace, barberries, and butter; close it up and bake it, and being baked, fill it up with beaten butter, beat with juyce of oranges, and some white-wine, or beaten butter with a little wine-vinegar, verjuyce, or juyce of green grapes, or a little good fresh fish broth, cut it up and liquor it, lay on the cover or cut it into four or five pieces, lay it round the dish, and serve it hot.

_To make cool Butter-Paste for this Dish._

Take to every peck of flour five pound of butter, and the whites of six eggs, work it well together dry, then put cold water to it; this paste is good only for patty-pans and pasties.

_To make Paste for Oyster-Pies._

The paste for thin bak't meats must be made with boiling liquor, put to every peck of flour two pound of butter, but let the butter boil in the liquor first.

_To fry Mushrooms._

Blanch them & wash them clean if they be large, quarter them, and boil them with water, salt, vinegar, sweet herbs, large mace, cloves, bay-leaves, and two or three cloves of garlick, then take them up, dry them, dip them in batter and fry them in clarifi'd butter till they be brown, make sauce for them with claret-wine, the juice of two or three oranges, salt, butter, the juyce of horse-raddish roots beaten and strained, slic't nutmeg, and pepper; put these into a frying pan with the yolks of two or 3 eggs dissolved with some mutton gravy, beat and shake them well together in the pan that they curdle not; then dish the mushrooms on a dish, being first rubbed with a clove of garlick, and garnish it with oranges, and lemons.

_To dress Mushrooms in the Italian Fashion._

Take mushrooms, peel & wash them, and boil them in a skillet with water and salt, but first let the liquor boil with sweet herbs, parsley, and a crust of bread, being boil'd, drain them from the water, and fry them in sweet sallet oyl; being fried serve them in a dish with oyl, vinegar, pepper, and fryed parsley. Or fry them in clarified butter.

_To stew Mushrooms._

Peel them, and put them in a clean dish, strow salt on them, and put an onion to them, some sweet herbs, large mace, pepper, butter, salt, and two or three cloves, being tender stewed on a soft fire, put to them some grated bread, and a little white wine, stew them a little more and dish them (but first rub the dish with a clove of garlick) sippet them, lay slic't orange on them, and run them over with beaten butter.

_To stew Mushrooms otherways._

Take them fresh gathered, and cut off the end of the stalk, and as you peel them put them in a dish with white wine; after they have laid half an hour, drain them from the wine, and put them between 2 silver dishes, and set them on a soft fire without any liquor, & when they have stewed a while pour away the liquor that comes from them; then put your mushrooms into another clean dish with a sprig of time, a whole onion, 4 or five corns of whole pepper, two or three cloves, a piece of an orange, a little salt, and a piece of good butter, & some pure gravy of mutton, cover them, and set them on a gentle fire, so let them stew softly till they be enough and very tender; when you dish them, blow off the fat from them, and take out the time, spice, and orange from them, then wring in the juyce of a lemon, and a little nutmeg among the mushrooms, toss them two or three times, and put them in a clean dish, and serve them hot to the table.

_To dress Champignions in fricase, or Mushrooms, which is all one thing; they are called also Fungi, commonly in English Toad Stools._

Dress your Champignions, as in the foregoing Chapter, and being stewed put away the liquor, put them into a frying-pan with a piece of butter, some tyme, sweet marjoram, and a piece of an onion minced all together very fine, with a little salt also and beaten pepper, and fry them, and being finely fried, make a lear or sauce with three or four eggs dissolved with some claret-wine, and the juyce of two or three oranges, grated nutmeg, and the gravy of a leg of mutton, and shake them together in a pan with two or three tosses, dish them, and garnish the dish with orange and lemon, and rub the dish first with a clove of garlick, or none.

_To broil Mushrooms._

Take the biggest and the reddest, peel them, and season them with some sweet herbs, pepper, and salt, broil them on a dripping-pan of paper, and fill it full, put some oyl into it, and lay it on a gridiron, boil it on a soft fire, turn them often, and serve them with oyl and vinegar.

Or broil them with butter, and serve them with beaten butter, and juyce of orange.

_To stew Cockles being taken out of the shells._

Wash them well with vinegar, broil or broth them before you take them out of the shells, then put them in a dish with a little claret, vinegar, a handful of capers, mace, pepper, a little grated bread, minced tyme, salt, and the yolks of two or three hard eggs minced, stew all together till you think them enough; then put in a good piece of butter, shake them well together, heat the dish, rub it with a clove of garlick, and put two or three toasts of white bread in the bottom, laying the meat on them. Craw-fish, prawns, or shrimps, are excellent good the same way being taken out of their shells, and make variety of garnish with the shells.

_To stew Cockles otherways._

Stew them with claret wine, capers, rose or elder vinegar, wine vinegar, large mace, gross pepper, grated bread, minced tyme, the yolks of hard eggs minced, and butter: stew them well together. Thus you may stew scollops, but leave out capers.

_To stew Scollops._

Boil them very well in white wine, fair water, and salt, take them out of the shells, and stew them with some of the liquor elder vinegar, two or three cloves, some large mace, and some sweet herbs chopped small; being well stewed together, dish four or five of them in scollop shells and beaten butter, with the juyce of two or three oranges.

_To stew Muscles._

Wash them clean, and boil them in water, or beer and salt; then take them out of the shells, and beard them from gravel and stones, fry them in clarified butter, and being fryed put away some of the butter, and put to them a sauce made of some of their own liquor, some sweet herbs chopped, a little white-wine, nutmeg, three or four yolks of eggs dissolved in wine vinegar, salt, and some sliced orange; give these materials a warm or two in the frying-pan, make the sauce pretty thick, and dish them in the scollop shells.

_To fry Muscles._

Take as much water as will cover them, set it a boiling, and when it boils put in the muscles, being clean washed, put some salt to them, and being boil'd take them out of the shells, and beard them from the stones, moss, and gravel, wash them in warm water, wipe them dry, flour them and fry them crisp, serve them with beaten butter, juyce of orange, and fryed parsley, or fryed sage dipped in batter, fryed ellicksander leaves, and slic't orange.

_To make a Muscle Pye._

Take a peck of muscles, wash them clean, and set them a boiling in a kettle of fair water, (but first let the water boil) then put them into it, give them a warm, and as soon as they are opened, take them out of the shells, stone them, and mince them with some sweet herbs, some leeks, pepper, and nutmeg; mince six hard eggs and put to them, put some butter in the pye, close it up and bake it, being baked liquor it with some butter, white wine, and slices of orange.

_To stew Prawns, Shrimps, or Craw-Fish._

Being boil'd and picked, stew them in white wine, sweet butter, nutmeg, and salt, dish them in scollop shells, and run them over with beaten butter, and juyce of orange or lemon.

Otherways, stew them in butter and cream, and serve them in scollop shells.

_To stew Lobsters._

Take claret-wine vinegar, nutmeg, salt, and butter, stew them down some what dry, and dish them in a scollop-shell, run them over with butter and slic't lemon.

Otherways, cut it into dice-work, and warm it with white-wine and butter, put it in a pipkin with claret wine or grape verjuyce, and grated manchet, and fill the scollop-shells.

_Otherways._

Being boil'd, take out the meat, break it small, but break the shells as little as you can, then put the meat into a pipkin with claret-wine, wine-vinegar, slic't nutmeg, a little salt, and some butter; stew all these together softly an hour, being stewed almost dry, put to it a little more butter, and stir it well together; then lay very thin toasts in a clean dish, and lay the meat on them. Or you may put the meat in the shells, and garnish the dish about with the legs, and lay the body or barrel over the meat with some sliced lemon, and rare coloured flowers being in summer, or pickled in winter. Crabs are good the same way, only add to them the juyce of two or three oranges, a little pepper, and grated bread.

_To stew Lobsters otherways._

Take the meat out of the shells, slice it, and fry it in clarified butter, (the Lobsters being first boil'd and cold), then put the meat in a pipkin with some claret wine, some good sweet butter, grated nutmeg, salt, and 2 or three slices of an orange; let it stew leisurely half an hour, and dish it up on fine carved sippets in a clean dish, with sliced orange on it, and the juyce of another, and run it over with beaten butter.

_To hash Lobsters._

Take them out of the shells, mince them small, and put them in a pipkin with some claret wine, salt, sweet butter, grated nutmeg, slic't oranges, & some pistaches; being finely stewed, serve them on sippets, dish them, and run them over with beaten butter, slic't oranges, some cuts of paste, or lozenges of puff-paste.

_To boil Lobsters to eat cold the common way._

Take them alive or dead, lay them in cold water to make the claws tuff, and keep them from breaking off; then have a kettle over the fire with fair water, put in it as much bay-salt, as will make it a good strong brine, when it boils scum it, and put in the Lobsters, let them boil leisurely the space of half an hour or more according to the bigness of them, being well boil'd take them up, wash them, and then wipe them with beer and butter; and keep them for your use.

_To keep Lobsters a quarter of a year very good._

Take them being boil'd as aforesaid, wrap them in course rags having been steeped in brine, and bury them in a cellar in some sea-sand pretty deep.

_To farce a Lobster._

Take a lobster being half boil'd, take the meat out of the shells, and mince it small with a good fresh eel, season it with cloves & mace beaten, some sweet herbs minced small and mingled amongst the meat, yolks of eggs, gooseberries, grapes, or barberries, and sometimes boil'd artichocks cut into dice-work, or boil'd aspragus, and some almond-paste mingled with the rest, fill the lobster shells, claws, tail, and body, and bake it in a blote oven, make sauce with the gravy and whitewine, and beat up the sauce or lear with good sweet butter, a grated nutmeg, juyce of oranges, and an anchove, and rub the dish with a clove of garlick.

To this farcing you may sometime add almond paste currans, sugar, gooseberries, and make balls to lay about the lobsters, or serve it with venison sauce.

_To marinate Lobsters._

Take lobsters out of the shells being half boil'd, then take the tails and lard them with a salt eel (or not lard them) part the tails into two halves the longest way, and fry them in sweet sallet oyl, or clarified butter; being finely fryed, put them into a dish or pipkin, and set them by; then make sauce with white wine, and white wine vinegar, four or five blades of large mace, three or four slic't nutmegs, two races of ginger slic't, some ten or twelve cloves twice as much of whole pepper, and salt, boil them altogether with rosemary, tyme, winter-savory, sweet marjoram, bay-leaves, sage, and parsley, the tops of all these herbs about an inch long; then take three or four lemons and slice them, dish up the lobsters on a clean dish, and pour the broth, herbs and spices on the fish, lay on the lemons, run it over with some of the oyl or butter they were fryed in, and serve them up hot.

_To broil Lobsters._

Being boil'd lay them on a gridiron, or toast them against the fire, and baste them with vinegar and butter, or butter only, broil them leisurely, and being broil'd serve them with butter and vinegar beat up thick with slic't lemon and nutmeg.

_Otherways._

Broil them, the tail being parted in two halves long ways, also the claws cracked and broil'd; broil the barrel whole being salted, baste it with sweet herbs, as tyme, rosemary, parsley, and savory, being broil'd dish it, and serve it with butter and vinegar.

_To broil Lobsters on paper._

Slice the tails round, and also the claws in long slices, then butter a dripping-pan made of the paper, lay it on a gridiron, and put some slices of lobster seasoned with nutmeg and salt, and slices of a fresh eel, some sageleaves, tops of rosemary, two or three cloves, and sometimes some bay-leaves or sweet herbs chopped; broil them on the embers, and being finely broil'd serve them on a dish and a plate in the same dripping-pan, put to them beaten butter, juyce of oranges, and slices of lemon.

_To roast Lobsters._

Take a lobster and spit it raw on a small spit, bind the claws and tail with packthred, baste it with butter, vinegar, and sprigs of rosemary, and salt it in the roasting.

_Otherways._

Half boil them, take them out of the shells, and lard them with small lard made of a salt eel, lard the claws and tails, and spit the meat on a small spit, with some slices of the eel, and sage or bay leaves between, stick in the fish here and there a clove or two, and some sprigs of rosemary; roast the barrel of the lobsters whole, and baste them with sweet butter, make sauce with claret wine, the gravy of the lobsters, juyce of oranges, an anchove or two, and sweet butter beat up thick with the core of a lemon, and grated nutmeg.

_Otherways._

Half boil them, and take the meat out of the tail, and claws as whole as can be, & stick it with cloves and tops of rosemary; then spit the barrels of the lobsters by themselves, the tails and claws by themselves, and between them a sage or bay-leaf; baste them with sweet butter, and dredg them with grated bread, yolks of eggs, and some grated nutmeg. Then make sauce with claret wine, vinegar, pepper, the gravy of the meat, some salt, slices of oranges, grated nutmeg, and some beaten butter; then dish the barrels of the lobsters round the dish, the claws and tails in the middle, and put to it the sauce.

_Otherways._

Make a farcing in the barrels of the lobsters with the meat in them, some almond-paste, nutmeg, tyme, sweet marjoram, yolks of raw eggs, salt, and some pistaches, and serve them with venison sauce.

_To fry Lobsters._

Being boil'd take the meat out of the shells, and slice it long ways, flour it, and fry it in clarified butter, fine, white, and crisp; or in place of flouring it in batter, with eggs, flour, salt, and cream, roul them in it and fry them, being fryed make a sauce with the juyce of oranges, claret wine, and grated nutmeg, beaten up thick with some good sweet butter, then warm the dish and rub it with a clove of garlick, dish the lobsters, garnish it with slices of oranges or lemons, and pour on the sauce.

_To bake Lobsters to be eaten hot._

Being boil'd and cold, take the meat out of the shells, and season it lightly with nutmeg, pepper, salt, cinamon, and ginger; then lay it in a pye made according to the following form, and lay on it some dates in halves, large mace, slic't lemons, barberries, yolks of hard eggs and butter, close it up and bake it, and being baked liquor it with white-wine, butter, and sugar, and ice it. On flesh days put marrow to it.

_Otherways._

Take the meat out of the shells being boil'd and cold, and lard it with a salt eel or salt salmon, seasoning it with beaten nutmeg, pepper, and salt; then make the pye, put some butter in the bottom, and lay on it some slices of a fresh eel, and on that a layer of lobsters, put to it a few whole cloves, and thus make two or three layers, last of all slices of fresh eel, some whole cloves and butter, close up the pye, and being baked, fill it up with clarified butter.

If you bake it these ways to eat hot, season it lightly, and put in some large mace; liquor it with claret wine, beaten butter, and slices of orange.

_Otherways._

Take four lobsters being boil'd, and some good fat conger raw, cut some of it into square pieces as broad as your hand, then take the meat of the lobsters, and slice the tails in two halves or two pieces long wayes, as also the claws, season both with pepper, nutmeg and salt then make the pie, put butter in the bottom, lay on the slices, of conger, and then a layer of lobsters; thus do three or four times till the pie be full, then lay on a few whole cloves, and some butter; close it up and bake it, being baked liquor it with butter and white-wine, or only clarified butter. Make your pyes according to these forms.

If to eat hot season it lightly, and being baked liquor it with butter, white-wine, slic't lemon, gooseberries, grapes, or barberries.

_To pickle Lobsters._

Boil them in vinegar, white-wine, and salt, being boiled take them up and lay them by, then have some bay-leaves, rosemary tops, winter-savory, tyme, large mace, and whole pepper: boil these foresaid materials all together in the liquor with the lobsters, and some whole cloves; being boil'd, barrel them up in a vessel that will but just contain them, and pack them close, pour the liquor to them, herbs spices, and some lemon peels, close up the head of the kegg or firkin; and keep them for your use; when you serve them, serve them with spices, herbs, peels, and some of the liquor or pickle.

_To jelly Lobsters, Craw-fish, or Prawns._