Chapter 29

Take a tench being new, draw out the garnish at the gills, and cut out all the gills, it will boil the whiter, then set on as much clear water aswil conveniently boil it, season it with salt, wine-vinegar, five or six bay-leaves large mace, three or four whole cloves, and a faggot of sweet herbs bound up hard together: so soon as this preparative boils, put in the tench being clean wiped, do not scale it, being boil'd take it up and wash off all the loose scales, then strain the liquor through a jelly-bag, and put to it a piece of ising-glass being first washed and steeped for the purpose, boil it very cleanly, and run it through a jelly-bag; then having the fish taken out of the shells, lay them in a large clean dish, lay the lobsters in slices, and the craw fish and prawns whole, and run this jelly over them. You may make this jelly of divers colours, as you may see in the Section of Jellies, page 202.

Garnish the dish of Jellies with lemon-peels cut in branches, long slices as you fancy, barberries, and fine coloured flowers.

Or lard the lobsters with salt eel, or stick it with candied oranges, green citterns, or preserved barberries, and make the jelly sweet.

_To stew Crabs._

Being boil'd take the meat out of the bodies or barrels, and save the great claws, and the small legs whole to garnish the dish, strain the meat with some claret wine, grated bread, wine-vinegar, nutmeg, a little salt, and a piece of butter; stew them together an hour on a soft fire in a pipkin, and being stewed almost dry, put in some beaten butter with juyce of oranges beaten up thick; then dish the shells being washed and finely cleansed, the claws and little legs round about them, put the meat into the shells, and so serve them.

Sometimes you may use yolks of eggs strained with butter.

_To stew Crabs otherways._

Being boil'd take the meat out of the shells, and put it in a pipkin with some claret wine, and wine vinegar, minced tyme, pepper, grated bread, salt, the yolks of two or three hard eggs strained or minced very small, some sweet butter, capers, and some large mace; stew it finely, rub the shells with a clove or two of garlick, and dish them as is shown before.

_Otherways._

Take the meat out of the bodies, and put it in a pipkin with some cinamon, wine vinegar, butter, and beaten ginger, stew them and serve them as the former, dished with the legs about them.

Sometimes you may add sugar to them, parboil'd grapes, gooseberries, or barberries, and in place of vinegar, juyce of oranges, and run them over with beaten butter.

_To butter Crabs._

The Crabs being boil'd, take the meat out of the bodies, and strain it with the yolks of three or four hard eggs, beaten cinamon, sugar, claret-wine, and wine-vinegar, stew the meat in a pipkin with some good sweet butter the space of a quarter of an hour, and serve them as the former.

_Otherways._

Being boil'd, take the meat out of the shells, as also out of the great claws, cut it into dice-work, & put both the meats into a pipkin, together with some white wine, juyce of oranges, nutmeg, and some slices of oranges, stew it two or three warms on the fire, and the shells being finely cleansed and dried, put the meat into them, and lay the legs round about them in a clean dish.

_To make a Hash of Crabs._

Take two crabs being boil'd, take out the meat of the claws, and cut it into dice-work, mix it with the meat of the body, then have some pine-apple seed, and some pistaches or artichock-bottoms, boil'd, blanched, and cut into dice-work, or some asparagus boil'd and cut half an inch long; stew all these together with some claret wine, vinegar, grated nutmeg, salt, sweet butter, and the slices of an orange; being finely stewed, dish it on sippets, cuts, or lozenges of puff paste, and garnish it with fritters of arms, slic't lemon carved, barberries, grapes, or gooseberries, and run it over with beaten butter, and yolks of eggs beaten up thick together.

_To farce a Crab._

Take a boil'd crab, take the meat out of the shell, and mince the claws with a good fresh eel, season it with cloves, mace, some sweet herbs chopped, and salt, mingle all together with some yolks of eggs, some grapes, gooseberries, or barberres, and sometimes boil'd artichocks in dice-work, or boil'd asparagus, some almond-paste, the meat of the body of the crab, and some grated bread, fill the shells with this compound, & make some into balls, bake them in a dish with some butter and white wine in a soft oven; being baked, serve them in a clean dish with a sauce made of beaten butter, large mace, scalded grapes, gooseberries, or barberries, or some slic't orange or lemon and some yolks of raw eggs dissolved with some white-wine or claret, and beat up thick with butter; brew it well together, pour it on the fish, and lay on some slic't lemon, stick the balls with some pistaches, slic't almonds, pine-apple-seed, or some pretty cuts in paste.

_To broil Crabs in Oyl or Butter._

Take Crabs being boil'd in water and salt, steep them in oyl and vinegar, and broil them on a gridiron on a soft fire of embers, in the broiling baste them with some rosemary branches, and being broil'd serve them with the sauces they were boil'd with, oyl and vinegar, or beaten butter, vinegar, and the rosemary branches they were basted with.

_To fry Crabs._

Take the meat out of the great claws being first boiled, flour and fry them, and take the meat out of the body strain half of it for sauce, and the other half to fry, and mix it with grated bread, almond paste, nutmeg, salt, and yolks of eggs, fry it in clarified butter, being first dipped in batter, put in a spoonful at a time; then make sauce with wine-vinegar, butter, or juyce of orange, and grated nutmeg, beat up the butter thick, and put some of the meat that was strained into the sauce, warm it and put it in a clean dish, lay the meat on the sauce, slices of orange over all, and run it over with beaten butter, fryed parsley, round the dish brim, and the little legs round the meat.

_Otherways._

Being boil'd and cold, take the meat out of the claws, flour and fry them, then take the meat out of the body, butter it with butter vinegar, and pepper, and put it in a clean dish, put the fryed crab round about it, and run it over with beaten butter, juyce and slices of orange, and lay on it sage leaves fryed in batter, or fryed parsley.

_To bake Crabs in Pye, Dish, or Patty pan._

Take four or five crabs being boil'd, take the meat out of the shell and claws as whole as you can, season it with nutmeg and salt lightly; then strain the meat that came out of the body, shells, with a little claret-wine, some cinamon, ginger, juyce of orange and butter, make the pie, dish, or patty pan, lay butter in the bottom, then the meat of the claws, some pistaches, asparagus, some bottoms of artichocks, yolks of hard eggs, large mace, grapes, gooseberries or barberries, dates of slic't orange, and butter, close it up and bake it, being baked, liquor it with the meat out of the body.

_Otherways._

Mince them with a tench or fresh eel, and season it with sweet herbs minced small, beaten nutmeg, pepper, and salt, lightly season, and mingle the meat that was in the bodies of the crabs with the other seasoned fishes; mingle also with this foresaid meat some boil'd or roasted chesnuts, or artichocks, asparagus boil'd and cut an inch long, pistaches, or pine-apple-seed, and grapes, gooseberries or barberries, fill the pie, dish, or patty-pan, close it up and bake it, being baked, liquor it with juyce of oranges, some claret wine, good butter beat up thick, and the yolks of two or three eggs; fill up the pie, lay slices of an orange on it and stick in some lozenges of puff-paste, or branches of short paste.

_To make minced Pies of a Crab._

Being boil'd, mince the legs, and strain the meat in the body with two or three yolks of eggs, mince also some sweet herbs and put to it some almond-paste or grated bread, a minced onion, some fat eel cut like little dice, or some fat belly of salmon; mingle it all together, and put it in a pie made according to this form, season it with nutmeg, pepper, salt, currans, and barberries, grapes, or gooseberries, mingle also some butter, and fill your pie, bake it, and being baked, liquor it with beaten butter and white wine. Or with butter, sugar, cinamon, sweet herbs chopped, and verjuyce.

_To dress Tortoise._

Cast off the head, feet, and tail, and boil it in water, wine, and salt, being boil'd, pull the shell asunder, and pick the meat from the skins, and the gall from the liver, save the eggswhole if a female, and stew the eggs, meat and liver in a dish with some grated nutmeg, a little sweet herbs minced small, and some sweet butter, stew it up, and serve it on fine sippets, cover the meat with the upper shell of the tortoise, and slices or juyce of orange.

Or stew them in a pipkin with some butter, whitewine some of the broth, a whole onion or two, tyme, parsley, winter savory, and rosemary minc't, being finely stewed serve them on sippets, or put them in the shells, being cleansed; or make a fricase in a frying-pan with 3 or four yolks of eggs and some of the shells amongst them, and dress them as aforesaid.

_To dress Snails._

Take shell snails, and having water boil'd, put them in, then pick them out of the shells with a great pin into a bason, cast salt to them, scour the slime from them, and after wash them in two or three waters; being clean scowred, dry them with a clean cloth; then have rosemary, tyme, parsley, winter-savory, and pepper very small, put them into a deep bason or pipkin, put to them some salt, and good sallet oyl, mingle all together, then have the shells finely cleansed, fill them, and set them on a gridiron, broil them upon the embers softly, and being broil'd, dish four or five dozen in a dish, fill them up with oyl, and serve them hot.

_To stew Snails._

Being well scowred and cleansed as aforesaid, put to them some claret wine and vinegar, a handful of capers, mace, pepper, grated bread, a little minced tyme, salt, and the yolks of two or 3 hard eggs minced; let all these stew together till you think it be enough, then put in a good piece of butter, shaking it together, heat the dish, and rub it with a clove of garlick, put them on fine sippets of French bread, pour on the snails, and some barberries, or slic't lemons.

_Otherways._

Being cleansed, fry them in oyl or clarified butter, with some slices of a fresh eel, and some fried sage leaves; stew them in a pipkin with some white-wine, butter, and pepper, and serve them on sippets with beaten butter, and juyce of oranges.

_Otherways._

Being finely boil'd and cleansed, fry them in clarified butter; being fryed take them up, and put them in a pipkin, put to them some sweet butter chopped parsley, white or claret wine, some grated nutmeg, slices of orange, and a little salt; stew them well together, serve them on sippets; and then run them over with beaten butter, and slices of oranges.

_To fry Snails._

Take shell snails in _January_, _February_, or, _March_, when they be closed up, boil them in a skillet of boiling water, and when they be tender boil'd, take them out of the shell with a pin, cleanse them from the slime, flour them, and fry them; being fryed, serve them in a clean dish, with butter, vinegar, fryed parsley, fryed onions, or ellicksander leaves fryed, or served with beaten butter, and juyce of orange, or oyl, vinegar, and slic't lemon.

_Otherways._

Fry them in oyl and butter, being finely cleansed, and serve them with butter, vinegar, and pepper, or oyl, vinegar, and pepper.

_To make a Hash of Snails._

Being boil'd and cleansed, mince them small, put them in a pipkin with some sweet herbs minced, the yolks of hard eggs, some whole capers, nutmeg, pepper, salt, some pistaches, and butter, or oyl; being stewed the space of half an hour on a soft fire; then have some fried toasts of French bread, lay some in the bottom, and some round the meat in the dish.

_To dress Snails in a Pottage._

Wash them very well in many waters, then put them in an earthen pan, or a wide dish, put as much water as will cover them, and set your dish on some caols; when they boil take them out of the shells, and scowr them with water and salt three or four times, then put them in a pipkin with water and salt, and let them boil a little, then take them out of the water, and put them in a dish with some excellent sallet oyl; when the oyl boils put in three or four slic't onions, and fry them, put the snails to them, and stew them well together, then put the oyl snails and onions all together in a pipkin of a fit size for them, and put as much warm water to them as will make a pottage, with some salt, and so let them stew three or four hours, then mince tyme, parsley, pennyroyal, and the like herbs; when they are minced, beat them to green sauce in a mortar, put in some crumbs of bread soakt with that broth or pottage, some saffron and beaten cloves; put all in to the snails, and give them a warm or 2, and when you serve them up, squeeze in the juyce of a lemon, put in a little vinegar, and a clove of garlick amongst the herbs, and beat them in it; serve them up in a dish with sippets in the bottom of it.

This pottage is very nourishing, and excellent good against a Consumption.

_To bake Snails._

Being boil'd and scowred, season them with nutmeg, pepper, and salt, put them into a pie with some marrow, large mace, a raw chicken cut in pieces, some little bits of lard and bacon, the bones out, sweet herbs chopped, slic't lemon, or orange and butter; being full, close it up and bake it, and liquor it with butter and white-wine.

_To bake Frogs._

Being flayed, take the hind legs, cut off the feet, and season them with nutmeg, pepper, and salt, put them in a pye with some sweet herbs chopped small, large mace, slic't lemon, gooseberries, grapes, or barberries, pieces of skirrets, artichocks, potatoes, or parsnips, and marrow; close it up and bake it; being baked, liquor it with butter, and juyce of orange, or grape-verjuyce.

* * * * * * * * *

SECTION XX.

_To make all manner of Pottages for Fish-Days._

_French Barley Pottage._

Cleanse the barley from dust, and put it in boiling milk, being boil'd down, put in large mace, cream, sugar, and a little salt, boil it pretty thick, then serve it in a dish, scrape sugar on it, and trim the dish sides.

_Otherways._

Boil it in fair water, scum it, and being almost boil'd, put to it some saffron, or disolved yolks of eggs.

_To make Gruel Pottage the best way for service._

Pick your oatmeal, and boil it whole on a stewing fire; being tender boil'd, strain it through a strainer, then put it into a clean pipkin with fair boiling water, make it pretty thick of the strained oatmeal, and put to it some picked raisins of the sun well washed, some large mace, salt, and a little bundle of sweet herbs, with a little rose-water and saffron; set it a stewing on a fire of charcoal, boil it with sugar till the fruit be well allom'd, then put to it butter and the yolks of three or four eggs strained.

_Otherways._

Good herbs and oatmel chopped, put them into boiling liquor in a pipkin, pot, or skillet, with some salt, and being boil'd put to it butter.

_Otherways._

With a bundle of sweet herbs and oatmeal chopped, some onions and salt, seasoned as before with butter.

_To make Furmety._

Take wheat and wet it, then beat it in a sack with a wash beetle, being finely hulled and cleansed from the dust and hulls, boil it over night, and let it soak on a soft fire all night; then next morning take as much as will serve the turn, put it in a pipkin, pan, or skillet, and put it a boiling in cream or milk, with mace, salt, whole cinamon, and saffron, or yolks of eggs, boil it thick and serve it in a clean scowred dish, scrape on sugar, and trim the dish.

_To make Rice Pottage._

Pick the rice and dust it clean, then wash it, and boil it in water or milk; being boil'd down, put to it some cream, large mace, whole cinamon, salt, and sugar; boil it on a soft stewing fire, and serve it in a fair deep dish, or a standing silver piece.

_Otherways._

Boil'd rice strained with almond milk, and seasoned as the former.

_Milk Pottage._

Boil whole oatmel, being cleanly picked, boil it in a pipkin or pot, but first let the water boil; being well boil'd and tender, put in milk or cream, with salt, and fresh butter, _&c._

_Ellicksander Pottage._

Chop ellicksanders and oatmeal together, being picked and washed, then set on a pipkin with fair water, and when it boils, put in your herbs, oatmeal, and salt, boil it on a soft fire, and make it not too thick, being almost boil'd put in some butter.

_Pease Pottage._

Take green pease being shelled and cleansed, put them in a pipkin of fair boiling water; when they be boil'd and tender, take and strain some of them, and thicken the rest, put to them a bundle of sweet herbs, or sweet herbs chopped, salt, and butter; being through boil'd dish them, and serve them in a deep clean dish with salt and sippets about them.

_Otherways._

Put them into a pipkin or skillet of boiling milk or cream, put to them two or three sprigs of mint, and salt; being fine and tender boil'd, thick them with a little milk and flour.

_Dry or old Pease Pottage._

Take the choicest pease, (that some call seed way pease) commonly they be a little worm eaten, (those are the best boiling pease) pick and wash them, and put them in boiling liquor in a pot or pipkin; being tender boil'd take out some of them, strain them, and set them by for your use; then season the rest with salt, a bundle of mint and butter, let them stew leisurely, and put to them some pepper.

_Strained Pease Pottage._

Take the former strained pease-pottage, put to them salt, large mace, a bundle of sweet herbs, and some pickled capers; stew them well together, then serve them in a deep dish clean scowred, with thin slices of bread in the bottom, and graced manchet to garnish it.

_An excellent stewed Broth for Fish-Day._

Set a boiling some fair water in a pipkin, then strain some oatmeal and put to it, with large mace, whole cinamon, salt, a bundle of sweet herbs, some strained and whole prunes, and some raisins of the sun; being well stewed on a soft fire, and pretty thick, put in some claret-wine and sugar, serve it in a clear scowred deep dish or standing piece, and scrape on sugar.

_Onion Pottage._

Fry good store of slic't onions, then have a pipkin of boiling liquor over the fire, when the liquor boils put in the fryed onions, butter and all, with pepper and salt; being well stewed together, serve it on sops of French bread or pine-molet.

_Almond Pottage._

Take a pound of almond-paste, and strain it with some new milk; then have a pottle of cream boiling in a pipkin or skillet, put in the milk; and almonds with some mace, salt, and sugar; serve it in a clean dish on sippets of French bread, and scrape on sugar.

_Otherways._

Strain them with fair water, and boil them with mace, salt, and sugar, (or none) add two or three yolks of eggs dissolved, or saffron; and serve it as before.

_Almond Caudle._

Strain half a pound of almonds being blanched and stamped, strain them with a pint of good ale, then boil it with slices of fine manchet, large mace, and sugar; being almost boil'd put in three or four spoonfuls of sack.

_Oatmeal Caudle._

Boil ale, scum it, and put in strained oatmeal, mace, sugar, and diced bread, boil it well, and put in two or three spoonfuls of sack, white-wine or claret.

_Egg Caudle._

Boil ale or beer, scum it, and put to it two or three blades of large mace, some sliced manchet and sugar; then dissolve four or five yolks of eggs with some sack, claret or white-wine, and put it into the rest with a little grated nutmeg; give it a warm, and serve it.

_Sugar, or Honey Sops._

Boil beer or ale, scum it, and put to it slices of fine manchet, large mace, sugar, or honey; sometimes currans, and boil all well together.

_To make an Alebury._

Boil beer or ale, scum it, and put in some mace, and a bottom of a manchet, boil it well, then put in some sugar.

_Buttered Beer._

Take beer or ale and boil it, then scum it, and put to it some liquorish and anniseeds, boil them well together; then have in a clean flaggon or quart pot some yolks of eggs well beaten with some of the foresaid beer, and some good butter; strain your butter'd beer, put it in the flaggon, and brew it with the butter and eggs.

_Buttered Beer or Ale otherways._

Boil beer or ale and scum it, then have six eggs, whites and all, and beat them in a flaggon or quart pot with the shells, some butter, sugar, and nutmeg, put them together, and being well brewed, drink it when you go to bed.

_Otherways._

Take three pints of beer or ale, put five yolks of eggs to it, strain them together, and set it in a pewter pot to the fire, put to it half a pound of sugar, a penniworth of beaten nutmeg, as much beaten cloves, half an ounce of beaten ginger, and bread it.

_Panado's._

Boil fair water in a skillet, put to it grated bread or cakes, good store of currans, mace and whole cinamon: being almost boil'd and indifferent thick, put in some sack or white wine, sugar, some strained yolks of eggs.

Otherways with slic't bread, water, currans, and mace, and being well boil'd, put to it some sugar, white-wine, and butter.

_To make a Compound Posset of Sack, Claret, White-Wine, Ale, Beer, or Juyce of Oranges,_ &c.

Take twenty yolks of eggs with a little cream, strain them, and set them by; then have a clean scowred skillet, and put into it a pottle of good sweet cream, and a good quantity of whole cinamon, set it a boiling on a soft charcoal fire, and stir it continually; the cream having a good taste of the cinamon, put in the strained eggs and cream into your skillet, stir them together, and give them a warm, then have some sack in a deep bason or posset-pot, good store of fine sugar, and some sliced nutmeg; the sack and sugar being warm, take out the cinamon, and pour your eggs and cream very high in to the bason, that it may spatter in it, then strow on loaf sugar.

_To make a Posset simple._

Boil your milk in a clean scowred skillet, and when it boils take it off, and warm in the pot, bowl, or bason some sack, claret, beer, ale, or juyce of orange; pour it into the drink, but let not your milk be too hot, for it will make the curd hard, then sugar it.

_Otherways._

Beat a good quantity of sorrel, and strain it with any of the foresaid liquors, or simply of it self, then boil some milk in a clean scowred skillet, being boil'd, take it off and let it cool, then put it to your drink, but not too hot, for it will make the curd tuff.

_Possets of Herbs otherways._

Take a fair scowred skillet, put in some milk into it, and some rosemary, the rosemary being well boil'd in it, take it out and have some ale or beer in a pot, put to it the milk and sugar, (or none.)

Thus of tyme, carduus, cammomile, mint, or marigold flowers.

_To make French Puffs._

Take spinage, tyme, parsley, endive, savory and marjoram, chop or mince them small; then have twenty eggs beaten with the herbs, that the eggs may be green, some nutmeg, ginger, cinamon, and salt; then cut a lemon in slices, and dip it in batter, fry it, and put a spoonful on every slice of lemon, fry it finely in clarified butter, and being fryed, strow on sack, or claret, and sugar.

_Soops or butter'd Meats of Spinage._