The Lady's Own Cookery Book, and New Dinner-Table Directory Part 80

_Wafers._

Take a pint of cream, melt in it half a pound of b.u.t.ter, and set it to cool. When cold, stir into it one pound of well dried and sifted flour by degrees, that it may be quite smooth and not lumpy, also six eggs well beaten, and one spoonful of ale yest. Beat all these well together; set it before the fire, cover it, and let it stand to rise one hour, before you bake. Some order it to be stirred a little while to keep it from being hard at top. Sprinkle over a little powdered cinnamon and sugar, when done.

_Sugar Wafers._

Take some double-refined sugar, sifted; wet it with the juice of lemon pretty thin, and then scald it over the fire till it candies on the top. Then put it on paper, and rub it about thin; when almost cold, pin up the paper across, and put the wafers in a stove to dry. Wet the outside of the paper to take them off. You may make them red with clear gilliflowers boiled in water, yellow with saffron in water, and green with the juice of spinach. Put sugar in, and scald it as though white, and, with a pin, mark your white ones before you pin them up.

_Walnuts, to preserve._

Take fine large walnuts at the time proper for pickling; p.r.i.c.k, with a large bodkin, seven or eight holes in each to let out the water; keep them in water till they change colour or no longer look green; then put them over a fire in cold water to boil, till they feel just soft, but not too soft. Spread them on a coa.r.s.e cloth to cool, and take away the water; stick in each walnut three or four cloves, three or four splinters of cinnamon, and the same of candied orange; then put them in pots or gla.s.ses. Boil a syrup, but not thick, which, when cold, pour over the walnuts, and let it stand a day or two; then pour the syrup off; add some more sugar; boil it up once more, and pour it again over the walnuts. When cold, tie them up.

_White Walnuts._

Take nuts that are neither too large nor too small; peel them to the white, taking off all the green with care, and throw them into pump water as you peel them; let them soak one night. Boil them quick in fair water, throwing in a handful or two of alum in powder, according to the quant.i.ty, that they may be very white. When boiled, put them in fresh water, and take them out again in a minute; lay them on a dry cloth to dry, and lard them with preserved citron; then put them in the syrup you have made for the purpose, while they were larding, and let them soak two or three days before you boil them quite; the syrup must be very clear. One hundred walnuts make about three pounds of sweetmeats.

_Mustard Whey._

Take milk and water of each a pint, bruised mustard seed an ounce and a half; boil these together till the curd is perfectly separated: then strain the whey through a cloth, and add a little sugar, which makes it more palatable.

_Yest._

Boil one ounce of hops in three quarts of water until reduced to about three pints. Pour it upon one pound of flour; make it into a batter; strain it through a colander, and, when nearly cold, put to it one pint of home-brewed yest. Put it into a bottle, and keep it for use. It should stand twenty-four or thirty hours before it is used.

_Excellent Yest._

Put a pint of well boiled milk into a hasty-pudding, and beat it till cold and there are few lumps remaining; then put to it two spoonfuls of yest and two of white powdered sugar, and stir it well. Put it in a large bowl not far from the fire, and next morning you will find it risen and light. Put it all to your flour, which must be mixed with as much warm milk and water as is necessary to make it into dough, and put it to rise in the common way.

_Potato Yest._

Boil rather more than a quarter of a peck of potatoes; bruise them through a colander; add half a pound of fine flour, and thin it with cold water till it is like a thick batter. Add three table-spoonfuls of good yest; let it stand for an hour, and make your bread.

This yest will always serve to make fresh from.

_Another way._

Weigh four pounds of raw potatoes pared; boil them in five pints of water. Wash and rub them through a sieve with the water in which they were boiled. Add four table-spoonfuls of good brown sugar; when milk-warm, put to the mixture three pennyworth of fresh yest; stir it well, and let it work in an open vessel. It will be fit for use in about twelve or fourteen hours.

About a pint and a half of this mixture will raise eighteen pounds of coa.r.s.e flour; it may be put to rise over-night and will be ready to knead the first thing in the morning. It should be left to rise in the loaf four or five hours, before it is put in the oven.

PICKLES.

_General Directions._

Stone jars, well glazed, are best for all sorts of pickles, as earthen vessels will not resist the vinegar, which penetrates through them.

Never touch pickles with the hand, or any thing greasy; but always make use of a wooden spoon, and keep them closely tied down, in a cool, dry place.

When you add vinegar to old pickles, let it boil, and stand till cold before you use it: on the contrary, when you make pickles, put it on the ingredients boiling and done with the usual spices.

_Green Almonds._

Boil a quant.i.ty of vinegar proportionate to that of the almonds to be pickled, skim it, and put into it salt, mace, ginger, Jamaica and white pepper. Put it into a jar, and let it stand till cold. Throw your almonds into the liquor, which must cover them.

_Artichokes._

Artichokes should be laid about six hours in a very strong brine of salt and water. Then put them into a pot of boiling water, and boil them till you can draw the leaves from the bottom, which must be cut smooth and clean, and put into a pot, with whole black pepper, salt, cloves, mace, bay-leaves, and as much white wine vinegar as will cover them. Lastly, pour upon them melted b.u.t.ter an inch thick, and cover them down close.

When you take out any for use, put them into boiling water, with a piece of b.u.t.ter to plump them, and you may use them for whatever you please.

_Artichokes to boil in Winter._

Boil your artichokes for half a day in salt and water; put them into a pot of boiling water, allowing them to continue boiling until you can just draw off the leaves from the bottom; cut them very clean and smooth, and put them into the pot with cloves, mace, salt, pepper, two bay-leaves, and as much vinegar as will cover them. Pour melted b.u.t.ter over to cover them about an inch thick; tie and keep them close down for use, with a piece of b.u.t.ter to plump them. You may use these for what you like.

_Asparagus._

Sc.r.a.pe the asparagus, and cut off the prime part at the ends; wipe them, and lay them carefully in a jar or jelly-pot, pour vinegar over them, and let them lie in this about fourteen days. Then boil fresh vinegar, and pour it on them hot; repeat this until they are of a good colour; add a little mace and nutmeg, and tie them down close. This does very well for a made dish when asparagus is not to be had.

_Barberries._ No. 1.

Gather the barberries when full ripe, picking out those that look bad.

Lay them in a deep pot. Make two quarts of strong brine of salt and water; boil it with a pint of vinegar, a pound of white sugar, a few cloves, whole white pepper, and mace, tied in a bag; skim it, and when cold pour it on your barberries. Barberries with stones will pickle; they must be without stones for preserving.

_Barberries._ No. 2.

Colour the water of the worst barberries, and add salt till the brine is strong enough to bear an egg. Boil it for half an hour, skimming it, and when cold strain it over the barberries. Lay something on them to keep them in the liquor: put them into a gla.s.s, and cover with leather.

_Barberries._ No. 3.

Boil a strong brine of salt and water, let it stand till quite cold, and pour it upon the barberries.