The Country Housewife and Lady's Director in the Management of a House Part 18

Take some of the White of a roasted or boil'd Chicken's Breast, and shred it very small; then add some Roots of Potatoes boil'd and beat into Pulp.

Mix these together, and grate a little Lemon-Peel upon it, and add a little Anchovy Liquor to it, with some Oil; and put a little Lemon-juice to it, or Vinegar, with some Pepper and Salt, serve it upon Sippits, garnish'd with sliced Lemon. These may be b.u.t.ter'd in Sh.e.l.ls as the Former, but the first is rather the best.

To make artificial _Lobsters._ From the same.

Practise the same Method with either of the former; and to imitate the Tail of the Lobster, put in the Tails of Shrimps, Buntings, Prawns or Cray-fish; the last cut in pieces, and serve them either upon Sippets in a Plate, or in the large Sh.e.l.l of the Lobster.

_N.B._ This is a sort of Salmy, or Salmy-Gundy, as they call it in _England;_ but is very much like the Thing we want: and I think, if the Shrimps, or others, were put into the first, it would make it better than putting in the Anchovy Liquor; but if they are to imitate a Crab, they must, (_i.e._ the Shrimps or Prawns) be chopt very small.

To imitate _Cherry-Brandy,_ without _Cherries,_ very Good.

Take a clean Spirit, or some good _French_ Brandy, one Gallon, and infuse in it the Tops of Laurel, one good handfull till it tastes like the Kernels of Cherries; then put in a quant.i.ty of Mulberry Syrup, enough to colour it, and make it pleasant to the Taste. A good Judge will not find the difference between the Right and the Wrong. _N.B._ When the Brandy is strong enough of the Laurel-Buds, pour it off.

To make _Cherry Brandy._ From Mr. _Cent-Livre._

Take black Cherries, when they are at the cheapest, and pulling them from the Stalks, put them into a Cask of Brandy, a Pound to each Quart of Brandy, and one Pound of fine Sugar to each Gallon. Let it stand for some time, and draw it off. It will be very rich.

To make _Ratafia._ From the same.

Take the Kernels of Apricots, to do it in the highest way, about one hundred and fifty, and bruise them a little; then put them into three or four Quarts of Brandy, and let them steep four or five Days: then strain them off, and add as much fine Sugar powder'd, as will make it sweet to your Taste. If you find that the Brandy is too strong of the Kernels, put some more Brandy to it before you sweeten it.

_Memorandum,_ If you cannot get Apricot or Peach-Stones, enough for your use, you may use the Kernels of Plum-Stones, Cherry-Stones, or Prunes, and they will make little difference, in great quant.i.ties. Break the Sh.e.l.ls, and put in Sh.e.l.ls and all.

_To make Artificial_ Ratafia.

To a Gallon of Spirits or Brandy, put in two handfuls of the Buds of young Laurel-Branches; infuse this till the Liquor is of a taste as you would have it: then pour off the Liquor, and sweeten it to your Fancy with fine Sugar powder'd. This is a way that a Distiller, who is dead, practised a long while, as well as the making of Gin, or Geneva Brandy, with infusing the Tops of the Juniper Plant in common Spirits. These I told him of, and it is now at my own disposal, and therefore give it to the World. The Ratafia tastes exactly as if the Kernels of Apricot or Plum-Stones had been used.

To make _Salmy,_ or with us _Salmy-Gundy._ From Lady _M._

Take the Breast of a Turkey, a Chicken, or the Lean of some Veal that has been roasted rather than boil'd; but if that happens, it will still do. But however it is, take none of the Skin, nor any Fat. Mince this very small about half a Pound, and then take off the Skin of a pickled Herring, and mince the Flesh of it very small, or for want of that, cut the Flesh of some Anchovys very small; then cut a large Onion small, an Apple or two as small as the rest. Mix these Meats together and laying them in little Heaps, three on a Plate, let some whole Anchovys curl'd or upright, in the Middle, and garnish with sliced Lemon, Capers and other Pickles, with red Beet-Roots pickled and sliced. This to be served cold; and when you eat it, use Oil, Vinegar, and a little Mustard.

To serve up pickled _Herrings._ From the same.

Take large pickled Herrings, take off the Skin; then take the Flesh from the Bones, on each side, all in one piece, crossing them every half-inch.

Then lay the Parts next the Head, in the middle of the Plate, spreading their Bodies to the outside, like a Star, garnis.h.i.+ng them with the Roots of red Beets sliced, Lemon sliced, and Berberries pickled. This is commonly eaten with Vinegar, and Bread and b.u.t.ter, but Onion and Pepper is sometimes used.

_Marmalade_ of _Peaches._ From the same.

Take Peaches, well grown and almost ripe; pare them, and take their Flesh clean from the Stones. Lay them with a little Water into a Stew-Pan, and add three Quarters of their weight of fine Sugar powder'd. Let this stew till the Peaches are tender, and then mash them with a Spoon, letting them boil gently all the while, till the Whole becomes thick, almost like a Paste; then take it out, and cool it in a _China_ Dish, or earthen glazed Pan; and when it is cold, put it into Gla.s.ses, and cover them over with white Paper.

White _Peach-_Tarts. From the same.

Make some Coffins of sweet Paste, and when they are gently baked, and cold, fill them with the above-mention'd Marmalade of Peaches, and serve them.

_Apricots_ preserv'd for Tarts. From the same.

Take Apricots of the largest kind, When they begin to turn to Ripeness, pare them and discharge them from the Stones. Cut them in Halves, and stew them with a little Water, and their weight of fine Sugar powder'd. Boil these gently over a clear Charcoal Fire, till the Liquor becomes of the Consistence of a Jelly, and the Apricots are clear. Then when they are cool, put them up in glazed Gallypots, or in Gla.s.ses. If you use them for Tarts, put them in Coffins of sweet Paste, and cover them, and put them in the Oven, till they are hot through. Then serve them with double-refined Sugar grated over them. These may be either serv'd hot or cold. The Jelly of this kind, in the Gla.s.ses, may be serv'd as a Sweetmeat in a Desert.

_Memorandum,_ If, when these Fruits are ripe, you can have any Apples near ripe, pare them, and slice them free from the Core, and stew them in as much Water as will cover them, and their weight in fine Sugar, till by boiling and stirring, the whole becomes of a Jelly; then in this, when it is clear, stew your Apricots, or Peaches, till they are what you desire.

_N.B._ You may always colour these with Syrup of Mulberries, which gives no additional Taste.

Plums to make _Marmalade _of. From the same.

There are several sorts of Plums, which are fit for this use. And though they differ in colour, that is, some red and some white, yet the Marmalade made of any of them will be white, for the Colour is only in the Skin; and that if it was to be used, could give no Tincture; but in our Case, we do not want it. The Sorts are either the _Bonum Magnum_, as it is call'd, which is a large, long, red Plum, with a Pulp very tender, but sour, when it is raw from the Tree. Another is a large Plum, rather yellowish than white, when it is ripe, and of the former Shape, like an Egg, which is called by some the Egg-Plum; but more particularly the white _Holland_ Plum, and is so called by the Gardeners. These two have a Flesh and Juice much like one another, and make a fine Shew in a Dish by way of Desert; but are in my Opinion only fit for stewing. However, the Skins will part easily from 'em, when they are ripe, and they both quit the Stone freely. Take these and peel them, and divide them; then put them in a little Water and their weight of fine Sugar, made into a Syrup, over a gentle Fire: put them in when the Liquor is only warm, and when they are cover'd with the Syrup, stew them gently, if you would preserve them in their Shape; and put them, with the Syrup, into Gla.s.ses as soon as they are clear, or else mash them into the Syrup, and let them boil till they become like a Paste; keeping all stirring while they are over the Fire, or else they will burn to the Pan. This Marmalade is good to be serv'd in Gla.s.ses as a Sweet-meat in a Desert, or to be put into Coffins for Tarts, or to be brought upon the Table in Saucers among the other Sweet-meats in a Desert.

To stew _Cuc.u.mbers._ From the _Devil-_Tavern, _Fleet-street._

Take a dozen large green Cuc.u.mbers, that are not too full of Seed; pare them, and slice them; then take two large Onions, and shred them indifferently small. Put these in a Sauce-Pan, and set them over the Fire to stew, with as much Salt as you think convenient; stir them now and then, till they are tender, and then pour them into a Cullender to drain from the Water, and are as dry as possible you can make them; then flour them, and put some Pepper to them. After this, burn some b.u.t.ter in a Frying-Pan; and when it is very hot, put in your Cuc.u.mbers, and stir them continually till they are brown; then put to them about a Gill of Claret; and when that is well mix'd with them, serve them hot, under roast Mutton or Lamb; or else, serve them on a Plate, upon Sippits fry'd and dip'd in Mutton or Beef Gravey.

To Farce _Cuc.u.mbers._ From the same.

Take large Cuc.u.mbers and pare them, then scoop out all the Seeds, first cutting off one End, then prepare the following Farce for them. Take the Hearts of some Cabbage-Lettuce stew'd tender in Salt and Water, drain them well, and chop them small, and cut some Onion very fine, shred a little Parsley that has been boil'd tender, and a Mushroom pickled; and add a little All-Spice finely powder'd, and some Pepper, a little Salt, and some Fat of Bacon chopt small. Mix these well together, with the Yolk of an Egg or two, according to your Quant.i.ty, and stuff the Cuc.u.mbers full of it.

Then tie the Ends, that were cut off close, with Packthread, and stew them in Water and Salt till they are tender; then drain them and flour them, and fry them brown in Hogs-Lard very hot, and let them drain; then take off the Threads that hold them together, and lay them in your Dish, and pour the following Sauce over them: _viz._ Take Gravey well season'd, and as much Claret; boil these together, with some Lemon-Peel, and All-Spice; and thicken this Sauce with burnt b.u.t.ter. These are good to be serv'd with Mutton Cutlets, as well as alone.

To make a _Shrops.h.i.+re_ Pye.

Take a couple of Rabbits, and cut them in pieces; season them well with Pepper and Salt; then cut some pieces of fat Pork, and season them in like manner. Lay these into your Crust, with some pieces of b.u.t.ter, upon the bottom Crust, and close your Pye. Then pour in half a Pint of Water, and red Wine mixt, and bake it. Some will grate the best part of a Nutmeg upon the Meat, before they close the Pye, which is a very good way. This must be serv'd hot.

To make a _Shrops.h.i.+re_ Pye, another way. From Lady _H._