The Country Housewife and Lady's Director in the Management of a House Part 25

_Plum-Pottage,_ or _Christmas-Pottage._ From the same.

Take a Leg of Beef, and boil it till it is tender in a sufficient quant.i.ty of Water, add two Quarts of red Wine, and two Quarts of old strong Beer; put to these some Cloves, Mace, and Nutmegs, enough to season it, and boil some Apples, pared and freed from the Cores into it, and boil them tender, and break them; and to every Quart of Liquor, put half a Pound of Currans pick'd clean, and rubb'd with a coa.r.s.e Cloth, without was.h.i.+ng. Then add a Pound of Raisins of the Sun, to a Gallon of Liquor, and half a Pound of Prunes. Take out the Beef, and the Broth or Pottage will be fit for use.

_Amber-Rum,_ from _Barbadoes;_ an extra-ordinary way of making it, from that Country.

Take the Preparation of the Sc.u.m and Dregs of the Sugar-Canes. Let them ferment, and distil them with the Leaves of the _Plata.n.u.s_, or Plain-Tree; then put them into a Still again, and hang some Amber powder'd, in a Muslin Bag, in the Cap of the Still, and let all the Steam pa.s.s through that, and it will be incomparable good Rum.

A boiled _Goose_ with its Garniture. From the same.

Take a young fat Goose, and salt it, and pepper it, for four Days or a Week; then boil it as you would do other Victuals, till it is tender; then take it from the Pot, and put about it some _Hertfords.h.i.+re_ Turnips boiled, being first cut in dice, some Carrots boiled, and cut in dice, some small Cabbage-Sprouts, some red Beet-Roots cut in dice, some _French_ yellow Turnips cut in dice, or such other Roots, or Herbs, as you like best.

Collyflowers, if they are in season, will do well; but they must all be toss'd up with Cream and b.u.t.ter, except the _Hertfords.h.i.+re_ Turnips, which should, after they are boiled, be dry'd in a Cloth, and well flour'd; then fry them in hot Lard, or hot b.u.t.ter, drain them well, and serve them with the same Sauce.

_Memorandum_, If you have any of the yellow _French_ Turnips, cut them in dice to boil, and when they are enough, treat them in the same manner as you are directed, for the _Hertfords.h.i.+re_ Turnips. Take care in the buying of the _Hertfords.h.i.+re_ Turnips, for they are all white; but they require a longer boiling than the red-ringed Turnips: the red-rings are soft presently, when they are good, and the others are near an Hour in boiling, and, even then, feel hard to the Spoon.

_Viper-Soup._ From Mr. _Ganeau._

Take Vipers, alive, and skin them, and cut off their Heads; then cut them in pieces, about two Inches in length, and boil them, with their Hearts, in about a Gallon of Water to eight Vipers, if they are pretty large. Put into the Liquor a little Pepper and Salt, and a Quart of White Wine to a Gallon of Liquor; then put in some Spice, to your mind, and chop the following Herbs, and put into it: Take some Chervill, some white Beet-Cards or Leaves, some Hearts of Cabbage-Lettuce, a Shallot, some Spinach-Leaves, and some Succory. Boil these, and let them be tender; then serve it up hot, with a _French_ Roll in the middle, and garnish with the raspings of Bread sifted, and slices of Lemon.

_Ketchup,_ in Paste. From _Bencoulin_ in the _East-Indies._

There is a Kidney-Bean, we have here, which has a fine relish in it, as the _Indians_ say, but in fact there is none but what they give it by Art. This Bean, when it is full ripe, is taken out of the Sh.e.l.ls, and boiled to a Pulp, and that Pulp strain'd till it becomes like b.u.t.ter; then they put some of all the Spices into it, in Powder, as, Nutmeg, Cloves, Mace, and Pepper, Garlick, and Orange-Juice, or some Mango Pickle. This being well mix'd together, makes an agreeable Sauce, when it is put in any warm Liquor.

To dry Plums with Sugar. From Mr. _Girarde._

Take large white or red Plums, such as the white _Holland's_-Plum, the _Bonum magnum_, the Royal Dolphin or Imperial Plum. Cut these, and take out the Stones, and to every Pound of Plums, put three quarters of a Pound of Sugar: boil your Sugar with a little Water, to a candy height; then put in your Plums, and boil them gently on a slow Fire; then set them by to cool, and then boil them afresh, taking care that they do not break; then let them lie in their Syrup, three or four Days, and then lay them upon Sieves, to dry, in a warm Oven, turning them upon clean Sieves, twice a day, till they are dry. Then wash them off the clamminess of the Sugar with warm Water, and dry them again in the Oven; and when they are cold, put them up in Boxes, with Papers between them, and keep them in a dry Place.

To make small _Almond-Cakes._ From the same.

Take some Orange-Flower-Water, or Rose-Water, with about two Grains of Amber-Gris, and beat these with a Pound of blanched Almonds, in a Marble Mortar; then take a Pound of fine Sugar powder'd, and finely sifted, and put most of it to the Almonds, when they are well beaten, and mix it well.

Then make your Cakes, and lay them on Wafers, and set them in a gentle Oven, on tin Plates; and when they are half baked, boil what Sugar you have left, with some Rose-Water, to a candy height, and, with a Feather, wash the Cakes over with this Liquor, and close your Oven, and let them stand a few Minutes longer.

To preserve _Bullace._ From the same.

Take your Bullace before the Frost has taken them; let them be fresh gather'd, and clear Fruit, scald them in Water: then take their weight in fine Sugar, with a little Water, and boil it to a Syrup; then put in your Bullace, and boil them till the Syrup is very thick, and your Fruit very clear.

To preserve green _Peaches._ From the same.

In some Gardens, where the Trees are pruned and ordered, by a skilful hand, it is often that a Tree will be so full of Fruit, that it is necessary to take away some, when they are green, that the others may swell the better.

As this sometimes happens with Peaches, so I shall here direct how to preserve them. Scald your green Peaches in Water, then, with a Cloth, rub the Down from them; then put them, in more Water, over a slow Fire, and let them stew till they are green, keeping them cover'd. Then take their weight in fine Sugar, and with some Water, boil it to a Syrup, taking off the Sc.u.m as it rises; then put in your Peaches, and boil them till they are clear, and put them up, with the Syrup, in Gla.s.ses, or Gally-pots; and when they are cold, cover them with Paper. Note, You must gather your Peaches before the Stone is hard in them, which you may know by putting a Pin through them.

To preserve _Goosberries._ From the same.

The best Goosberries, for this Work, are the white _Dutch_ Goosberry, and the Walnut-Goosberry. Take these, just when they are beginning to turn ripe, pick off the Flower-tuft at the Ends, and stone them; then take to every Pound of Fruit, one Pound and a quarter of fine Sugar beaten and sifted. Boil the Sugar with a little Water to a Syrup, taking off the Sc.u.m as it rises; then put in your Fruit, and boil them quick till they are clear, and put them in Gla.s.ses, boiling the Syrup a little more; then pour it upon them, and when it is cold, cover your Gla.s.ses close with Paper.

To candy _Eringo-Roots._ From Mr. _Lufkin_ of _Colchester._

Take the fairest Roots of Eringo, fresh taken out of the Ground, wash them clean, and boil them in several Waters till they are very tender: wash them again, and rub them with a Cloth, to dry as much as they will bear, without breaking, or bruising; slit them, and take out the Pith, and twist two together, like a Screw. Then take to every Pound of Root two Pounds of fine Sugar powder'd, of which Sugar take one Pound at first, and boil it with some Rose-Water, to a Syrup; and then put in your Roots, and boil them till they are clear; then wet the rest of your Sugar with Rose-Water, and boil it to a candy Height; then put in the Roots, and let them boil, shaking them often over the Fire, and when you think they are enough, take them from the Fire, and shake them till they are cold, and almost dry; then lay them upon Dishes to dry thoroughly, and when they are done, put them up in Boxes with white Paper, under and over them, then keep them in a dry place.

To preserve _Grapes_ in _Syrup._ From the same.

The best Grapes for this use, are those of the Fronteniac Kind, of which there are the white and the blue, and the red, which seldom come to ripen in _England_, with their pure flavour. But as Heat is the occasion of ripening; so, though they want it with us, from the Sun, we may make good that deficiency by Fire, which will answer the end fully, and bring them to the highest perfection of Taste, therefore the Sweet-meat made of these is excellent; besides these Grapes for preserving, the _St. Peter_ and the Warner Grapes are very good, and I may mention the grizled Fronteniac, which is a n.o.ble Grape, when it is ripe, as well as the others. And for the other Sorts of Grapes, they are not fit for preserving, unless I take in the Raisin Grapes, red and white, and the _Lombardy_ Grape; all which are full of Pulp, and seldom ripen. These are your sorts, and now to proceed.

Take your Grapes, gather'd in a dry Day, though they are not ripe. You may guess when we come to the end of _September_, and they are not so, they never will be ripe: pick them then from the Stalks, and stone them carefully, without breaking much of the Skin, save the Juice; then take the weight of them in fine Sugar powder'd, and boil your Sugar with some Water, wherein Pippins have been boiled before, first straining your Water, and boil them to Syrup, taking off the Sc.u.m as it rises. And when the Sc.u.m rises no more, put in your Grapes, and boil them quick till they are as clear as Crystal, I mean the white Grapes; but the red Sorts, let them boil till they are clear, and that the Syrup will jelly; then put them into Gla.s.ses, and when they are cold, cover them close with white Paper; but mark your Papers, which are of the Fronteniac Kinds, for they will have a very different Flavour from the other Sorts, an high richness that is much admired. However, though the other Kinds of Grapes, mention'd in this Receipt, may want a flavour by themselves, you may add some Orange-Flower Water to the Syrup, you make for them, which will give them a fine taste.

_N.B._ Take care that when you make this Preserve, you use only one sort at one time.

To dress a _Calf's-Head_ in a grand Dish. From Mrs. _E. Sympson._

Take a large Calf's-Head, and divide it, cut off the Muzzle, and wash it well; then take the Brains, and wash them, and dry them, and flour them, and put them in a Cloth, and tye them up. Boil these till they are half done; then take them from the Kettle, and cut the Flesh off one side of the Head, in slices, like harsh'd Meat, and the other side of the Head must remain whole, and mark'd only with a sharp Knife, cross-ways. The Brains must lie till the rest are prepared.

Take then the harsh'd part, and with some of the Liquor it was boil'd in, put a Gla.s.s of White Wine, a little Mushroom Ketchup, a little Nutmeg grated, and a little Mace beat fine, some Pepper and Salt, some grated Lemon-Peel, and stew them together with a bunch of sweet Herbs, and some b.u.t.ter. When it is enough, put in a little Juice of Lemon, and thicken it with Cream and b.u.t.ter, in some of the same Liquor, with the Liquor of Oysters parboil'd, a Pint of Oysters, and as many pickled Mushrooms, which must be toss'd up with your Sauce, when you thicken it, remembring to cut the Eye in pieces, amongst the Harsh.

Then for the other side of the Head, when you have cut the Flesh cross ways, in Diamonds, about an Inch over, beat the Yolks of two or three Eggs, and with a Feather past over it, cover it with the Yolks of Eggs, and then drudge upon it the following Mixture.

Take some Raspings of Bread sifted, put to them some Flour, a little Pepper and Salt, with some Mace and Nutmeg, in powder, and a little sweet Marjoram powder'd, or shred small. Mix these well together; then set it in an Oven, with some bits of b.u.t.ter upon it, till it is enough, or before a brisk Fire, till the drudging is brown: this must be laid in the middle of the Dish, and the Harsh round it. The Brains must be cut in pieces, and strew'd with a little red Sage cut very small, and a little Spice and Salt; and then every piece, dip'd in a thick Batter, made of Eggs, Flour, and Milk.

Fry these well in hot Hog's-Lard, or for want of that, in hot melted Beef-Suet; then take Oysters, a little stew'd in their own Liquor, with Mace, and a little whole Pepper; take off their Fins, and dip them in the same Batter, and fry them as directed above for the Brains. There must be likewise some Pieces of Bread cut the length of one's Finger, and fry'd crisp; all these are by way of Garnish. One may likewise boil some Skirret-Roots, and peel them, and then dip them in the Batter, and fry them crisp. As for the other part of the Garnish, it must be red Beets pickled and sliced, and Lemon sliced.

_Calf's-Head-_Pye. From the same.

Take a large Calf's-Head, divide it, and when it is well cleaned, boil it half enough; then cut it in large slices, and slit the Eyes, season it with Nutmeg, Pepper, Salt, and some powder of dry'd sweet Herbs; then lay it in your Paste, with some Pepper and Salt, at the Bottom, with some bits of b.u.t.ter; then put in the Yolks of twelve hard Eggs, and a farced Meat made in the following manner. Take some Lean of Veal, shred it very small, then take some Eggs b.u.t.ter'd, and a little Pepper and Salt, with other Spice beaten, and some sweet Herbs in powder. Mix this with the Yolk or two of raw Eggs beaten, and make it into a Paste. Then roll it into b.a.l.l.s, and lay a good number of them into the Pye, amongst the Meat; and, if you will, put in half a Pound of Currans well pick'd, and only rubb'd in a Cloth, without was.h.i.+ng. Then close your Pye, and just before it goes to the Oven, pour in a Gill of White Wine, and half a Pint of Water; bake it and serve it hot, and you may add, if you will, the following Liquor, _viz._

Take half a Pint of White Wine, and as much Water, with the Juice of a Lemon. Boil these together a Minute or two, then take the Yolks of four Eggs, and beat them well, a quarter of a Pound of b.u.t.ter, and as much Sugar as you like to make it palatable. Then mix them well together, taking care that it does not curdle, and pour it into your Pye just before you serve it.

_Note_, One may put into this Pye, c.o.c.k's-Combs blanched, and some Citron or Lemon-Peel candy'd, if you design it for a sweet Pye; but it is very good, whether we make it a sweet Pye or not.