Scale and clean your Trouts very well, wash them in Vinegar, and slit them
down the Back, after which put Pepper and Salt into the Incision, and on
their Outsides, and let them lie upon a Dish three Hours; then lay them in
an earthen glaz'd Pan, with pieces of Butter upon them, and put them in an
Oven two Hours, if they are Trouts fourteen Inches long, or less in
proportion, taking care to tie some Paper close over the Pan. When this is
done, take away from them all the Liquor, and put them in a Pot, and as
soon as they are quite cold, pour some clarified Butter upon them to cover
them: These will eat as well as potted Charrs. Some will take out the Bone
upon slitting the Back, and these have been often taken for Charrs; tho' I
don't know above two Places where the Charrs are, one is a Pool where a
River or Brook runs thro' in _Lancashire,_ and the other is in a Pool at
_Naant,_ within four Miles of _Caernarvon._ But the Charr is of the Trout
kind, and it must be a good judge in Fish to distinguish one from another;
however, there is some small difference, which the Criticks in fishing take
notice of.
Fish may also be kept in Pickle several Weeks, as the Jack and Trout
especially are agreeable Varieties.
This time is a proper Season for making a pleasant and strong Wine of
_Malaga_ Raisins, which will keep good many Years, and among the best
Judges of Wine is much admired; it is not unlike a strong Mountain Wine: at
this time also the Raisins are very cheap.
To make Raisin Wine.
Take half a hundred weight of _Malaga_ Raisins, pick them clean from the
Stalks, and chop the Raisins small, then put them into a large Tub, and
boil ten Gallons of River Water, or such Water as is soft, and pour it hot
upon them; let this be stirr'd twice or thrice every Day for twelve Days
successively, and then pour the Liquor into a Cask and make a Toast of
Bread, and while it is hot, spread it on both sides with Yeast or Barm, and
put it into the Vessel to the Wine, and it will make it ferment gently,
which you may know by its making a hissing Noise; during the time of
working, the Bung of the Vessel must be left open, and as soon as that is
over, stop it up close. This will be fine and fit for Drinking in about
four Months time; but if you make twice the quantity, it should stand five
or six Months before you broach it: Observe that you set it in a good
Cellar, such as I have mentioned in the Month of _March_, under the Article
of Brewing.
To make Fronteniac Wine.
The foregoing Receipt must be followed in every particular, only when you
put it into the Vessel, add to it some of the Syrup of the white Fronteniac
Grape, which we may make in _England_, tho' the Season is not favourable
enough to ripen that sort of Grape; for in a bad Year, when the white
Fronteniac, or the Muscadella Grapes are hard and unripe, and without
Flavour, yet if you bake them they will take the rich Flavour, which a good
share of Sun would have given them. You may either bake the Fronteniac
Grapes with Sugar, or boil them to make a Syrup of their Juice, about a
Quart of which Syrup will be enough to put to five Quarts of the Raisin
Wine. When these have work'd together, and stood a time, as directed in the
foregoing Receipt, you will have a Fronteniac Wine of as rich a Flavour as
the _French_ sort, besides the Pleasure of knowing that all the Ingredients
are wholesome.
This Month is the principal time for Asparagus, which every one knows how
to prepare in the common way; but there are some particulars relating to
the fitting them for the Table, which I had from a curious Gentleman at
_Antwerp,_ which I shall here set down.
To preserve Asparagus.
Cut away all the hard part of your Asparagus, and just boil them up with
Butter and Salt, then fling them into cold Water, and presently take them
out again and let them drain; when they are cold, put them in a Gallipot,
large enough for them to lie without bending, putting to them some whole
Cloves; some Salt, and as much Vinegar and Water, in equal quantities, as
will cover them half an Inch; then take a single Linnen Cloth, and let it
into the Pot upon the Water, and pour melted Butter over it, and keep them
in a temperate Place: When you use them, lay them to steep in warm Water,
and dress them as you would do fresh Asparagus. It is to be noted, that in
_Holland,_ and most places abroad, the Asparagus is always white, which is
done according to a method that I have inserted in my other Works; the
method of bringing them to Table the foreign way, is to serve them with
melted Butter, Salt, Vinegar, and Nutmeg grated.
The Tops or Heads of Asparagus being broken in small pieces and boil'd, are
used in Soups like green Pease.
Asparagus in Cream. From the same.
Break the Tops of your Asparagus in small Pieces, then blanch them a little
in boiling Water, or parboil them, after which put them in a Stew-Pan or
Frying-Pan with Butter or Hog's-Lard, and let them remain a little while
over a brisk Fire, taking care that they are not too greasy, but well
drain'd; then put them in a clean Stew-Pan with some Milk and Cream, a
gentle Seasoning of Salt and Spice, with a small Bunch of sweet Herbs; and
just when they are enough, add to them the Yolks of two or three Eggs
beaten, with a little Cream to bind your Sauce.
The Greens, which are now fit for boiling, are Sprouts of Cabbages, and
young Cabbage-Plants, which every one knows how to prepare. There is also
Spinage, which is best stew'd without any Water, its own Juice being
sufficient; and we have still plenty of Lupines, that is, the flowring
Stalks of Turnips, which eat very agreeably; they should be gather'd about
the length of Asparagus, when the Tops are knotted for flowering, and the
strings in the outside of the Stalks stripp'd from them; then tie them in
Bunches, as you do Asparagus, and put them in boiling Water with some Salt,
and let them boil three or four Minutes, then lay them to drain, without
pressing, and serve them to Table as you would do Asparagus. The same way
is used in the management of Brocoli.
The middle of this Month the Cowslip is in Flower, or as some call it the
Peigle; and now is the Season to make a most pleasant Wine of the Flowers.
This Receipt is the best I have met with.