little Kettle about three quarters full, so that there may be happily two
or three Gallons of Milk. Let this stand thus five or six hours. About
twelve a Clock at night kindle a good fire of Charcoal, and set a large
Trivet over it. When the fire is very clear and quick, and free from all
smoak, set your Kettle of Milk over it upon the Trivet, and have in a pot
by a quart of good Cream ready to put in at the due time; which must be,
when you see the Milk begin to boil simpringly. Then pour in the Cream in a
little stream and low, upon a place, where you see the milk simper: This
will presently deaden the boiling, and then you must pour in no more Cream
there, but in a fresh place, where it simpreth and bubbeleth a little.
Continue this pouring in, in new places where the milk boileth, till all
your Cream is in, watching it carefully to that end. Then let it continue
upon the fire to boil, till you see all the Milk rise up together to the
top, and not in little parcels here and there, so that it would run over,
if it should stay longer upon the fire. Then let two persons take it
steadily off, and set it by in a Cool-room to stand unmoved, uncovered; but
so as no Motes may fall in, for the rest of that night, and all the next
day and night, and more, if you would have it thicker. Then an hour or two
before Dinner cut the thick Cream at the top with a Knife into squares as
broad as your hand, which will be the thicker the longer it hath stood.
Then have a thin slice or skimmer of Latton, and with that raise up the
thick Cream, putting your slice under it so nicely, that you take up no
milk with it; and have a Ladle or Spoon in the other hand to help the cream
upon the slice, which thereby will become mingled: and lay these parcels of
Cream in a dish, into which you have first put a little raw Cream, or of
that (between Cream and Milk) that is immediately under the Clouts. To take
the Clouts the more conveniently, you hold a back of a Ladle or
skimming-dish against the further side of the Clout, that it may not slide
away when the Latton slice shuffeth it on the other side to get under it,
and so the Clout will mingle together or dubble up, which makes it the
thicker, and the more graceful. When you have laid a good Laire of Clouts
in the dish, put upon it a little more fresh raw or boiled cream, and then
fill it up with the rest of the Clouts. And when it is ready to serve in,
you may strew a little Sugar upon it, if you will you may sprinkle in a
little Sugar between every flake or clout of Cream. If you keep the dish
thus laid a day longer before you eat it, the Cream will grow the thicker
and firmer. But if you keep it, I think it is best to be without sugar or
raw Cream in it, and put them in, when you are to serve it up. There will
be a thin Cream swimming upon the milk of the Kettle after the Clouts are
taken away, which is very sweet and pleasant to drink. If you should let
your clouts lie longer upon the milk, then I have said, before you skim it
off, the Milk underneath would grow soure, and spoil the cream above. If
you put these clouts into a Churn with other cream, it will make very good
butter, so as no sugar have been put with it.
MY LORD OF S. ALBAN'S CRESME FOUETTEE
Put as much as you please to make, of sweet thick cream into a dish, and
whip it with a bundle of white hard rushes, (of such as they make whisks to
brush cloaks) tyed together, till it come to be very thick, and near a
buttery substance. If you whip it too long, it will become butter. About a
good hour will serve in winter. In summer it will require an hour and a
half. Do not put in the dish, you will serve it up in, till it be almost
time to set it upon the table. Then strew some poudered fine sugar in the
bottom of the dish it is to go in, and with a broad spatule lay your cream
upon it: when half is laid in, strew some more fine sugar upon it, and then
lay in the rest of the Cream (leaving behinde some whey that will be in the
bottom) and strew more sugar upon that. You should have the sugar-box by
you, to strew on sugar from time to time, as you eat off the superficies,
that is strewed over with sugar. If you would have your whipped cream light
and frothy, that hath but little substance in the eating, make it of onely
plain milk; and if you would have it of a consistence between both, mingle
cream and milk.
TO MAKE THE CREAM CURDS
Strain your Whey, and set it on the fire; make a clear and gentle fire
under your kettle; as they rise, put in Whey, so continuing till they are
ready to skim. Then take your skimmer, and put them on the bottom of a hair
sieve, so let them drain till they are cold; then take them off, and put
them into a basin, and beat them with two or three spoonfuls of Cream and
Sugar.
TO MAKE CLOUTED CREAM
Take two Gallons more or less of new milk, set it upon a clear fire; when
it is ready to boil, put in a quart of sweet cream, and take it off the
fire, and strain it through a hair sieve into earthen pans; let it stand
two days and two nights; then take it off with a skimmer; strew sugar on
the cream, and serve it to the Table.
TO MAKE A WHIP SYLLABUB
Take the whites of two Eggs, and a pint of Cream, six spoonfuls of Sack, as
much Sugar as will sweeten it; then take a Birchen rod and whip it; as it
riseth with froth, skim it, and put it into the Syllabub pot; so continue
it with whipping and skimming, till your Syllabub pot be full.
TO MAKE A PLAIN SYLLABUB
Take a pint of Verjuyce in a bowl; milk the Cow to the Verjuyce; take off
the Curd; and take sweet-cream and beat them together with a little Sack
and Sugar; put it into your Syllabub pot; then strew Sugar on it, and so
send it to the Table.
CONCERNING POTAGES
The ground or body of Potages must always be very good broth of Mutton,
Veal and Volaille. Now to give good taste, you vary every month of the
year, according to the herbs and roots that are in season. In Spring and
Summer you use Cersevil, Oseille, Borage, Bugloss, Pourpier, Lettice,
Chicoree and Cowcombers quartered, etc. The manner of using them is to boil
store of them about half an hour or a quarter, in a pot by it self, with
some bouillon taken out off the great pot; half an hour before dinner, take
light bread well dryed from all moisture before the fire; then cut in
slices, laid in a dish over coals, pour upon it a ladleful of broath, no
more then the bread can presently drink up; which when it hath done, put on
another ladleful, and stew that, till it be drunk up; repeat this three or
four times, a good quarter of an hour in all, till the bread is swelled
like a gelly (if it be too long, it will grow glewy and stick to the dish)
and strong of broth; then fill it up near full with the same strong broth,
which having stewed a while, put on the broth and herbs, and your Capon or
other meat upon that, and so let it stew a quarter of an hour longer, then
turn it up.
In winter, boil half an hour a pretty bundle of Parsley, and half as much
of Sives, and a very little Thyme, and Sweet-marjoram; when they have given
their taste to the herbs, throw the bundle away, and do as abovesaid with
the bread. Deeper in the Winter, Parsley-roots, and White-chicoree, or
Navets, or Cabbage, which last must be put in at first, as soon as the pot
is skimmed; and to colour the bouillon it is good to put into it (sooner or
later, according to the coursness or fineness of what you put in)
Partridges or Wild-duck, or a fleshy piece of Beef half rosted. Green-pease
may some of them be boiled a pretty while in the great pot; but others in a
pot by themselves, with some Bouillon no longer then as if they were to eat
buttered, and put upon the dish, containing the whole stock a quarter of an
hour after the other hath stewed a quarter of an hour upon the bread.
Sometimes Old-pease boiled in the broth from the first, to thicken it, but
no Pease to be served in with it. Sometimes a piece of the bottom of a
Venison Pasty, put in from the first. Also Venison bones.
PLAIN SAVOURY ENGLISH POTAGE
Make it of Beef, Mutton and Veal; at last adding a Capon, or Pigeons. Put
in at first a quartered Onion or two, some Oat-meal, or French barley, some
bottome of a Venison-pasty-crust, twenty whole grains of Pepper: four or
five Cloves at last, and a little bundle of sweet-herbs, store of
Marigold-flowers. You may put in Parsley or other herbs.
Or make it with Beef, Mutton and Veal, putting in some Oat-meal, and good
pot-herbs, as Parsley, Sorrel, Violet-leaves, etc. And a very little Thyme
and Sweet-marjoram, scarce to be tasted: and some Marigold leaves, at last.
You may begin to boil it overnight, and let it stand warm all night; then
make an end of boiling it next morning. It is well to put into the pot, at
first, twenty or thirty corns of whole Pepper.
POTAGE DE BLANC DE CHAPON
Make first a very good bouillon, seasoned as you like. Put some of it upon
the white flesh of a Capon or Hen a little more than half-rosted. Beat them
well in a Mortar, and strain out all the juyce that will come. You may put
more broth upon what remains in the strainer, and beat again, and strain it
to the former. Whiles this is doing, put some of your first plain broth
upon some dryed bread to mittonner well. Let there be no more broth, then
just to do that. None to swim thin over. When you will serve the potage in,
pour the white liquor upon the swelled and gellied-bread, and let them stew
together a little upon the Coals. When it is through hot, take it off, and
squeese some limon or orange into it, and so send it in presently. It
mendeth a Bouillon much, to boil in it some half-rosted Volaille, or other
good meat.
TO MAKE SPINAGE-BROTH
Take strong broth, and boil a neck of Mutton, and a Marrow-bone in it, and
skim it very well; then put in half a pound of French barley, and a bundle
of sweet herbs, and two or three blades of Large-mace. Let these boil very
well. Then mince half a peck of Spinage, and two great Onions very small,
and let it boil one hour or more; season it with salt as you please, and
send the Mutton and the Marrow-bone in a dish with French bread or Manchet
to the Table.
ORDINARY POTAGE
Take the fleshy and sinewy part of a leg of Beef, crag-ends of necks of
Veal and Mutton. Put them in a ten quarts pot, and fill it up with water.
Begin to boil about six a clock in the Morning, to have your potage ready
by Noon. When it is well skimmed, put in two or three large Onions in
quarters, and half a loaf (in one lump) of light French bread, or so much
of the bottom crust of a Venison Pasty; all which will be at length clean
dissolved in the broth. In due time season it with Salt, a little Pepper,
and a very few Cloves. Likewise at a fit distance, before it be ended
boiling, put in store of good herbs, as in Summer, Borrage, Bugloss,
Purslain, Sorel, Lettice, Endive, and what else you like; in Winter,
Beetes, Endive, Parsley-roots, Cabbage, Carrots, whole Onions, Leeks, and
what you can get or like, with a little Sweet-marjoram and exceeding little
Thyme. Order it so that the broth be very strong and good. To which end you
may after four hours (or three) boil a Hen or Capon in it; light
French-bread sliced, must be taken about noon, and tosted a little before
the fire, or crusts of crisp new French-bread; lay it in a dish, and pour
some of the broth upon it, and let it stew a while upon a Chafing-dish.
Then pour in more Broth, and if you have a Fowl, lay it upon the bread in
the broth, and fill it up with broth, and lay the herbs and roots all over
and about it, and let it stew a little longer, and so serve it up covered,
after you have squeesed some juyce of Orange or Limon, or put some Verjuyce
into it. Or you may beat two or three Eggs, with part of the broth, and
some Verjuyce, or juyce of Orange, and then mingle it with the rest of the
broth.
BARLEY POTAGE
Take half a pound of French-barley, and wash it in three or four
hot-waters; then tye it up in a course linnen-cloth and strike it five or
six blows against the table; for this will make it very tender. Put it into
such a pot full of meat and water, as is said in the ordinary potage, after
it is skimmed; and season this with Salt, Spice, Marjoram and Thyme, as you
did the other. An hour before you take it from the fire, put into it a
pound of the best Raisins of the Sun well washed; at such a distance of
time, that they may be well plumped and tender, but not boiled to mash.
When the broth is enough boiled and consumed, and very strong, pour some of
it upon sliced dry bread in a deep potage-dish, or upon crusts, and let it
stew a while. Then pour on all the rest of the broth, with the barley and
Raisins, upon a Capon or Hen, or piece of Mutton or Veal; and let it
mittonner awhile upon the Chafing-dish, then serve it in.
STEWED BROTH
Take a like quantity of water and flesh, as in the others, adding two
Marrow bones: which tie at the ends with pieces of Linnen, that the Marrow
may not melt out, and make the broth too fat. A while after it is skimmed,
put into it a loaf of French bread very thin sliced, (which is better than
grated) and this will be all dissolved in the broth. Season it in due time
with salt, four or five flakes of Mace, and five or six Cloves; as also
with sweet herbs: And an hour, or better, before you take it off, put in
Raisins of the Sun, Prunes, and Currants, of each one Pound, well picked
and washed. When it is boiled enough, pour the broth into a bason, that if
it be too fat, you may take it off. There season it with a little Sugar,
and four or five spoonfuls of White-wine or Sack. Then pour it upon
sliced-bread, and stew it a while. Then squeese an Orange or Limon (or
both) upon it, and serve it up with the Marrow-bones in it.
AN ENGLISH POTAGE
Make a good strong broth of Veal and Mutton; then take out the meat, and
put in a good Capon or Pullet: but first, if it be very fat, parboil it a
little to take away the Oyleness of it, and then put it into the broth; and
when it hath boiled a little therein, put in some grated bread, a bundle of
sweet herbs, two or three blades of Mace, and a peeled Onion. When it is
ready to be dished up take the yolks of six Eggs, beat them very well with
two or three spoonfuls of White-wine. Then take the Capon out of the broth,
and thicken it up with the Eggs, and so dish it up with the Capon, and
tostes of White-bread or slices, which you please; and have ready boiled
the Marrow of two or three bones with some tender boiled white Endive, and
strew it over the Capon.
ANOTHER POTAGE
A good Potage for dinner is thus made: Boil Beef, Mutton, Veal, Volaille,
and a little piece of the Lean of a Gammon of the best Bacon, with some
quartered Onions, (and a little Garlick, if you like it) you need no salt,
if you have Bacon, but put in a little Pepper and Cloves. If it be in the
Winter, put in a Bouquet of Sweet-herbs, or whole Onions, or Roots, or
Cabbage. If season of Herbs, boil in a little of the broth apart, some
Lettice, Sorrel, Borage, and Bugloss, &c. till they be only well mortified.
If you put in any gravy, let it boil or stew a while with the broth; put it
in due time upon the tosted-bread to Mittoner, &c. If you boil some half
rosted meat with your broth, it will be the better.
PORTUGAL BROTH, AS IT WAS MADE FOR THE QUEEN
Make very good broth with some lean of Veal, Beef and Mutton, and with a
brawny Hen or young Cock. After it is scummed, put in an Onion quartered,
(and, if you like it, a Clove of Garlick,) a little Parsley, a sprig of
Thyme, as much Minth, a little balm; some Coriander-seeds bruised, and a
very little Saffron; a little Salt, Pepper and a Clove. When all the
substance is boiled out of the meat, and the broth very good, you may drink
it so, or, pour a little of it upon tosted sliced-bread, and stew it, till
the bread have drunk up all that broth, then add a little more, and stew;
so adding by little and little, that the bread may imbibe it and swell:
whereas if you drown it at once, the bread will not swell, and grow like
gelly: and thus you will have a good potage. You may add Parsley-roots or
Leeks, Cabbage or Endive in the due time before the broth is ended boiling,
and time enough for them to become tender. In the Summer you may put in
Lettice, Sorrel, Purslane, Borage and Bugloss, or what other pot-herbs you
like. But green herbs do rob the strength and vigor and Cream of the
Potage.
The Queen's ordinary _Bouillon de santé_ in a morning was thus. A Hen, a
handful of Parsley, a sprig of Thyme, three of Spear-minth, a little balm,
half a great Onion, a little Pepper and Salt, and a Clove, as much water as
would cover the Hen; and this boiled to less then a pint, for one good
Porrenger full.
NOURISSANT POTAGE DE SANTÉ
Fill a large earthen pot with water, and make it boil; then take out half
the water, and put in Beef and Mutton (fit pieces) and boil and skim: and
as soon as it boils, season it with Salt and Pepper. After an hour and
half, or two hours, put in a Capon, and four or five Cloves; when it is
within a good half hour of being boiled enough, put in such herbs, as you
intend, as Sorrel, Lettice, Purslane, Borage and Bugloss, or Green-pease;
and in the Winter, Parsley-roots and White-endive, or Navets, &c. so pour
the broth upon tosted light bread, and let it stew a while in the dish
covered. You should never put in fresh water. And if you should through the
consuming of the water by long boiling, it must be boiling hot. The less
broth remains, the better is the Potage, were it but a Porrenger full, so
that it would be stiff gelly when it is cold. It is good to put into the
water, at the first, a whole Onion or two; and if you will, a spoonful of
well-beaten _orge mondé_ or bottom crust of bread, or some of the bottom of
a Venison Pasty.
POTAGE DE SANTÉ
Make strong broth with a piece of Beef, Mutton and Veal, adding a piece of
the sinews of the leg of Beef, seasoning it with two great Onions
quartered, some Cloves, and White-pepper. In due time put in a Capon, or
take some broth out to boil it in. But before you put in the Capon, take
out some of the Broth, in which boil and stew Turneps first prepared thus.
Fry them in scalding butter, till they be tender; then take them out with a
holed skimmer, and lay them in a holed dish warmed, set in another whole
dish. When all the butter is quite drained out, stew them in a Pipkin in
the broth, as is said above. When you will make up your potage, put some
Ladlefuls of the broth of the great pot (driving away the fat with the
ladle) upon slices of scorched bread in a deep dish. Let this mittonner a
while. Then lay the Capon upon it, and pour the Turneps and broth of them
over all. A Duck in lieu of a Capon will make very good potage. But then it
is best, to fry that first, as the Turneps, then boil it.
POTAGE DE SANTÉ
Make a good and well-seasoned bouillon with lean Beef, Mutton and Veal, in
which boil a Capon. Boil with it either Cabbage, or Turneps, or whole
Onions. The first two you put into the broth all over the dish; but the
Onions you lay all round about the brim, when you serve it in. Whiles the
meat is boiling to make the bouillon, you rost a fleshy piece of Beef
(without fat) of two or three pound; and when it is half rosted, squeese
out all the juyce, and put the flesh into the pot with the rest of the
meat to boil, which will both colour and strengthen it. When you find your
Bouillon good, pour it into the dish, where your bread lieth sliced (which
must be very light and spungy, and dryed first, after it is sliced) and let
it mittonner a little. Then pour your gravy of beef upon it, (or of mutton)
and lay your Capon upon it, and lay in your roots round about it. It is
best to boil by themselves in some of the bouillon in a pot a part, the
roots or Onions.
POTAGE DE SANTÉ
Mounsieur De S. Euremont makes thus his potage de santé and boiled meat for
dinner, being very Valetudinary. Put a knuckle of Veal and a Hen into an
earthen Pipkin with a Gallon of water (about nine of the Clock forenoon)
and boil it gently till you have skimmed it well. When no more scum riseth
(which will be in about a quarter of an hour), take out the Hen (which else
would be too much boiled,) and continue boiling gently till about half an
hour past ten. Then put in the Hen again, and a handful of white Endive
uncut at length, which requireth more boiling then tenderer herbs. Near
half hour after eleven, put in two good handfuls of tender Sorrel, Borage,
Bugloss, Lettice, Purslane (these two come later then the others, therefore
are not to be had all the winter) a handful a piece, a little Cersevil, and
a little Beet-leaves. When he is in pretty good health, that he may venture
upon more savoury hotter things, he puts in a large Onion stuck round with
Cloves, and sometimes a little bundle of Thyme and other hot savoury
herbs; which let boil a good half hour or better, and take them out, and
throw them away, when you put in the tender herbs. About three quarters
after eleven, have your slice dried bread ready in a dish, and pour a
ladleful of the broth upon it. Let it stew covered upon a Chafing-dish.
When that is soaked in, put on more. So continue till it be well
_mittonée_, and the bread grown spungy, and like a gelly. Then fill up the
dish with broth, and put the Hen and Veal upon it, and cover them over with
herbs, and so serve it in. He keeps of this broth to drink at night, or
make a _Pan-cotto_, as also for next morning. I like to adde to this, a
rand of tender brisket Beef, and the Cragg-end of a neck of Mutton. But the
Beef must have six hours boiling. So put it on with all the rest at six a
Clock. When it is well scummed, take out all the rest. At nine, put in the
Veal and Mutton, and thenceforwards, as is said above. But to so much meat,
and for so long boiling, you must have at least three Gallons of water.
Either way you must boil always but leisurely, and the pot covered as much
as is convenient, and season it in due time with a little salt, as also
with Pepper, if you like it; and if you be in vigorous health, you may put
a greater store of Onions quartered. The beets have no very good taste,
peradventure it were best leave them out. In health you may season the
potage with a little juyce of Orange. In season green Pease are good, also
Cucumbers. In winter, Roots, Cabbage, Poix chiches, Vermicelli at any time.
You may use yolks of Eggs beaten with some of the broth and juyce of
Oranges or Verjuyce, then poured upon the whole quantity.
TEA WITH EGGS
The Jesuite that came from China, Ann. 1664, told Mr. Waller, That there
they use sometimes in this manner. To near a pint of the infusion, take two
yolks of new laid-eggs, and beat them very well with as much fine Sugar as
is sufficient for this quantity of Liquor; when they are very well
incorporated, pour your Tea upon the Eggs and Sugar, and stir them well
together. So drink it hot. This is when you come home from attending
business abroad, and are very hungry, and yet have not conveniency to eat
presently a competent meal. This presently discusseth and satisfieth all
rawness and indigence of the stomack, flyeth suddainly over the whole body
and into the veins, and strengthneth exceedingly, and preserves one a good
while from necessity of eating. Mr. Waller findeth all those effects of it
thus with Eggs. In these parts, He saith, we let the hot water remain too
long soaking upon the Tea, which makes it extract into it self the earthy
parts of the herb. The water is to remain upon it, no longer that whiles
you can say the _Miserere_ Psalm very leisurely. Then pour it upon the
sugar, or sugar and Eggs. Thus you have only the spiritual parts of the
Tea, which is much more active, penetrative and friendly to nature. You may
from this regard take a little more of the herb; about one dragm of Tea,
will serve for a pint of water; which makes three ordinary draughts.
NOURISHING BROTH
Make a very good gelly-broth of Mutton, Veal, joynt-bones of each, a Hen,
and some bones (with a little meat upon them) of rosted Veal or Mutton,
breaking the bones that the marrow may boil out. Put to boil with these
some barley (first boiled in water, that you throw away) some Harts-horn
rasped, and some stoned raisins of the Sun. When the broth is thoroughly
well boiled, pour it from the Ingredients, and let it cool and harden into
a gelly: then take from it the fat on the top, and the dregs in the bottom.
To a porrenger full of this melted, put the yolk of a new-laid egg beaten
with the juyce of an Orange (or less if you like it not so sharp) and a
little Sugar; and let this stew gently a little while altogether, and so
drink it. Some flesh of rosted Veal or Mutton, or Capon, besides the
rosted-bones, that have marrow in them, doth much amend the broth.
The Joynts I have mentioned above, are those, which the Butchers cut off,
and throw to their dogs, from the ends of shoulders, legs, and other bare
long parts, and have the sinews sticking to them.
GOOD NOURISHING POTAGE
Take any bones of rosted or boiled Beef, from which the meat is never so
clean eaten and picked; as the Ribs, the Chine-bones, the buckler
plate-bone, marrow-bones, or any other, that you would think never so dry
and insipid. Break them into such convenient pieces, as may lie in your
pipkin or pot; also you may bruise them. Put with them a good piece of the
bloody piece of the throat of the Beef, where he is sticked, and store of
water to these. Boil and scum them, till the first foul scum is risen and
taken away; afterwards scum no more, but let the blood boil into the broth.
You may put a quartered Onion or two to them, if you like them. After four
or five hours boyling, put in a good knuckle with some of the leg of Veal;
and, if you please, a crag-end or two of necks of Mutton. Let these boil
very well with the rest. You may put in what herbs you please, in due time,
as Lettice, Sorrel, Borage and Bugloss, Spinage and Endive, Purslane, &c.
and a bundle of sweet herbs: In winter, Cabbage, or Turneps, or
Parsley-roots, or Endive, &c. It will be done in two or three hours after
the Veal and Mutton are in. Pour out the broth, and boil it a little by it
self over a Chafing-dish, in some deep vessel, to scum off the superfluous
fat. Then pour it upon tosted bread (by degrees, if you will, stewing it,
to gelly it) to serve it in (after it hath stewed a little,) you must
remember to season it with salt, Pepper and Cloves, in the due time. You
will do well to quicken it with some Verjuyce, or juyce of Orange; or with
some yolks of Eggs and the juyces, if the broth be not over-strong.
Green-pease in the season do well with the Potage. You may put in, near the
beginning, some bottom of a Peppered Pasty, or of a loaf of bread.
WHEATEN FLOMMERY