The English Housewife: Pastry and Baked Meats

Next to these already rehearsed, our English House-wife must be skilful in Pastry, and know how and in what manner to bake all sorts of meat, and what paste is fit for every meat, and how to handle and compound such pasts. As for example, Red Deer, Venison, wild Boar, Gammons of Bacon, Swans, Elkes, Porpus, and such like standing dishes, which must be kept long, would be mak'd in a moist, thick, tough, course, and long lasting crust, and therefore of all other, your Rye-paste is best for that purpose; your Turkey, Capon, Pheasant, Partridg, Veal, Peacocks, Lamb, and all sorts of Water-fowl, which are to come to the Table more than once, (yet not many dayes) would be bak'd in a good white crust, somewhat thick; therefore your wheat is fit ...

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... which the Wardens were boyl'd, and taste it, and if it be not sweet enough, then put in more Sugar, and some Rose-water, and boyl it again a little: then pour it in at the Vent-hole, and shake the Pye well: then take sweet Butter and Rosewater melted, and with it annoint the Pye-lid all over, and then strew on it store of Sugar, and so set it into the Oven again a little Space, and then serve it up: and in this manner you may also bake Quinces.

Take the best and sweetest Wort, and put to it good store of Sugar: then pare and cover the Quinces clean, and pat them therein, and boyl them till they grow tender: then take out the Quinces and let them cool, then let the Pickle in which they were boyled stand to cool also. Then strain it through a raunge or sieve, then put the Quinces into a sweet earthen pot: then pour the Pickle or Syrup into them, so as all the Quinces may be quite covered all over: then stop up the pot close, and set it it in a dry place, and once in six or seven weeks look upon it; and if you see it shrink, or do begin to hoar or mould, then pour out the pickle or Syrup, and renewing it boyl it over again, and as before put in the Quinces being cold, and thus you may preserve them or the use of baking, or otherwise, all the year.

Take Pippins of the fairest, and pare them, and then divide them just in halfes, and take out the Cores clean: then having rould the Coffin flat, and raised up a small Verbe of an Inch, or more high, lay in the Pippins with the hollow side downward, as close thone to another as may be: then lay here and there a Clove, and here and there a whole stick of Cinnamon, and a little bit of Butter. Then cover all clean over with Sugar, and so cover the Coffin, and bake it according to the manner of Tarts, and when it is bak'd, then draw it out, and having boyled Butter and Rose-water together, anoint all the lid over therewith, and scrape or strew on it good store of Sugar, and so set it in the Oven again, and after serve it up.

Take green Apples from the Tree, and coddle them in scalding water without breaking; then peel the skin from them, and so divide them in half, and cut out the Cores, and so lay them into the Coffin; and do in every thing, as you did in the Pippin tart; and before you cover it, when the Sugar is cast in see you sprinkle upon it good store of Rose-water and then close it, and do as before shewed.

Take Codlins as before said, and pill them and divide them in halfes, and core them, and lay a lear thereof in the bottom of the Pye: then scatter here and there a Clove, & here and there a piece of whole Cinamon, then cover them all over with Sugar, then lay another lear of Codlins, and do as before said, and so another, till the Coffin be all filled; then cover all with Sugar, and here and there a Clove and a Cinamon stick, and if you will a slic'd Orange-peel, and a Date, then cover it and bake it as the Pies of that nature. When it is bak'd, draw it out of the Oven, and take of the thickest and best Cream, with good store of Sugar give it one boyl or two on the fire, then open the Pye, and put the Cream therein, and mash the Codlins all about then cover it, and having trimm'd the lid (as was before shewed in the like Pies and Tarts) set it into the Oven again for half an hour, and so serve it forth.

Take the fairest Cherries you can get, and pick them clean from the leaves and stalks: spread out your Coffin as for your Pippin-Tart and cover the bottom with Sugar, then cover the Sugar all over with Cherries, then cover those Cherries with Sugar, some sticks of Cinamon, and here and there a Clove; then lay in more Cherries, and so more Sugar, Cinnamon and Cloves, till the coffin be filled up: then cover it, and bake it in all points, as the Codlin and Pippin Tart, and so serve it: and in the same manner you may make Tarts of Gooseberries, Strawberries, Rasberries, Bilberries, or any Berry whatsoever.

Take Rice that is clean picked, and boyl it in sweet Cream, till it be very soft; then let it stand and cool, and put into it good store of Cinamon and Sugar, and the yelks of a couple of Eggs, and some Currants, stir and beat all well together, then having made the coffin in the manner before said for other Tarts, put the Rice therein, and spred it all over the Coffin: then braek many little bits of sweet butter upon it all over, and scrape some Sugar over it also; then cover then Tart and bake it, and trim it in all points as hath been before shewed, and so serve it up.

Take Kidneys of Veal after it hath been well roasted, and is cold: then shred it as fine as is possible: then take all sorts of sweet Pot-herbs, or farcing herbs, wich have no bitter or strong tast, and chop them as small as may be, and putting the Veal into a large dish, put the herbs unto it, and good store of clean washt Currants, Sugar Cinamon, the yelks of four Eggs, a little sweet Cream warm'd, and the fine grated Crums of a half-peny loaf and salt, and mix all exceedingly together: then take a deep pewter dish, and in it lay your paste very thin rouled out, which paste you must mingle thus: Take of the finest Wheat-flower a quart, and a quarter so much Sugar, and a little Cinnamon, then break into it a couple of Eggs, then take sweet cream and buttr melted on the fire, and with it knead the paste, and as was before said, having spread butter all about the dishes sides, then put in the Veal, and break peices of sweet butter upon it, and scrape sugar over it; then rowl out another paste reasonable thick, and with it cover the dish all over, closing the old pastes with the beaten whites of Eggs very fast together, then with your knife cut the lid into divers pretty works, according to your fancy, then set it in the Oven and bake it with Pies and Tarts of like nature: when it is bak'd, draw it and trim the lid with Sugar, as hath been shewed in Tarts, and so serve it up with your second course.

Take of the fairest Damask Prunes you can get, and put them in a clean Pipkin, with fair water, Sugar unbruised Cinnamon, and a branch or two of Rosemary, and if you have bread to bake, stew them in the Oven with ytour bread: ifotherwise, stew them on the fire. When they are stewed, then bruise them all to mash in their syrup, and strain them into a clean dish; then boyl it over again with Sugar, Cinamon and Rose-water, till it be as thick as Marmelad: then set it to cool, then make a reasonable tough paste with fine flower, Water, and a little butter, and rowl it out very thin: then having patterns of paper cut into divers proportions, as Beasts, Birds, Arms, Knots, Flowers, and such like. Lay the patterns on the paste, and so cut them accordingly: then with your fingers pinch up the edges of the paste, and set the work in good proportion: then prick it well all over for rising, and set it on a clean sheet of large Paper, and so set it into the Oven, and bake it hard: then draw it, and set it by to cool: and thus you may do by a whole Oven full at one time, as your occasion of expence is: then against the time of Service come, take of the Confections of Prunes before rehearsed, and with your Knife or a spoon fill the Coffin according to the thickness of the Verge, then strew it over with Carraway Comfets, and prick long Comfets upright in it, and so taking the Paper from the bottom, serve it on a Plate or in a Dish or Charger according to the bigness of the Tart, and at the second course; and this Tart carrieth the colour black.

Take Apples and pare them, and slice them thin from the Core into a Pipkin with white-wine, good store of Sugar, Cinamon, a few Saunders and Rose-water, and so boyl it till it be thick: then cool it and strain it, and beat it very well together with a Spoon, then put it into the Coffin as you did the Prune Tart, and adorn it also in the same manner, and this Tart, you may fill thicker or thinner, as you please to raise the edge of the Coffin, and it carrieth the colour red.

Take good store of Spinage, and boyl it in a Pipkin with White wine till it be very soft as Pap: then take it and strain it well into a Pewter dish, not leaving any part unstrained: and put to it Rose-water, great store of Sugar and Cinamon, and boyl it till it be as thick as Marmalad, then let it cool, and after fill your Coffin and adorn it, and serve it in all points as you did your Prune Tarts and this carrieth the colour green.

Take the yelks of Eggs, and break away the films, and beat them well with a little Cream, then take of the sweetest and thickest Cream that can be got, and set it on the fire in a clean skillet, and put into it Sugar, Cinamon, Rose-water and then boyl it well: when it is boyl'd, and still boyling, stir it well, and as you stir it put in Eggs, and so boyl it till it curdle: then take it from the fire, and put it into a Strainer, and first let the thin Whey run away into a By-dish, then strain the rest very well, and beat it well with a spoon, and so put it into the Tart Coffin, and adorn it as you do your Prune-Tart, and so serve it, and this carryeth the colour yellow.

Take the whites of Eggs and beat them with Rose-water, and a little sweet cream, then set on the fire good thick sweet cream, and put into it Sugar, cinnamon, rose water and boyl it well, and as it boyls stir it exceedingly, and in the stirring put in the whites of Eggs, and boyl it till it curd, and after do in all things as you did to the yellow Tart; and this carrieth the colour white, and it is a very pure white, & therefore would be unadorned with red Caraway Comfets, and as this, so with blaunched Almonds like white Tarts, and full as pure. Now you may if you please put all these in several colours, and several stuffs into one Tart, as thus: if the Tart be in proportions of a beast, the body may be of one colour, the eyes of another, the teeth of another, the tallons of another: and of birds, the body of one colour, the eyes of another, the legs of another, and every feather in the wings of a several colour, according to fancy: and so likewise in Arms, the Field one colour, the Charge of another, according to the form of the Coat-armour, as for Mantles, Trails, and devices about Arms, they may be set out with several colours of Preserves, Conserves, Marmalade, and good in cakes, and as you shall find occasion or invention; and so likewise of knots, one tail of one colour, and another of another, and so of as many as you please.

Take Sorrel, Spinage, Parsly, and boyl them in water till they be very soft as Pap, then take them up and press the water clean from them, then take good store of yelks of Eggs boyl'd ery hard, and chopping them with the herbs exceeding small, then put in good store of Currants, Sugar, and Cinnamon and stir all well together; then put them into a deep Tart-Coffin with good store of sweet butter, and cover it, and bake it like a Pippin-Tart, and adorn the Lid after the baking in that manner also, and so serve it up.

Take a quart of the best Cream, and set it on the fire, and slice a loaf of the lightest white bread into thin slices, and put into it, and let it stand on the fire till the Milk begins to rise, then take it off and put it into a bason, and let it stand till it be cold, then put in the yelks of four Eggs and two Whites, good store of Currants, Sugar, Cinnamon, Cloves, Mace, and plenty of Sheeps-suet finely shred, and a good season of of Salt, then trim your Pot well round about with Butter, nd so put in your Pudding and bake it sufficiently, then when you serve it strew Sugar upon it.

Take the best and sweetest Cream and boyl it with good store of Sugar and Cinnamon, & a little Rose water, then take it from the fire, and put it into clean pick'd Rice , but not so much as to make it thick, and let it steep therein till it be cold, then put in the yelks of six Eggs, and two Whites, Currants, Cinnamon Sugar, and Rose-wate, and Salt, then put it into a pan or pot as thin as it were a Custard, and so bake it, and serve it in the pot it is baked in, triming the top with Sugar or Comfeits.