The English Housewife: Banquetting and Made Dishes

There are a world of other bak'd Meats and Pyes, but for as much as whosoever can do these, may do all therest, because herein is contained all the art of Seasonings, I will trouble you with no further repetitions, but proceed to the manner of making Banqueting stuff, and coinceited dishes, with other pretty and curious secrets, necessary for the understanding of our English House-wife: for albeit, they are not of general use, yet in their due times, they are so needful for adornation, that whosoever is ignorant therein, is lame, and but the half part of a House-wife.

To make past of Quinces, first boyl your Quinces whole, and when they are soft pare them, and cut the Quince from the Core; then take the finest Sugar you can get, finely beaten or searsed, and put in a little Rose-water, and boyl it together till it be stiff enough to mould, and when it is cold, then role it, and print it. A pound of Quinces will take a pound of Sugar, or near thereabouts.

To make thin Quince-cakes, take your Quince when it is boyled soft as beforesaid, and dry it upon a Pewter plate, with a soft heat, and be ever stirring of it with a slice till it be hard, then take searsed Sugar quantity for quantity, and strew it into the Quince, as you beat it in a wooden or stone mortar, and so roul them thin and print them.

To preserve quinces, first pare your quinces, and take out the cores, and boyl the cores and parings altogether in fair water, and when they begin to be soft, take them out and strain your Liquor, and put the weight of your Quinces in Sugar, and boyl the Quinces in the Syrup till they be tender: then take them up, and boyl the Syrup till it be thick. If you will have your Quinces red, cover them in the boyling; and if you will have them white, do not cover them.

To make Ipocras, take a pottle of Wine: two Ounces of good Cinamon, half an ounce of Ginger, nine Cloves, and six Pepper corns, and a Nutmeg, and bruise them and put them into the wine with some Rosmary flowers, and so let them steep all night, and then put in Sugar a pound at least, and when it is well setled, let it run through a woollen bag made for that purpose: thus if your Wine be Claret, the Ipocras will be red; if white, then of that colour also.

To make the best Jelly, take Calves feet and wash them, and scald off the hair as clean as you can get it: then split them and take out the fat, and lay them in water and shift them, then bruise them in fair water untill it will jelly, which you shall know by now and then cooling a Spoonful of the Broth: when it will jelly, then strain it, and when it is cold, then put in a pint of Sack, and whole Cinamon, and Sugar, and a little Rosewater, and boyl it all well together again. Then beat the white of an Egg and put into it, and let it have one boyl more: then put in a branch of Rosemary into the bottom of your Jelly bag, and let it run through once or twice, and if you will have it coloured, then put in a little Townsal. Also if you want Calves-feet, you may make as good Jelly if you take the like quantity of Ising-glass, and so use no Calves-feet at all.

To make the best Leech, take Ising-glass, and lay it two hours in water, and shift it and boyl it in fair water, and let it cool, then take Almonds, and lay them in cold water till they will blaunch,; and then stamp them and put to new milk, and strain them, and put in whole Mace and Ginger slic'd, and boyl them till it tast well of the spice; then put in your Ising-glass and Sugar and a little Rose-water, and let them all run through a Stainer.

Take Claret-wine, and colour it with Townsall, and put in Sugar, and set it to the fire; then take wheat bread finely grated and sifted, and Licoras, Anniseeds, Ginger and Cinamon beaten very small and searsed; and put your bread and your spice together, and put them into the wine and boyl it, and stir it till it be thick, then mould it and print it at your pleasure, and let it stand neither too moist nor too warm.

To make red Marmalade of Quinces, take a pound of Quinces and cut them in half, and take out the cores, and pare them; then take a pound of Sugar, and a quart of fair water, and put them all into a pan, and let them boyl with a soft fire, and sometimes turn and keep them covered with a pewter dish, so that the steam or air may come a little out: the longer they are in boyling, the better colour they will have: and when they be soft take a Knife, and cut them cross upon the top, it will make the syrup go through that they may be all of the like colour: then set a little of your syrup to cool, and when it beginneth to be thick, then break your Quinces with a slice or spoon, so small as you can in the pan, and then strew a little fine Sugar in your boxes bottom, and so put it up.

To make white Marmalade, you must in all points use your Quinces as before said; only you must take but a pint of water to a pound of Quinces, and a pound of Sugar, and boyl them as fast as you can, and cover them not at all.

To make the best Jumbals, take the whites of three Eggs, and beat them well, and take off the froth; then take a little milk and a pound of fine wheat flowre and Sugar together finely sifted, and a few Anniseeds well rub'd and dryed, and then work all together as stiff as you can work it, and so make them in what forms you please, & bake them in a soft oven upon white papers.

To make Bisket-bread, take a pound of fine flower, and a pound of Sugar finely beaten and searsed, and mix them together, then take eight eggs, & put four yelks, & beat them very wel together; then strew in your flower and sugar as you are beating of it, by a little at once, it will take very near an hours beating, then take half an ounce of Anniseeds and Coriander seeds: and let them be dryed and rub'd very lean, and put them in; then rub your Bisket-pans with cold sweet Butter as thin as you can, and so put it in, and bake it in an Oven: but if you would have thin Cakes, then take fruit dishes, and rub them in like sort with Butter, and so bake your Cakes on them, & when they are almost baked, turn them, and thrust them down close with your hand. Some to this Bisket-bread will add a little Cream, and it is not amiss, but excellent good also.

To make Jumbals more fine and curious than the former, and nearer to the taste of the Macaroon[1], take a pound of Sugar, beat it fine, then take as much fine wheat flower, and mix them together, then take two whites and one yelk of an Egg, half a quarter of a pound of blanched Almonds: then beat them very fine altogether, with half a dish of sweet Butter, and a good spoonful of Rose water, and so work it with a little Cream till it come to a very stiff paste, then roul them forth as you please: and hereto you shall also if you please, add a few dryed Anniseeds finely rubbed, and strewed into the paste, and also Coriander seeds.

To make dry Sugar leach, blaunch your ALmonds, and beat them with a little Rose-water, and the white of one Egg, and you must beat it with a great deal of Sugar, and work it as you would work a piece of paste: then roul it, and print it as you did other things, only be sure to strew Sugar in the print for fear of cleaving too.

To make Leach Lombard, take a half pound of blanched Almonds, two ounces of Cinamon beaten and searsed, half a pound of Sugar, then beat your Almonds, and strew in your Sugar and Cinamon till it come to a paste, and print it as afore-said.

To make an excellent fresh Cheese, take a pottle of Milk as it comes from the Cow, and a pint of Cream: then take a spoonful of Runnet or Earning, and put it unto it, and let it stand two hours; then stir it up, and put it into a fine cloth, and let they Whey drain from it: then put it into a bowl, and take the yelk of an Egg, a spoonful of Rose-ater, and bray them together with a very little Salt, with Sugar and Nutmegs, and when all these are brayed together, and searst, mix it with the curd, and then put it in the Cheese-fat with a very fine cloth.

To make course Ginger-bread, take a quart of Honey, and set it on the coals and refine it: then take a penny-worth of Ginger, as much Pepper, as much Licoras, and quarter of a pound of Aniseeds, and a penny-worth of Saunders: all these must be beaten and searsed, and so put into the Hony; then put in a quarter of a pint of Claret wine, or old Ale: then take three penny manchets finely grated, and strew it amongst the rest, and stir it till it come to a stiff paste, and then make into Cakes, and dry them gently.

To make ordinary Quince-cakes, take a good piece of preserved Quince, and beat it in a mortar, and work it up into a very stiff paste with fine searst Sugar; then print it, and dry them gently.

To make most artificial Cinamon sticks, take an ounce of Cinamon and pound it, and half a pound of Sugar: then take some gum Dragon, and put it in steep in Rose-water: then take thereof to the quantity of a Hazel-nut, and work it out and print it, and roul it in form of a Cinamon-stick.

To make Wormwood-water, take two gallons of good Ale, a pound of Anniseeds, half a pound of Licoras, and beat them very fine; and then take two good handfuls of the crops of Wormwood and put them into Ale, and let them stand all night, and then distill them in a Limbeck with moderate fire.

To make sweet water of the best kind, take a thousand Damask Roses, two good handfuls of Lavender tops, a three-penny weight of Mace, two ounces of Cloves bruised, a quart of running water: put a little water into the bottom of an earthen pot, and then put in your Roses and Lavender, with the spices by little and little, and in the putting in, alwaies knead them down with your fist, and so continue it untill you have wrought up all your Roses and Lavender, and in the working between put in always a little of your water; then stop your pot close and let it stand in four dayes, in which time every morning and evening put in your hand, and pull from the bottom of your pot the said Roses, working it for a time, and then distill it, and hang in the glass of water a grain or two of Muske wrapt up in a Piece of Sarcenet or fine cloth.

Others to make sweet water, take of Ireos two ounces, of Calamus half an ounce, of Cypress roots half an ounce, of yellow Saunders nine drams, of Cloves bruised one ounce, of Storax and Calamint one ounce, and of Musk twelve grains, and infusing all these in Rose-water and distill it.

To make an excellent Date-Leach, take Dates, and take out the stones, and the white rind, and beat them with Sugar, Cinamon and Ginger, very finely; then work it as you would work a piece of paste, and then print them as you please.

To make a kind of Sugar plate, take Gum Dragon, and lay it in Rose-water two days: then take the powder of fair Heppes and Sugar, and the juice of an Orange, beat all these together in a mortar, then take it out, and work it with your hand and print it at your pleasure.

To make excellent spice Cakes, take half a peck of very fine Wheat flowre, take almost one pound of sweet Butter, and some good Milk and cream mixt together, set it on the fire, and put in you Butter, and a good deal of Sugar, and let it melt together: then strain Saffron into your Milk a good quantity: then take seven or eight spoonfuls of good Ale barm, and eight eggs with two yelks, and mix them together, then put your Milk to it when it is somewhat cold, and into your flowre put Salt, Anniseeds bruised, Cloves, and Mace, and a good deal of Cinamon; then work all thgether good and stiff, that you need not work in any flower after, then put in a little Rose water cold, then rubbe it well in the thing you knead it in and work it throughly: if it be not sweet enough, scrape in a little more Sugar, and pull it all in pieces, and hurle in a good quantity of Currants, and so work all together again, and bake your Cakes as you see cause, in a gentle warm Oven.

To make a very good Banbury Cake, take four pounds of Currants and wash and pick them very clean, and dry them in a cloth: then take three Eggs, and put away one yelk, and beat them and strain them with the Barm, putting thereto Cloves, Mace, Cinamon, and Nutmegs, then take a pint of Cream, and as much mornings Milk, and set it on the fire till the cold be taken awy; then take flowre, and put in good store of cold butter and sugar, then put in your eggs, barm and meal, and work them all together an hour or more; then save a part of the past, & the rest break in pieces, and work in your Currants, which done, mould your Cakes of what quantity you please, and then with that paste which hath not any Currants, cover it very thin, both underneath and aloft. And so bake it according to the bigness.

To make the best March-pane, take the bset Jordan Almonds and blanch them in warm water, then put them into a stone mortar, and with a wooden pestel beat them to pap, then take of the finest refined Sugar well searst, and with it Damask-Rose-water beat it to a good stiff paste, allowing almost to every Jordan Almond, three spoonfulls of sugar, then when it is brought thus to a paste, lay it upon a fair Table, and strewing searst sugar under it, mould it like leven, then with a rowling-pin rowl it forth, and lay it upon wafers wash'd with Rose-water; then pinch it about the sides, and put it into what form you please; then strew searst sugar all over it, which done, wash it over with Rose-water and sugar mixt together, for that will make the Ice; then adorn it with Comfets, guilding, or whatsoever devices you please, and so set it into a hot stove, and there bake it crispy, and serve it forth. Some use to mix with the paste Cinamon and Ginger finely searst, but I refer that to your particular taste.

To make paste of Genoa, you shall take Quinces after they have been boyled soft, and beat them in a mortar with refined sugar, Cinamon and Ginger finely searst, and Damask-Rose-water till it come to a stiff paste; and rowl it forth, and print it, and so bake it in a stove; and in this sort you may make paste of Pears, Apples, Wardens, Plums of all kinds, Cherries, Barberries, or what other fruits you please.

To make conserve of any fruit you please, you shall take the fruit you intend to make conserve of, and if it be stone-fruit, you shall take out the stones: if other fruit, take away the paring and core, and then boyl them in fair running water to a reasonable height: then drain them from thence, and put them into a fresh Vessel with Claret-wine or White-wine, according to the colour of the fruit: and so boyl them to a thick pap, all to mashing, breaking, and stirring them together: and then to every pound of pap, put to a pound of Sugar, and so stirre them all well togther, and being very hot, straine them through faire strainers, and so pot it up.

To make a conserve of Flowers, as Roses, Violets, Gilliflowers, and such like; you shall take the flowers from the stalks, and with a pair of sheers cut away the white ends at the roots thereof, and then put them into a stone mortar, or wooden brake, and there crush, or beat them, till they become to a soft substance: and then to every pound thereof, take a pound of fine refined Sugar, well searst, and beat it all together, till it come to one intire body, and then pot it up, and use it as occasion shall serve.

To make the best Wafers, take the finest wheat-flowers you can get, and mix it with Cream, the yelks of Eggs, Rose-water, Sugar, and Cinamon, till it be a little thicker than Pancake-batter, and then warming your Wafter Irons on a charcoal-fire, anoint them first with sweet Butter, and than lay on your batter, and press it, and bake it white or brown at your pleasure.

To make an excellent Marmalade of Oranges, take the Oranges, and with a Knife pare off as thin as is possible the uppermost rind of the Orange; yet in such sort, as by no means you alter the colour of the Orange: then steep them in fair water, changing the water twice a day, till you find no bitterness of taste therein; then take them forth, and first boyl them in fair running water, and when they are soft, remove them in to Rose-water, and boyl them therein till they break: then to every pound of the pulp, put a pound of refined Sugar, and so having masht, and stirring them all well together, strain it through very fair strainers into boxes, and so use it as you shall see occasion.

Take a pottle of fine flower, and a pound of Sugar, a little Mace, and good store of water to mingle the flowers into a stiff paste, and a good season of Salt, and so knead it, and roul out the Cakes thin, and bake them on papers.

Take a quarter of a pound of fine Sugar well beaten, and as much flowre finely bolted, with a quantity of Anniseeds a little bruised, and mingle all together; then take two Eggs, and beat them very well, whites and all; then put in the mingled stuff aforesaid, and beat all together a good while, then put it into a mould, whiping the bottom ever first with Butter, to make it come out easily, and in the baking, turn it once or twice as you shall have occasion, and so serve it whole or in slices at your pleasure.

Take sweet Apples, and stamp them as you do for Cider, then press them through a bag as you do Verjuyce, then put it into a firkin wherein you will keep your quinces, and then gather your quinces, and wipe them clean, and neither core them nor pare them, but only take the blacks from the tops, and so put them into the firkin of Cider, and therein you may keep them all the year very fair, and take them not out of the liquor, but as you are ready to use them, whether it be for pyes, or any other purpose, and then pare them, and core them as you think good.

Take a gallon of Claret or White Wine, and put therein four ounces of Ginger, and ounce and a half of Nutmegs, of Cloves one quarter, of Sugar four pound; let all this stand together in a pot at least twelve hours, then take it, and put it into a clean bag made for the purpose, so that the Wine may come with good leisure from the spices.

Take quinces and wipe them very clean, and then core them, and as you core them, put the cores strait into fair water; and let the cores and the water boyl, when the water boyleth, put in the quinces unpared, and let them boyl till they be tender, and then take them out, and pare them, and ever as you pare them, put them strait into Sugar finely beaten: then take the water they were sodden in, and strain it through a fine cloth, and take as much of the same water as you think will make syrup enough for the Quinces, and put in some of your Sugar and let it boyl a while, and then put in your Quinces, and let them boyl a while, and turn them, and cast a good deal of Sugar upon them; they must seeth apace, and ever as you turn them, cover them still with Sugar, till you have bestowed all your Sugar; and when you think that your Quinces are tender enough, take them forth, and if your syrup be not stiff enough, you may seeth it again after the quinces are forth. To every pound of Quinces you must take more than a pound of sugar, for the more sugar you take, the fairer your Quinces will be, and the better and longer they will be preserved.

Take two gallons of fair water, and set it on the fire, and when it is luke-warm, beat the whites of five or six eggs, and put them into the water, and stir it well, and let the water seeth, and when it riseth up all on a curd, then scum it off. Take Quinces and pare them, and quarter them, and cut out the core: Then take as many pounds of your Quinces as of you Sugar, and put them into your Liquor, and let it boyl till your liquor be as high coloured as French-wine; and when they be very tender, then ake a fair new Canvas cloth fair wash'd and strain your Quinces through it with some of your liquor; if they will not go through easily: then if you will make it very pleasant, take a little Musk, and lay it in Rose-water, and put it thereto, then take and seeth it until it be of such substance, that when it is cold it will cut with a knife, and then put it in to a fair box, and if you please lay leaf-gold thereon.

Take all the parings of your Quinces that you make your conserve withall, and three or four other Quinces, and cut them in pieces and boyl the same parings and the other pieces in two or three gallons of water, and so let them boyl till all the strength be sodden out of the same Quinces and parings, and if any scum arise whilest it boyls, take it away; then let the said water run through a strainer into a fair Vessel, and set it on the fire again, and take your Quinces that you will kepe, and wipe them clean, and cut off the uttermost part of teh said Quinces, and pick out the kernels and cores as clean as you can, and put them into the said liquor, and so let them boyl till they be a little soft, and then take them from the fire, and let them stand till theybe cold then take a little Barrel, and put into the said Barrel the water that your Quinces be sodden in; then take up your Quinces with a Ladle, and put them into your Barrel, and stop the Barrel close that no air come into them, till you have fit occasion to use them; and be sure to take such Quinces as are neither bruised nor rotten.

Take of the best sugar, and when it is beaten, searse it very fine and of teh best Gingar, and Cinnamon; then take a little Gum-dragon, and lay it in Rose-water all night, then pour the water from it, and put the same with a little white of an egg well beaten into a brass mortar, the sugar, gingar, cinnamon, and all together, and beat them together till you may work it like paste; then take it and drive it forth into cakes, and print them, and lay them before the fire, or in a very warm stove to bake. Or otherwise, take Sugar and Gingar, (as is before said) cinnamon and gum-dragon excepted, instead whereof, take only whites of Eggs, and so do as was before shewn you.

Take curds, the paring of Lemons, of Oranges, or Pome-citrons or indeed any half ripe green fruit, and boyl them till they be tender in sweet wort; then make a sirrup in this sort, take three pounds of Sugar, and the whites of four eggs, and a gallon of water, then swing and beat the water and eggs together, and then put in your Sugar, and set it on the fire, and let it have an easie fire, and so let it boyl six or seven walmes, and then strain it through a cloth, and set it on again till it fall from the spoon, and then put it into the rinds or fruits.

Take a quart of Honey clarified, and seeth it till it be brown and if it be thick, put to it a dish of water: then take fine crums of white bread grated, and put to it, and stirre it well, and when it is almost cold, put to it the powder of Ginger, Cloves, Cinnamon, and a little Licoras and Anniseeds: then knead it, and put it into a mould and print it; some use to put to it also a little Pepper, but that is according unto taste and pleasure.

Dissolve sugar, or sugar-candy in Rose-water, boyl it to an height, put in your roots, fruits or flowers, the syrup being cold, then rest a little; after take them out, and boyl the sirrup again, then put in more roots, &c. then boyl the syrup a third time to an hardness, putting in more Sugar, but not Rose-water put in the roots &c the syrup being cold, and let them stand till they candy.

[ At this point the manuscript is missing several pages, so we don't get to find out about the ordering of banquets. ]