Kenelm Digby - The Closet of Sir Kenelm Digby Knight Opened

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Parsneps (raw) cut into little pieces, is the best food for tame Rabets,
and makes them sweet. As Rice (raw) is for tame Pigeons, and they like it
best, varying it sometimes with right tares, and other seeds.

CREAM WITH RICE

A very good Cream to eat hot, is thus made. Into a quart of sweet Cream,
put a spoonful of very fine powder of Rice, and boil them together
sufficiently, adding Cinnamon, or Mace and Nutmeg to your liking. When it
is boiled enough take it from the fire, and beat a couple of yolks of
new-laid Eggs, to colour it yellow. Sweeten it to your taste. Put bread to
it, in it's due time.

GREWEL OF OAT-MEAL AND RICE

Doctor Pridion ordered my Lord Cornwallis, for his chief diet in his
looseness, the following grewel, which he found very tastefull.

Take about two parts of Oat-meal well beaten in a Mortar, and one part of
Rice in subtile powder. Boil these well in water, as you make water-grewel,
adding a good proportion of Cinnamon to boil also in due time, then strain
it through a cloth, and sweeten it to your taste.

The yolk of an Egg beaten with a little Sherry-sack, and put to it, is not
bad in a looseness. At other times you may add Butter. It is very tasteful
and nourishing.

SAUCE FOR A CARP OR PIKE. TO BUTTER PEASE

Take two or three spoonfuls of the Liquor the Carp was boiled in, and put
it into a pipkin; There must be no more, then even to cover the bottom of
the pipkin. Make this boil by itself; as soon as it doth so, put to this
half a pound of sweet butter, let it melt gently, or suddenly, it imports
not, so as the liquor boiled, when you did put the butter in; when the
butter is melted, then take it from the fire, and holding the handle in
your hand, shake it round a good while and strongly, and it will come to be
thick, that you may almost cut it with a Knife. Then squeese juyce of Limon
into it, or of sharp Orange, or Verjuyce or Vinegar; and heat it again as
much as you please upon the fire. It will ever after continue thick, and
never again, upon any heating, grow oily, though it be cold and heated
again twenty times. Butter done with fair water, as is said above, with the
other Liquor, will be thick in the same manner, (for the liquors make no
difference in that:)

Put of this butter to boiled Pease in their dish, which cover with another;
so shake them very strongly, and a good while together. This is by much the
best way to butter pease, and not to let the butter melt in the middle of
them, and then stir them long with a spoon. This will grow Oily (though it
be good at the first doing) if you heat them again: The other, never; and
therefore, is the best way upon all occasions to make such thickened melted
Butter. You may make sauce for a Pike in the same manner you did for a
Carpe; putting Horse-radish to it if you please.

A HERRING-PYE

Put great store of sliced Onions, with Currants and Raisins of the Sun both
above and under the Herrings, and store of Butter, and so bake them.

A SYLLABUB

Take a reasonable quantity (as about half a Porrenger full) of the Syrup,
that hath served in the making of dryed plums; and into a large
Syllabub-pot milk or squirt, or let fall from high a sufficient quantity of
Milk or Cream. This Syrup is very quick of the fruit, and very weak of
Sugar; and therefore makes the Syllabub exceeding well tasted. You may also
use the Syrup used in the like manner in the drying of Cherries.

BUTTER AND OIL TO FRY FISH

The best Liquor to fry Fish in, is to take Butter and Salet Oyl, first well
clarified together. This hath not the unsavoury taste of Oyl alone, nor the
blackness of Butter alone. It fryeth Fish crisp, yellow, and well tasted.

TO PREPARE SHRIMPS FOR DRESSING

When you will Butter Shrimps, first wash them well in warm Milk and Water
equally mingled together, and let them soak a little in it; then wash them
again in fresh Milk and Water warmed, letting them also soak therein a
while. Do this twice or thrice with fresh Milk and Water. This will take
away all the rankness and slimyness of them. Then Butter them, or prepare
them for the table, as you think fit.

TOSTS OF VEAL

My Lady Lusson makes thus her plain tosts of kidney of Veal: Cut the kidney
with all the fat about it, and a good piece of the lean flesh besides. Hash
all this as small as you can. Put to it a quarter of a pound of picked and
washed Currants, and as much Sugar, one Nutmeg grated, four yolks and two
whites of new-laid Eggs raw; work all these very well together, seasoning
it with Salt. Spread it thick upon slices of light white-bread cut like
tosts. Then fry them in Butter, such quantity as may boil over the tops of
the tosts.

TO MAKE MUSTARD

The best way of making Mustard is this: Take of the best Mustard-seed
(which is black) for example a quart. Dry it gently in an oven, and beat it
to subtle powder, and searse it. Then mingle well strong Wine-vinegar with
it, so much that it be pretty liquid, for it will dry with keeping. Put to
this a little Pepper beaten small (white is the best) at discretion, as
about a good pugil, and put a good spoonful of Sugar to it (which is not to
make it taste sweet, but rather quick, and to help the fermentation) lay a
good Onion in the bottom, quartered if you will, and a Race of Ginger
scraped and bruised; and stir it often with a Horse-radish root cleansed,
which let always lie in the pot, till it have lost it's vertue, then take a
new one. This will keep long, and grow better for a while. It is not good
till after a month, that it have fermented a while.

Some think it will be the quicker, if the seed be ground with fair water,
in stead of vinegar, putting store of Onions in it.

My Lady Holmeby makes her quick fine Mustard thus: Choose true
Mustard-seed; dry it in an oven, after the bread is out. Beat and searse it
to a most subtle powder. Mingle Sherry-sack with it (stirring it a long
time very well, so much as to have it of a fit consistence for Mustard.
Then put a good quantity of fine Sugar to it, as five or six spoonfuls, or
more, to a pint of Mustard. Stir and incorporate all well together. This
will keep good a long time. Some do like to put to it a little (but a
little) of very sharp Wine-vinegar.

TO MAKE A WHITE-POT

Boil three pints of sweet Cream with a very little Salt and some sliced
Nutmeg. As soon as it begins to boil, take it from the fire. In the mean
time beat the yolks of twelve or fifteen new-laid Eggs very well with some
Rose or Orange-flower-water, and sweeten the Cream to your taste with
Sugar. Then beat three or four spoonfuls of Cream with them, and quickly as
many more; so proceeding, till you have incorporated all the Cream and all
the Eggs. Then pour the Eggs and Cream into a deep dish laid over with
sippets of fine light bread, which will rise up to the top for the most
part. When it is cooled and thickened enough to bear Raisins of the Sun,
strew all over the top with them (well-washed.) Then press a little way
into it with great lumps of raw Marrow. Two bones will suffice. Cover your
dish with another, and set it upon a great pot of boiling water, with a
good space between the water and the dish, that there be room for the hot
steam to rise and strike upon the dish. Keep good fire always under your
pot. In less then an hour (usually) it is baked enough. You will perceive
that, if the Marrow look brown, and be enough baked. If it should continue
longer on the heat, it would melt. You may bake it in an oven if you will;
but it is hard to regulate it so, that it be not too much or too little:
whereas the boiling water is certain. You may strew Ambred Sugar upon it,
either before you set it to bake, or after it is done.

FOR ROSTING OF MEAT

To rost fine meat (as Partridge, Pheasant, Chicken, Pigeon) that it be full
of juyce; baste it as soon as it is through hot, and time to baste, with
Butter. When it is very moist all over, sprinkle flower upon it every
where, that by turning about the fire, it may become a thin crust. Then
baste it no more till the latter end. This crust will keep in all the
juyce. A little before you take it up, baste it again with Butter, and this
will melt away all the crust. Then give it three or four turns of the spit,
that it may make the outside yellow and crisp.

You may also baste such meat with yolks of new-laid Eggs, beaten into a
thin oyl. But with this you continue basting all the while the meat
rosteth.

TO STEW A RUMP OF BEEF

Take a rump of Beef, break all the bones; season it with Pepper and Salt to
your liking; Take three or four Nutmegs, and a quantity of Mace, beat them
grossly; Then take a bunch of very good sweet herbs, and one good Onion cut
in quarters, or Garlike, as you like it. Put in half a pint of White-wine
Vinegar, and one pint of good Claret, one handful of Sugar; and a piece or
two of beef Suet or Butter: shred some Cabbage under and over, and scrape
in a pound of good old Cheese. Put all these into an earthen pot, and let
it stand in an oven with brown-bread four or five hours; but let the pot be
covered close with paste.

TO STEW A RUMP OF BEEF

Take a fat rump of young Beef, as it comes from the Butcher, and take out
all the bones, excepting the tip of it towards the tail that is all fat,
which you cannot take out, without spoiling or defacing or breaking it. But
take out all the thick bones towards the Chine, and the thick Sinews, that
are on the outer sides of the flesh; (which will never become tender with
boiling) so that you have nothing but the pure flesh and fat, without any
bony or tough substance. Then beat well the lean part with a woodden roling
pin, and when you have beaten well one side, turn the other. Then rub it
well with Pepper grosly beaten, and salt; just as you would do, to season a
Venison pasty, making the seasoning higher or gentler according to your
taste. Then lay it in a fit vessel, with a flat bottom (pipkin or kettle as
you have conveniency) that will but just contain it, but so that it may lye
at ease. Or you may tye it up in a loose thin linnen cloth, or boulter, as
they do Capons _a la mode_, or Brawn, or the like. Then put water upon it,
but just to cover it, and boil it close covered a matter of two hours
pretty smartly, so that it be well half boiled. Then take it out of that,
and put it into another fit vessel, or the same cleansed, and put upon it
about two quarts of good strong deep well bodied Claret-wine, and a good
bundle of sweet-herbs, (Penny-royal, Sweet-Marjoram, Winter-savory, Limon
Thyme, &c.) and a good large Onion peeled, and stuck as close with Cloves,
as you can stick it, if you like the taste of Onions. They must be the
strong biting Onions, that are round and red: a little Nutmeg, and some
Mace. Put to the wine about a pint of the Liquor that you have already
boiled the Beef in; and if you would have it strong of the seasoning of
Pepper, and Salt; take the bottom of this Liquor. Thus let it boil very
gently, simpringly, or rather stew with Char-coal over a little furnace, or
a fit Chafing-dish, a matter of three hours, close covered. If the Liquor
waste too much, you may recruit it with what you have kept of that, which
your beef was boiled in. When it is near time to take it up, stew some
Oysters in their own Liquor (to which you may add at the latter end, some
of the winy Liquor, that the Beef is now stewing in, or some of the first
Beef-broth, or use some good pickled Oysters) and at the same time make
some thin tostes of Kingstone manchet, which toste very leisurely, or
rather dry them throughly, and very hard, and Crisp, but not burned, by
lying long before the fire. And if you have fresh Champignons, dress a good
dish full of them, to be ready at the same time, when all the rest is
ready; If not, use pickled ones, without further dressing. When you find
your Beef is as tender as can be, and will scarcely hold together, to be
taken up together, and that all the other things are ready, lay the tostes
in the dish, where the Beef is to lye; pour some of the Liquor upon it.
Then lay the Beef upon the tosts; throw away the bundle of Herbs and
Onions; and pour the rest of the Liquor upon the Beef, as also the
Oysters, and the Mushrooms, to which add a pretty deal, about half a pint
of Broom-buds: and so let it stand a while well covered over coals to
Mittoner; and to have all the several substances communicate their tastes
to one another, and to have the tostes swell up like a gelly. Then serve it
up. If you want Liquor, you may still recruit your self out of the first
Beef-broth, which you keep all to supply any want afterwards. Have a care,
whiles it is stewing, in the Winy-liquor, to lift the flesh sometimes up
from the bottom of the vessel, least if it should lye always still, it may
stick to the bottom, and burn; but you cannot take it out, for it would
fall in pieces. It will be yet better meat, if you add to it, at the last
(when you add all the other heightnings) some Marrow, and some Chess-nuts,
and some Pistachios, if you will. Put to your Broom-buds (before you put
them in to the rest) some elder Vinegar, enough to soak them, and even to
cover them. If you find this make your composition of the whole too sharp,
you may next time take less. When you put the Beef to stew with the wine
(or a while after) you may put to it a pretty quantity (as much as you can
take in both hands at once) of shreded Cabbage, if it be the season; or of
Turneps, if you like either of these. Carrots make it somewhat flat. If the
wine be not quick enough, you may put a little elder Vinegar to it. If you
like Garlike, you may put in a little, or rub the dish with it.

PICKLED CHAMPIGNONS

Champignons are best, that grow upon gravelly dry rising Grounds. Gather
them of the last nights growth; and to preserve them white, it is well to
cast them into a pitcher of fair-water, as you gather them: But that is not
absolutely necessary, if you will go about dressing them as soon as you
come home. Cut the great ones into halves or quarters, seeing carefully
there be no worms in them; and peel off their upper skin on the tops: the
little ones, peel whole. As you peel them, throw them into a bason of
fair-water, which preserves them white. Then put them into a pipkin or
possnet of Copper (no Iron) and put a very little water to them, and a
large proportion of Salt. If you have a pottle of Mushrooms, you may put to
them ten or twelve spoonfuls of water, and two or three of Salt. Boil them
with pretty quick-fire, and scum them well all the while, taking away a
great deal of foulness, that will rise. They will shrink into a very little
room. When they are sufficiently parboiled to be tender, and well cleansed
of their scum, (which will be in about a quarter of an hour,) take them
out, and put them into a Colander, that all the moisture may drain from
them. In the mean time make your pickle thus: Take a quart of pure sharp
white Wine Vinegar (elder-Vinegar is best) put two or three spoonfuls of
whole Pepper to it, twenty or thirty Cloves, one Nutmeg quartered, two or
three flakes of Mace, three Bay-leaves; (some like Limon-Thyme and
Rose-mary; but then it must be a very little of each) boil all these
together, till the Vinegar be well impregnated with the Ingredients, which
will be in about half an hour. Then take it from the fire, and let it cool.
When the pickle is quite cold, and the Mushrooms also quite cold, and
drained from all moisture: put them into the Liquor (with all the
Ingredients in it) which you must be sure, be enough to cover them. In ten
or twelve days, they will have taken into them the full taste of the
pickle, and will keep very good half a year. If you have much supernatant
Liquor, you may parboil more Mushrooms next day, and put them to the first.
If you have not gathered at once enough for a dressing, you may keep them
all night in water to preserve them white, and gather more the next day, to
joyn to them.

TO STEW WARDENS OR PEARS

Pare them, put them into a Pipkin, with so much Red or Claret Wine and
water, _ana_, as will near reach to the top of the Pears. Stew or boil
gently, till they grow tender, which may be in two hours. After a while,
put in some sticks of Cinnamon bruised and a few Cloves. When they are
almost done, put in Sugar enough to season them well and their Syrup, which
you pour out upon them in a deep Plate.

TO STEW APPLES

Pare them and cut them into slices. Stew them with Wine and Water as the
Pears, and season them in like manner with Spice. Towards the end sweeten
them with Sugar, breaking the Apples into Pap by stirring them. When you
are ready to take them off, put in good store of fresh-butter, and
incorporate it well with them, by stirring them together. You stew these
between two dishes. The quickest Apples are the best.

PORTUGUEZ EGGS

The way that the Countess de Penalva makes the Portuguez Eggs for the
Queen, is this. Take the yolks (clean picked from the whites and germ) of
twelve new-laid Eggs. Beat them exceedingly with a little (scarce a
spoonful) of Orange-flower-water. When they are exceeding liquid, clear,
and uniformly a thin Liquor, put to them one pound of pure double refined
Sugar (if it be not so pure, it must be clarified before) and stew them in
your dish or bason over a very gentle fire, stirring them continually,
whiles they are over it, so that the whole may become one uniform
substance, of the consistence of an Electuary (beware they grow not too
hard; for without much caution and attention, that will happen on a sudden)
which then you may eat presently, or put into pots to keep. You may
dissolve Ambergreece (if you will, ground first very much with Sugar) in
Orange-flower or Rose-water, before hand, and put it (warm and dissolved)
to the Eggs, when you set them to stew. If you clarifie your Sugar, do it
with one of these waters, and whites of Eggs. The flavor of these
sweet-waters goeth almost all away with boiling. Therefore half a spoonful
put into the composition, when you take it from the fire, seasoneth it more
then ten times as much, put in at the first.

TO BOIL EGGS

A certain and infallible method to boil new-laid Eggs to sup up, and yet
that they have the white turned to milk, is thus: Break a very little hole,
at the bigger end of the shell, and put it into the water, whiles it
boileth. Let it remain boiling, whiles your Pulse beateth two hundred
stroaks. Then take it out immediately, and you will find it of an exact
temper: others put Eggs into boyling water just as you take it from the
fire, and let them remain there, till the water be so cooled, that you may
just put in your hand, and take out the Eggs.

Others put the Eggs into cold water, which they set upon the fire, and as
soon as the water begins to boil, the Eggs are enough.

TO MAKE CLEAR GELLY OF BRAN

Take two pound of the broadest open Bran of the best Wheat, and put it to
infuse in a Gallon of Water, during two or three days, that the water may
soak into the pure flower, that sticks to the bran. Then boil it three or
four walms, and presently take it from the fire, and strain it through some
fine strainer. A milky substance will come out, which let stand to settle
about half a day. Pour off the clear water, that swimmeth over the starch
or flomery, that is in the bottom (which is very good for Pap, &c.) and
boil it up to a gelly, as you do Harts-horn gelly or the like, and season
it to your taste.

TO BAKE VENISON

Boil the bones (well broken) and remaining flesh of the Venison, from
whence the meat of the Pasty is cut, in the Liquor, wherein Capons and
Veal, or Mutton have been boiled, so to make very strong broth of them. The
bones must be broken, that you may have the Marrow of them in the Liquor;
and they must stew a long time (covering the pot close:) that you may make
the broth as strong as you can; and if you put some gravy of Mutton or Veal
to it, it will be the better. When the Pasty is half baked, pour some of
this broth into it, by the hole at the top; and the rest of it, when it is
quite baked, and wanteth but standing in the oven to soak. Or put it all in
at once, when the Pasty is sufficiently baked, and afterwards let it remain
in the oven a good while soaking.

You may bake the bones (broken) with the broth and gravy, or for want
thereof, with only water in an earthen pot close stopped, till you have all
the substance in the Liquor; which you may pour into the Pasty an hour
before it is baked enough.

If you are in a Park, you may soak the Venison a night in the blood of the
Deer; and cover the flesh with it, clotted together when you put it in
paste. Mutton blood also upon Venison, is very good. You may season your
blood a little with Pepper and Salt.

TO BAKE VENISON TO KEEP

After you have boned it, and cut away all the sinews, then season it with
Pepper and Salt pretty high, and divide a Stag into four pots; then put
about a pound of Butter upon the top of each pot, and cover it with
Rye-past pretty thick. Your oven must be so hot, that after a whole night
it maybe baked very tender, which is a great help to the keeping of it.
And when you draw it, drain all the Liquor from it, and turn your pot upon
a pie plate, with the bottom upwards, and so let it stand, until it is
cold; Then wipe your pot, that no gravy remain therein, and then put your
Venison into the same pot again; then have your Butter very well clarified,
that there be no dross remaining; Then fill up your pot about two Inches
above the meat with Butter, or else it will mould. And so the next day
binde it up very close, with a piece of sheeps Leather so that no air can
get in. After which you may keep it as long as you please.

Master Adrian May put's up His Venison in pots, to keep long, thus:
Immediately as soon as He hath killed it, he seasoneth and baketh it as
soon as He can, so that the flesh may never be cold. And this maketh that
the fat runneth in among the lean, and is like calvered Salmon, and eats
much more mellow and tender. But before the Deer be killed, he ought to be
hunted and chafed as much as may be. Then seasoned and put in the oven
before it be cold. Be sure to pour out all the gravy, that settleth to the
bottom, under the flesh after the baking, before you put the Butter to it,
that is to lie very thick upon the meat, to keep it all the year.

ABOUT MAKING OF BRAWN

It must be a very large oven, that so it may contract the stronger heat,
and keep it the longer. It must be at least eight hours heating with wood,
that it be as hot as is possible. If the Brawn be young, it will suffice
eight hours or a little more in the oven. But if old, it must be ten or
eleven. Put but two Collars into each pot, for bigger are unwieldy. Into
every pot, put twelve corns of whole Pepper, four Cloves, a great Onion
peeled and quartered, and two bay-leaves, before you put them into the
oven. Before they are set in, you do not fill them with water to the top,
least any should spill in sliding them in; but fill them up by a bowl
fastned to a long Pole. No water must be put in, after the oven is closed
(nor the oven ever be opened, till after all is throughly baked) and
therefore you must put in enough at first to serve to the last; you must
rowl your Collars as close as may be, that no air may be left in the folds
of them: and sow them up in exceeding strong cloth, which a strong man must
pull as hard as He can in the sowing. Their cloths must not be pulled off,
till the Collars have been three or four days out of the oven, least you
pull off part of the Brawn with them. You may put the same proportion of
Pepper, Cloves, &c. into the Souce drink as you did in the baking them;
which at either time (especially at first) give them a fine taste. The
Souce-drink is made of six shillings Beer, and Thames or River-water, of
each an equal quantity, well boiled with Salt. When boiled and cold, put in
to it two or three quarts of skimmed Milk, only to colour it; and so change
it once in three Weeks. Tender Brawn sliced thin, and laid Sallet-wise in a
dish as the sliced Capon, and seasoned with Pepper, Salt and Vinegar and
Oyl, with a little Limon, is a very good Sallet.

SALLET OF COLD CAPON ROSTED

It is a good Sallet, to slice a cold Capon thin; mingle with it some
Sibbolds, Lettice, Rocket and Tarragon sliced small. Season all with
Pepper, Salt, Vinegar and Oyl, and sliced Limon. A little Origanum doth
well with it.

MUTTON BAKED LIKE VENISON, SOAKING EITHER IN THEIR BLOOD

Take a large fat loin of Mutton (or two) boned after the manner of Venison.
Season it well to your taste with Pepper and Salt. Then lay it to steep all
night in enough of the sheep's blood, to cover it over, and soak well into
it. Then lay it into the past, with all the clotted thick blood, under it,
upon it, and hanging about it. You may season the blood with Pepper and
Salt, before you lay the meat in it. But though you do not, it will not be
amiss, so as the meat be seasoned high enough. Then bake it as you do an
ordinary Pasty; and you may put gravy of Mutton or strong broth into it.
You may do it in a dish with past; as My Lady of Newport doth Her Venison.
This way of steeping in blood before you bake it, is very good also for
Venison.

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