Produced by David Starner, Keith M. Eckrich, the PG Online Distributed

Proofreading Team

Food, fish, chicken, and veggies,

By Amelia Simmons,
AN AMERICAN ORPHAN.

HARTFORD
PRINTED BY HUDSON & GOODWIN,
FOR THE AUTHOR.

1796

As this treatise aims to improve the upcoming generation of females in America, fashionable and affluent women won’t mind if many suggestions are made for the broader knowledge of the women in this country who, through the loss of their parents or other unfortunate circumstances, find themselves needing to work as domestics or seek refuge with friends or relatives. They need guidance on what is essential for becoming good wives and valuable members of society. Orphaned girls, even when cared for by virtuous guardians, will find it crucial to develop their own opinions and decisions. The world and its trends change so rapidly that older people struggle to keep up with the constant shifts in fashion; they tend to stick to the ways of their time and cling to the good old way, while the young and vibrant quickly adapt to current tastes and trends. When I speak of having an opinion and determination, I don’t mean stubbornly holding onto trivialities that verge on obstinacy—absolutely not. I mean sticking to the principles and truths that have stood the test of time and will always define the female character as virtuous, even as they adapt to contemporary ideas in cooking, fashion, language, manners, etc.

It must always be a burden for the poor lonely orphan, knowing that while those girls with parents, brothers, or wealth can rely on their support for any mistakes, the orphan has to rely entirely on their character. It’s incredibly important, therefore, that every action, every word, and every thought is guided by the highest standards of integrity, and that every move is approved by the good and wise.

The honesty of American ladies is earnestly requested by the author, as she is limited in her knowledge, this being an original work in this country. If any future editions come out, she hopes to make it more valuable.

[Illustration]

DIRECTIONS for CATERING, or getting the best FOOD, FISH, etc.

How to choose Flesh.

BEEF. The best beef comes from a large, feedlot-raised ox; it has a coarse, open grain and a smooth, oily texture. If you press it with your finger, it will bounce back right away; if the meat is old, it will feel tough and spongy, and the indentation will stay.

Cow beef has less bone and is typically more tender and juicy than ox meat in America, which is used for labor.

Of almost every type of animals, birds, and fish, the female is the most caring, the most flavorful, and among poultry, the quickest to gain weight.

Mutton, grass-fed, is best when it's two or three years old.

Lamb, if it's under six months old, is rich in flavor, and there's no risk of being deceived; you can tell by its size to distinguish it in either case.

Veal spoils quickly, so it’s important to be very careful when buying it. Veal brought to the market in baskets or in carriages is preferred over that brought in bags and jostled around on a sweaty horse.

Pork is recognized by its size and how it looks when it's properly fattened.

To make the best bacon.

To each ham, add one ounce of saltpeter, one pint of bay salt, and one pint of molasses. Mix them together for 6 to 8 weeks, or when there's a large batch, baste them with the liquid every day. When it's time to dry, smoke for three weeks using cobs or malt fumes. You can also include a cheek with each ham; if you're storing a barrel, keep the same ingredients, and some people add a shoulder. For shipping or export, double the smoking time.

Fish: How to Choose the Best in the Market

Salmon is the finest and most luxurious fish caught in freshwater—the biggest ones are the best. They stand out from nearly all other fish and improve in quality after being out of the water for 3 or 4 days, as long as they’re kept cool and away from the moon, which has a much more harmful effect than the sun.

In all major fish markets, top fishmongers carefully check the gills—if the vibrant red turns to a dull brown, the fish are old; but when live fish are brought in flapping and lively, you just need to choose the type that tastes best to you and is in season.

Shad, contrary to popular belief, aren’t actually richer in flavor; they’re just tougher when they're first removed from the water. Opinions about them vary. I’ve tasted Shad thirty or forty miles away from where they were caught and honestly thought they had a richness of flavor that wasn’t present in those taken fresh and cooked right away. I’ve compared both at the same table, and it’s true that a Shad that’s been out of water for 36 or 48 hours might not cook as firm and might not be regarded as elegant, but it can still offer a more enjoyable flavor.

Every type of saltwater fish is usually best when it’s fresh from the water. However, the Hannah Hill, Black Fish, Lobster, Oyster, Flounder, Bass, Cod, Haddock, and Eel, along with many others, can be transported over land for many miles, find a good market, and still taste fine. But generally, live ones are preferred, so tricks are often used to make them look fresh. This can include dusting the gills with seasoning, wetting the fins and tails, or even painting the gills or soaking them in animal blood. With experience and attention, you can learn to choose the best fish. Fresh gills, bright, clear eyes, and moist fins and tails are signs that they’ve just been caught. If they feel soft, they’re definitely not fresh. If tricks are being used, your sense of smell should guide you in determining whether they’re good or not.

Of all freshwater fish, none require or benefit from quick cooking as much as the Salmon Trout. They're at their best when caught at the base of a waterfall—though the reason for this is still up for debate, it's clear that the water is much colder there than at the top. Trout prefer those cooler waters; if caught from them and quickly prepared, they are truly excellent and rank higher in flavor compared to most other fish.

Perch and Roach are quality panfish; the deeper the water they come from, the better their flavor. If caught in shallow water with muddy bottoms, they absorb those flavors and taste unpleasant.

Eels, even though they come from muddy bottoms, are best when tossed straight into the pan.

Most white or soft fish are best when cured, which is done by salting, peppering, and drying in the sun and in a chimney. After 30 to 40 hours of drying, they are best grilled and served with butter, etc.

Choosing poultry.

Having already mentioned that females are usually preferable to males, this is especially true for the Peacock, which, despite its beautiful feathers, is tough, hard, stringy, and not tasty at all—while the Pea Hen is quite the opposite and is the queen of all birds.

So also in some ways, Turkey.

Hen Turkey has a richer flavor, is easier to fatten, and is plumper—they're equally prized in the market.

Dunghill Fowls are a decent indication of the earlier birds due to their regular use.

Chickens, of any type are good, and the yellow-legged ones are the best, and they taste the sweetest.

Capons, if they are young and good, can be identified by their short spurs and smooth legs.

All birds can be identified, whether freshly killed or old, by a tight vent for the fresh ones and a loose, open vent for the old or stale ones; their smell indicates their quality; speckled, rough legs show age, while smooth legs and combs indicate youth.

A Goose, if it's young, will have a yellow bill with only a few feathers, and its bones will crack easily. But if it's old, the bill will be red, and the pads will be even redder; the joints will be stiff and hard to dislocate. For a young one, look for one that isn't too fleshy on the breast but is fatty in the rump.

Ducks are like geese.

Wild Ducks have redder feet and are smaller than tame ducks; otherwise, they are like geese or tame ducks and should be selected using the same criteria.

Wood Cocks should be plump, meaty, and have firm flesh, with a dry beak and a clear throat.

Snipes, when they are young and overweight, have prominent veins under the wing and have small veins, similar to the Woodcock.

Partridges, when they are young, have black bills and yellowish legs; when they are older, the legs appear bluish; if they are old or spoiled, you can tell by the smell coming from their mouths.

Pigeons that are young have light red legs and colored flesh, and they can be easily handled—older ones have red legs with some black patches, more feathers, and plumper, looser vents—this also applies to grey or green Plovers, Blade Birds, Thrushes, Larks, and wildfowl in general.

Hares are white-fleshed and tender when they're newly killed; if they're stale, their flesh will have a dark hue, similar to old pigeons. If the split in their lip is wide and ragged, they're old; the opposite is true for younger ones.

Leveret is just like the Hare in every way, but some people have to look for the knob or small bone on the foreleg or foot to tell them apart.

Rabbits – wild ones are the best, but both types are good and tender; if they’re older, you’ll find a lot of yellowish fat around the kidneys, long claws, rough fur, and mixed with gray hairs; if they’re young, it’s the opposite. To check if they’re fresh, go by the smell; they spoil quickly if trapped or shot and left with the fur or undressed; they go bad faster than veal and are the most unpleasant in nature; and unlike beef or veal, they won’t be cleaned up by cooking.

The farming of rabbits could be profitable in America if the best methods are used. They are a very prolific and valuable animal. They can be easily raised if they are properly cared for, but not if they aren't. A rabbit burrow, in which $3,000 may have been invested, could be quite profitable; however, on a smaller scale, they would do best near market towns—easier to breed, and more valuable.

Butter—High-quality, smooth, yellow butter is better than white or crumbly, which quickly turns rancid and smells bad. Check the center of balls or rolls to assess its quality; if in a firkin, the middle is the best part, as the sides often pick up an unpleasant taste from the wood of the firkin—even when it’s oak and aged. New pine tubs can spoil the butter. To keep butter fresh during hot summer days and through the vegetable season, send stone pots to reliable, neat, and trustworthy dairy producers, and have it packed down in May. Make sure to bring the pots in at night or on a cool, rainy morning, covered with a clean cloth that’s dampened with cold water, avoiding any heat from the horse, and place the pots in the coldest part of your cellar or in the ice house. Some people say that butter packed in May can last through the winter better than butter made in the fall.

Cheese—The red, smooth, moist-coated, and tightly pressed, square-edged cheese is better than the white-coated, hard-rinded, or bulging kinds; the inside should be yellow and flavored to your liking. Old shelves that have only been wiped down for years are preferred over scrubbed and washed shelves. Tricks are used by treating the outside with saltpeter or coloring it with poison hemlock, cucumbers, or saffron infused into the milk; the taste of any of these methods overshadows any possible deception.

Eggs—The best are those with clear, thin shells that are longest oval with sharp ends. To tell if they are fresh or stale, hold them up to the light; if the white is clear and the yolk is centered, they’re good—but if not, they’re stale. The most reliable way to check is to put them in water. If they lie flat on their side, they are good and fresh—if they stand upright, they are stale, and if they float, they are bad, spoiled, and not usable.

We move on to ROOTS and VEGETABLES—and the best cook can't change the first quality; they have to be good, or the cook will be let down.

Potatoes are valued for their widespread use, benefits, and easy availability. The smooth-skinned variety known as How's Potato is the most mealy and flavorful; next best is the yellow rusticoat; the red and red rusticoat are acceptable; and the yellow Spanish have their merits—those grown from imported seeds in sandy or dry loamy soil are ideal for eating; however, red potatoes or others will yield more in rich, loamy, well-fertilized garden soil. New land and sandy soil provide the best flavor and most mealy potatoes, which greatly depends on where they are grown—more on the type of potatoes planted—and even more from foreign seeds—and each can be identified by attentive connoisseurs; a good potato can be used in many cooking methods, as described later. All potatoes should be harvested before the rainy season in the fall, dried well in the sun, protected from frost and dampness during winter, and in spring moved from the cellar to a dry attic, spread out thinly, stirred frequently, and dried, or they will sprout and be compromised for cooking.

A roasted potato is served with roast beef, a steak, a chop, or fricassee; it's great boiled with a boiled dish; it makes an excellent stuffing for turkey, waterfowl, or game birds; it can be used for a tasty pie, and it's a good starch for many purposes. All potatoes have been declining in quality in America; a fresh import of Spanish potatoes might bring them back to dining tables.

It would be too much to include everything useful for preparing a great meal, but I can be excused for noting that the Irish have maintained a truly rich, mealy potato for over a century, which stands out compared to any found in other countries. I've heard they replenish their seed by planting and cultivating the Seed Ball that grows on the root. The way they manage this to maintain the quality of the potato would be better suited for a book on agriculture and gardening than this one—and could be included in a book that the farmer would read, rather than his lovely daughter. If no one else writes about it, it might appear in the next edition.

Onions—The Madeira white is the best in the market, known for its milder flavor and less intense heat, but the high red, round hard onions are superior. If you're looking for the cheapest, the larger ones are the way to go; if you prefer taste and tenderness, the smaller ones are the most delicate and are used at the finest dining tables. Onions thrive in the richest, most well-cultivated soil and improve year after year in the same ground.

Beets can be grown in any type of soil, but they do best in loamy or light gravel soil. The red variety is the richest and most favored; the white variety has a somewhat sickly sweetness that many people don't like.

Parsnips are a valuable root vegetable that grows best in rich, well-established soil. When planted late and deeply tilled, they thrive and are less likely to be woody. They can be stored anywhere, as long as they don’t get too warm or exposed to frost. If they do get frozen, let them thaw in the ground. They have a richer flavor when harvested in April after having survived the winter, although they won't keep for long after that and usually end up being more sticky and tough in the center.

Carrots are handled the same way as plowing and fertile soil, like Parsnips. The yellow ones are preferable to the orange or red; medium-sized, about a foot long and two inches thick at the top, are better than oversized ones. They grow best alongside onions, sown very thin and mixed with other seeds, especially when they are young or six weeks after being sown, particularly if planted in true onion soil. They pair well with veal dishes, are rich in soups, and are excellent in hash, especially during May and June.

Garlic, although used by the French, is better suited for medicinal purposes than for cooking.

Asparagus—The way to grow it is part of gardening; your job is just to cut and prepare it. The biggest stalks are the best, and cutting them when they reach six inches long, just above the ground, is ideal. Many people cut them below the surface thinking it’ll yield more tender shoots and keep the bed healthy, but that actually weakens the root. If you dig around it, you’ll notice it’s wet with juices—but if you cut it above ground, right after the dew evaporates, the sun will either reduce the juice or send it back to nourish the root—it’s an excellent vegetable.

Parsley, of the three types, the thickest and bushiest is the best. It can be sown among onions or in a bed by itself, and can be dried for winter use. However, I’ve found a much better method—In September, I dig up my roots and get an old thin stave dry cask. I bore holes an inch in diameter in each stave, spaced 6 inches apart all around the cask and up to the top. First, I add a half bushel of rich garden soil into the cask, then run the roots through the staves, leaving the branches outside. I pack the soil tightly around the roots inside and continue layering through the various levels until the cask is full. Once it’s filled, I run an iron bar through the center of the soil in the cask and fill it with water. I let it sit on the south and east side of a building until a frosty night, then I move it (by slinging a rope around the cask) into the cellar. Throughout the winter, I snip fresh parsley with my scissors for myself or my neighbors whenever we need it, and in the spring, I transplant the roots into a garden bed or any unused corner—or leave them out on the wharf or in the wash shed. It’s a useful way to grow it, and it’s a delicious herb that’s often used to garnish dishes.

Radish, salmon colored is the best, purple is the next best—white—turnip—each is produced from southern seeds each year. They grow the best when planted among onions. The turnip radish will last well through the winter.

Artichokes—The Jerusalem variety is the best, and they are grown like potatoes, (although their stalks can reach 7 feet tall) and can be stored like turnip radishes or pickled—whatever you prefer.

Horseradish, once it's in the garden, can hardly ever be completely gotten rid of; plowing or digging them up with that intention sometimes seems to actually increase and spread them.

Cucumbers come in many varieties; the prickly ones are best for pickles but are usually bitter; the white ones are hard to grow and delicate; pick the bright green, smooth ones that are the right size.

Melons—Watermelons are grown only in sandy soils, above latitude 41.5. If you dig into the ground from a well, you can get good watermelons in the first year; the ones with red cores have the best flavor, and a hard rind indicates that they're ripe.

Muskmelons come in different varieties; the rough-skinned ones are best to eat, while the short, round, smooth-skinned ones are better for making Mangoes.

Lettuce comes in different types; the purple spotted leaves are usually the most tender and have no bitterness—let your taste decide what to buy.

Cabbage needs a whole page because there’s so much to know about it. Just so you know, all cabbages taste better when they’re grown in new, untainted soil; if they're grown in an old town or garden, they can taste quite strong, which sometimes a traveler in fresh air can notice. This has been observed for years—that cabbages need new soil more than turnips do.

The Low Dutch, only works in old gardens.

The Early Yorkshire must have rich soils; they won't survive winter, are easy to cultivate, and often brought to market in the fall, but they won’t last through the winter.

The Green Savoy, with its rich crinkles, is soft and tender; and although they don't form heads like the Dutch or Yorkshire varieties, the tenderness of the outer leaves balances this out. They last through the winter and are very flavorful.

The Yellow Savoy comes next in line, but it won’t last as long. All cabbages will cross-pollinate and mix with other varieties, like Indian corn. They are selected based on the plants. A true gardener can tell from the plant which ones will produce heads and which ones won’t. This is new, but it’s a fact.

The shades in the Savoy Cabbage are identified by the leaf; the most vibrant, tightly curled, crinkled, and thickest Green Savoy comes very close to a Cauliflower.

The small, bright red heads are best for slaw; they don't cook well, turning black or blue, and stain other things they're boiled with.

The Clabboard Bean is easy to grow and harvest, is great for string beans, and can be shelled—needs to be supported with poles.

The Windsor Bean is an earlier variety of good string or shell bean.

Crambury Bean is rich, but not everyone agrees it's on the same level as the other two.

Frost Bean is only good for shelling.

Six Weeks Bean is a yellowish bean that matures early and is decent.

Lazy Bean is tough and doesn't need a pole.

English Bean, what they call the Horse Bean, is starchy when young, is profitable, easy to grow, and can be planted in depleted soil; since they can be grown by kids, I highly recommend expanding their cultivation.

The small White Bean is great for winter use and really good.

Calivanse are used up, a small yellow bush, a black spot or eye, are tough and bland, not very valuable in cooking, and hardly worth exporting.

Peas—Green Peas.

The Crown Imperial ranks highly in terms of flavor. They bloom purple and white at the top of the vines and can grow from three to five feet tall. They should only be planted in light sandy soil; otherwise, they will become too viney.

The Crown Pea is the second richest in flavor.

The Rondeheval is big and a bit bitter.

Early Carlton is produced first in the season—great.

Marrow Fats are green, yellow, large, and easy to grow, but not as good as others.

Sugar Pea doesn’t need a trellis; the pods are tender and tasty, and they’re easy to grow.

Spanish Manratto is a rich pea that needs a sturdy, tall bush.

All peas should be picked carefully from the vines as soon as the dew is gone, shelled and cleaned without water, and boiled right away; that's when they’re the most flavorful.

Herbs, useful in cooking.

Thyme is great in soups and stuffing.

Sweet Marjoram is popular in Turkey.

Summer Savory, the same goes for sausages, salted beef, and pork legs.

Sage is used in cheese and pork, but it's not usually approved.

Parsley, great in soups, and for garnishing roast beef, is fantastic with bread and butter in the spring.

Penny Royal is a highly aromatic herb that naturally grows in old ploughed fields but could be more widely grown in gardens and used in cooking and medicine.

Sweet Thyme is highly useful and well-regarded in cooking.

Pears, There are many different types; but the large Bell Pear, sometimes known as the Pound Pear, the yellowest one is the best, and even within the same town, they vary significantly.

Hard Winter Pear have countless qualities and are great in sauces and baked dishes.

Harvest and Summer Pear are decent desserts, and they've really improved in this country, just like all other fruits have through grafting and inoculation.

Apples are still more diverse, but they firmly keep their own species and are very useful in households. They should be grown more widely, except in the densest cities. Every family could plant a tree in an otherwise useless spot that would provide both shade and fruit; around 12 or 14 types of fruit trees could easily be grafted onto it, keeping the orchard safe from the intrusions of boys, which is too common in America. If a boy who planted a tree and took care of it in a neglected corner, carefully grafting different fruits, was allowed free access to orchards, while the careless boy was banned—millions of fruit trees would flourish—and this would save money for the country. In time, the savings could eliminate the public debt and enhance our cooking.

Currants are easy to grow from cuttings taken from old clusters, just stuck into the ground without much fuss. They thrive in any soil and make delicious jellies—growing them should definitely be promoted.

Black Currants can be grown—but until they can be dried and sugars are produced, they are somewhat unprofitable.

Grapes are suited to the climate, growing naturally in every state in the country and ten degrees north of the border. The Madeira, Lisbon, and Malaga grapes are grown in gardens here and make for a delicious treat or dessert. They require only minimal care for their abundant growth.

Having pointed out the best ways to assess the qualities of food, poultry, fish, vegetables, etc. we now present the most recommended methods for preparing and cooking them; and to cater to all preferences, we offer the following

To Cook Roast Beef.

The basic rules are to have a strong hot fire, to hang the meat instead of spitting it, to baste it with salt and water, and cook for about fifteen minutes for each pound of beef. However, tender beef will take less time, while old tough beef will need more time to roast. Poking it with a fork will tell you if it's done or not; rare beef is the healthiest and is in style right now.

Roasted Lamb.

If it’s a breast, call it that; if it’s a leg, whether stuffed or not, handle it more gently than beef, and let it cook longer. The chine, saddle, or leg need more heat and a longer cooking time than the breast, etc. Garnish with grated horseradish and serve with potatoes, beans, cauliflower, watercress, or boiled onions, caper sauce, mashed turnips, or lettuce.

Roasted Veal.

As it's more delicate than beef or lamb and can burn easily, cover it with paper, especially the fatty areas. Keep it a bit away from the fire to heat it slowly, and baste it well. A 15-pound piece needs to roast for about one hour and fifteen minutes. Serve it with parsley and sliced lemon.

Roasted Lamb.

Lay down to a good, clear fire that doesn’t need stirring or changing, baste with butter, sprinkle with flour, baste with the drippings, and before you take it up, add more butter and sprinkle on some salt and finely chopped parsley; serve with a nice salad, green peas, fresh beans, cauliflower, or asparagus.

To stuff a turkey.

Grate a wheat loaf, ¼ pound butter, ¼ pound salt pork, finely chopped, 2 eggs, a bit of sweet marjoram, summer savory, parsley, and sage, pepper and salt (if the pork isn't enough), fill the bird and sew it up.

The same applies to all wild birds.

Water Fowl require onions.

The same ingredients fill a leg of veal, fresh pork, or a loin of
veal.

To fill and roast a turkey or chicken.

One pound of soft wheat bread, 3 ounces of beef suet, 3 eggs, a bit of sweet thyme, sweet marjoram, pepper, and salt, and some add a small amount of wine; stuff the bird with this mixture and sew it up, then hang it over a steady, solid fire, basting frequently with salt and water, and roast until steam comes from the breast. Add one-third of a pound of butter to the gravy, dust flour over the bird, and baste with the gravy; serve with boiled onions, cranberry sauce, mangoes, pickles, or celery.

2. Others leave out the sweet herbs and add parsley cooked with potatoes.

3. Boil and mash 3 pints of potatoes, mix them with butter, add some sweet herbs, pepper, and salt, then fill and roast as mentioned above.

To stuff and roast a young goose.

Boil the innards until tender, chop them finely, add double the amount of grated bread, 4 ounces of butter, pepper, salt, (and sweet herbs if you want), 2 eggs mixed into the stuffing, parboil 4 onions and chop them into the stuffing, add wine, and roast the bird.

The above is a great stuffing for all types of waterfowl that needs onion sauce.

To cover a chicken in oysters.

Fill the bird with dry oysters, sew it up, and boil it in just enough water to cover it. Season with salt and other spices to your liking. Once it’s tender, place it in a deep dish and pour a pint of stewed oysters over it, thoroughly buttered and peppered. Garnish a turkey with sprigs of parsley or celery leaves; a fowl goes best with a parsley sauce.

How to Stuff a Leg of Veal.

Take one pound of veal, half a pound of salted pork, and one pound of grated bread. Chop everything finely, along with a handful of fresh parsley, add some pepper, and mix in 3 ounces of butter and 3 eggs (and sweet herbs if you like). Cut the leg into a ham shape and make lots of holes in it, then stuff it with the mixture. Season the leg with salt and pepper, then dust it with some flour. If you're baking it in an oven, place it in a saucepan with a little water. If you're potting it, lay some skewers at the bottom of the pot, add a bit of water, and put the leg on top of the skewers. Cook it on low heat until it's tender, adding water frequently. Once done, take out the leg, put some butter in the pot, and brown the leg. The gravy should be thickened and buttered in a separate vessel, with a spoonful of ketchup added.

To fill a leg of pork for baking or roasting.

Corn the leg for 48 hours, then stuff it with sausage meat and bake in a hot oven for two and a half hours or roast it.

To serve a round of beef in style.

To a 14 or 16-pound round of beef, add one ounce of saltpeter. After 48 hours, stuff it with the following mixture: one and a half pounds of beef, one pound of salt pork, two pounds of grated bread. Chop everything finely and mix in half a pound of butter, plus salt, pepper, cayenne, summer savory, and thyme. Place it on skewers in a large pot with 3 pints of hot water (which needs to be replenished occasionally). The steam will make the round tender in about 4 to 5 hours over a moderate fire. Once tender, remove the gravy and thicken it with flour and butter, then boil it. Brown the round with butter and flour, adding ketchup and wine to your liking.

To serve a round.

Take fatty pork, either sliced or minced, and season it with pepper, salt, sweet marjoram, thyme, cloves, mace, and nutmeg. Make holes in the beef and stuff it the night before cooking. Place some bones at the bottom of the pot to prevent burning, then add one quart of Claret wine, one quart of water, and one onion. Lay the beef round on top of the bones, cover it tightly, and seal the top with dough. In the morning, put it on the heat and stew it gently for two hours. Flip it over, seal it tight, and stew for another two hours. Once it's tender, grate some bread crust on top and brown it before the fire. Skim the gravy and serve it in a butter boat, along with the remaining gravy in the dish.

Dressing a Turtle.

Fill a boiler or kettle with enough water to scald the callapach and callapee, the fins, etc. Around 9 o'clock, hang your turtle by the hind fins, cut off its head, and save the blood. Take a sharp knife and separate the callapach from the callapee, or the back from the belly, down to the shoulders, to access the entrails. Remove and clean them as you would any other animal, placing them in a tub of clean water. Be careful not to break the gall; cut it away from the liver and discard it. Separate each part distinctly and place the guts into another container. Open them with a small penknife from end to end, wash them thoroughly, then draw them through a wool cloth in warm water to remove slime. Afterward, keep them in clean cold water until they're ready to be used with the other entrails, which should be chopped small to mix in the baking dishes with the meat. Next, completely separate the back and belly pieces, cutting away the fore fins at the upper joint. Scald them, peel off the loose skin, and cut them into small pieces, putting them aside in another vessel or on the table, ready for seasoning. Cut the meat from the belly part, clean the back of the lungs, kidneys, etc., and cut that meat into walnut-sized pieces, setting those aside too. After this, scald the back and belly pieces, pulling off the shell from the back and the yellow skin from the belly until everything is white and clean. Use a kitchen cleaver to cut those into pieces about the size of a card. Place those pieces in clean cold water, wash them, and stack them on the table so that each part stays separate for seasoning. To season the meat, mix two-thirds salt, or a bit more, with one-third cayenne pepper, black pepper, and fine-powdered nutmeg and mace. Adjust the quantity according to the turtle's size so that there are about three spoonfuls of seasoning for every twelve pounds of meat. Once seasoned, gather some sweet herbs like thyme and savory, dry and finely rub them. Next, prepare deep dishes for baking, preferably standard brown ware. Place the coarsest part of the meat at the bottom of each dish, adding a quarter pound of butter. Layer in different portions of the various meat parts so that the dishes contain equal amounts. Between each layer of meat, sprinkle a little mixture of sweet herbs. Fill your dishes about an inch and a half to two inches from the top, then boil the turtle's blood and pour it in. Add forcemeat balls made from highly seasoned veal. Pour in a gill of Madeira wine for each dish, along with as much water as they can hold. Finally, crack five or six eggs on top to prevent the meat from scorching, then sprinkle a handful of chopped parsley over everything to add a touch of green. Place the dishes in an oven heated enough to bake bread. They will be done in an hour and a half to two hours, depending on dish size.

How to prepare a Calf's Head. Turtle style.

The head and feet should be thoroughly scalded and cleaned. Open the head, remove the brains, wash, pick, and clean them. Season with salt, pepper, and parsley, then set aside in a cloth. Boil the head, feet, and heart for about one to one and a half hours. Remove the bones and slice the skin and meat. Drain the liquid they were boiled in and set it aside. Clean the pot thoroughly to avoid burning. Layer the slices in the pot, sprinkling them with a mix of one spoon of black pepper, two spoons of crushed sweet herbs (sweet marjoram and thyme are best), one teaspoon of cayenne, and one pound of butter. Then dust with flour, add another layer of meat and veal slices, seasoning until finished. Cover with the reserved liquid and simmer gently for three-quarters of an hour. To make the meatballs, take one and a half pounds of veal, one pound of grated bread, and four ounces of raw salt pork. Mince and season with the spices mentioned above, then mix with three egg whites to form balls about one or one and a half inches in diameter. Roll in flour and fry in very hot butter until browned. Chop the brains finely and stir them into the mixture in the pot, adding one-third of the fried balls and a pint (or less) of wine. Once everything is heated through, remove from the heat and serve in tureens, placing the remaining balls and hard-boiled, peeled eggs in a dish, garnished with slices of lemon.

A Stew Pie.

Boil a shoulder of veal, then cut it up. Add half a pound of salt, pepper, and butter, along with slices of raw salt pork. Create a layer of meat and a layer of biscuit or biscuit dough in a pot. Cover it tightly and stew for half an hour in just three quarts of water.

A Sea Pie.

Four pounds of flour, one and a half pounds of butter mixed into a paste, wetted with cold water, line the pot with this, then add split pigeons, turkey pies, veal, mutton, or birds, along with slices of pork, salt, pepper, and a sprinkle of flour, doing this until the pot is full or until you run out of ingredients. Add three pints of water, cover tightly with the paste, and simmer moderately for two and a half hours.

A Chicken Pie.

Pick and clean six chickens (without scalding), remove their insides, and wash the birds while they're whole. Then, cut the birds into pieces, and season both the pieces and the insides with salt and pepper. Roll out a one-inch thick paste (No. 8) and line a deep dish with it, folding over the rim or edge of the dish. Add a layer of chicken and a layer of thin slices of butter until all the chicken and one and a half pounds of butter are used up. Cover it with a thick paste and bake for one and a half hours.

Or if your oven isn’t great, parboil the chickens with half a pound of butter, then put the pieces with the remaining one pound of butter and half of the gravy into the crust. While it’s boiling, thicken the rest of the gravy, and when the pie is out, open the crust and add the gravy.

Minced Pies, A Meat Pie.

Scald the feet and clean them well (grass-fed are the best). Put them into a large container of cold water, changing the water daily for a week. Then boil the feet until they’re tender, remove the bones, and when they’re cool, chop them finely. For every four pounds of minced meat, add one pound of beef suet and four pounds of raw apples, along with a little salt. Chop everything together very finely, then add one quart of wine, two pounds of pitted raisins, one ounce of cinnamon, one ounce of mace, and sweeten to your taste. Use paste No. 3 and bake for three quarters of an hour.

Weeks later, when it's time to use them, gently lift the top crust, and with a round-edged spoon, scoop the meat into a bowl, which you warm with extra wine and spices to suit your guests' taste. At the same time, warm the crust like a hoecake, assemble everything carefully, and serve it up. This way, you can enjoy hot pies throughout the winter, uniquely enhanced for your company.

Tongue Pie.

One pound of neat's tongue, one pound of apple, one third of a pound of sugar, one quarter of a pound of butter, one pint of wine, one pound of raisins or currants (or half of each), and half an ounce of cinnamon and mace—bake in pastry No. 1, according to size.

Beef Mince Pie.

Four pounds of boiled beef, chopped fine and salted; six pounds of raw apples, also chopped; one pound of beef suet; one quart of wine or rich sweet cider; one ounce of mace; some cinnamon; one nutmeg; two pounds of raisins. Bake in pastry No. 3 for three-quarters of an hour.

Insights.

All meat pies need a hotter and faster oven than fruit pies; in good kitchens, all raisins should be pitted. Since people have different tastes, they can adjust things to their liking. Also, because it's hard to measure small spices accurately, everyone can enjoy them as they prefer and cater to their own taste.

Apple Pie.

Stew and strain the apples, for every three pints, grate the peel of a fresh lemon, add cinnamon, mace, rose water, and sugar to your taste—and bake in crust No. 3.

Every type of fruit like peas, plums, raspberries, and blackberries can just be sweetened, without any spices—and baked in paste No. 3.

Currant Pies.

Take ripe, fully grown currants, and add an amount of sugar equal to one-third of their weight, following the same procedure as before.

A buttery apple pie.

Pare, quarter, and core tart apples, place them in paste No. 3, cover with the same; bake for half an hour, then gently lift the top crust, and add sugar, butter, cinnamon, mace, and wine or rose water as needed.

Rice Pudding.

One quarter pound of rice, a stick of cinnamon, and a quart of milk (stirred often to prevent burning). Boil quickly, then let it cool and add half a nutmeg, 4 tablespoons of rose water, and 8 eggs. Butter or line a dish with puff pastry and pour the mixture into it, then bake for one and a half hours.

No. 2. Boil 6 ounces of rice in a quart of milk over low heat until it’s tender, then stir in one pound of butter. Meanwhile, beat 14 eggs and add them to the pudding once it’s cooled, along with sugar, salt, rose water, and spices to your liking. You can also add raisins or currants. Bake as in No. 1.

No. 3. 8 spoons of rice boiled in a quart of milk, when cooled, add 8 eggs, 6 ounces of butter, wine, sugar, and spices to taste; bake for 2 hours.

No. 4. Boil half a pound of ground rice in water until soft, then add 2 quarts of milk and heat until just scalding. Let it cool and then mix in 8 eggs, 6 ounces of butter, 1 pound of raisins, salt, cinnamon, and a small nutmeg. Bake for 2 hours.

No. 5. A cheap one, half a pint of rice, 2 quarts of milk, salt, butter, allspice, put cold into a hot oven, bake for 2 and a half hours.

No. 6. Put 6 ounces of rice into water, or a mix of milk and water. Let it soak until tender, then boil it gently, stirring in a little butter. Once it's cool, mix in a quart of cream, 6 or 8 well-beaten eggs, and add cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar to your taste. Bake.

N.B. The way of adding the ingredients is important; whenever eggs are mentioned, it means they should be well beaten; both whites and yolks, and the spices, should be fine and settled.

A Delicious Indian Pudding.

No. 1. 3 pints of scalded milk, 7 tablespoons of fine Indian meal, stir well together while hot, let it sit until cooled; add 7 eggs, half a pound of raisins, 4 ounces of butter, spice and sugar, bake for one and a half hours.

No. 2. 3 pints of scalded milk to one pint of salted meal; cool, add 2 eggs, 4 ounces of butter, sugar or molasses and spice to taste. It will need to bake for two and a half hours.

No. 3. Add salt to a pint of flour, mix it with one quart of milk, sweeten it, and place it into a sturdy cloth, brass or bell metal container, stone or earthen pot, making sure it's protected from moisture, and boil for 12 hours.

A Sunderland dessert.

Whisk 6 eggs and half the egg whites, grate half a nutmeg, mix in one pint of cream and a pinch of salt, and add 4 tablespoons of flour. Grease your pans, cups, or bowls with oil or butter, then bake in a hot oven for one hour. Serve with sweet sauce.

A Whitpot.

Cut half a loaf of bread into cubes, pour 2 quarts of milk over it, add 6 eggs, rose water, nutmeg, and half a pound of sugar; place it in a dish and cover with pastry, No. 1. Bake slowly for 1 hour.

A Bread Pudding

One pound of soft bread or biscuits soaked in one quart of milk, strained through a sieve or colander, add 7 eggs, three-quarters of a pound of sugar, a quarter of a pound of butter, nutmeg or cinnamon, one gill of rose water, one pound of pitted raisins, half a pint of cream, bake for three-quarters of an hour in a moderate oven.

A Cake Pudding.

Seven eggs, a quarter pound of sugar, and a teaspoon of salt, beat together and mix with one quart of milk, 5 tablespoons of flour, and cinnamon and nutmeg to taste. Bake for half an hour and serve with sweet sauce.

A steamed flour pudding.

One quart of milk, 9 eggs, 7 tablespoons of flour, a little salt, mixed together in a strong cloth and boiled for 45 minutes.

Almond Cream Pudding.

Gently boil a little mace and half a grated nutmeg in a quart of cream; when it cools, beat 8 yolks and 3 whites, strain them, and mix with a tablespoon of flour and a quarter pound of almonds. Once settled, add a tablespoon of rose water, and slowly mix in the cold cream, beating well together. Wet a thick cloth, flour it, and pour in the pudding. Boil hard for half an hour, then take it out and pour melted butter and sugar over it.

Apple pudding dumpling.

Put quartered apples in a paste, wrap them in a cloth, and boil for two hours; serve with sweet sauce.

Pears, Plums, etc.

Are done the same way.

Potato Pudding. Baked.

No. 1. One pound of boiled potatoes, one pound of sugar, half a pound of butter, 10 eggs.

No. 2. One pound of boiled potatoes, mashed, three-quarters of a pound of butter, 3 gills of milk or cream, the juice of one lemon and the grated peel, half a pound of sugar, half a nutmeg, 7 eggs (removing 3 egg whites), 2 tablespoons of rose water.

Apple Crisp

One pound of sifted apples, one pound of sugar, 9 eggs, a quarter pound of butter, one quart of heavy cream, a splash of rose water, some cinnamon, and grated zest from a green lemon (if using sweet apples); add the juice of half a lemon. Roll out to pastry No. 7. Some people add currants, raisins, and citron, but it's fine without them.

Carrot Cake

A coffee cup filled with boiled and strained carrots, 5 eggs, 2 ounces each of sugar and butter, cinnamon and rose water to your liking, baked in a deep dish without crust.

A Crookneck, or Winter Squash Pudding.

Core, boil, and peel a good squash, then mash it well; take 6 large apples, peeled, cored, and cooked until tender, and mix them together; add 6 or 7 tablespoons of dry bread or biscuit, crushed into fine crumbs, half a pint of milk or cream, 2 tablespoons of rose water, 2 tablespoons of wine, 5 or 6 eggs beaten and strained, nutmeg, salt, and sugar to taste, and one tablespoon of flour. Mix everything together thoroughly and bake.

The above is a good recipe for Pompkins, Potatoes or Yams. Adding more moisture, milk, and rose water, along with a few black or Lisbon currants, or dried blueberries mixed in with the latter two, will improve it.

Pumpkin.

No. 1. One quart stewed and strained, 3 pints cream, 9 beaten eggs, sugar, mace, nutmeg, and ginger, layered into paste No. 7 or 3, and with a dough spatula, crosshatch and checker it, then bake in dishes for three quarters of an hour.

No. 2. One quart of milk, 1 pint of pumpkin, 4 eggs, molasses, allspice, and ginger in a crust, bake for 1 hour.

Orange Flan.

Put sixteen egg yolks in a bowl with half a pound of melted butter, grate in the zest of two Seville oranges, mix in half a pound of fine sugar, add two tablespoons of orange water, two tablespoons of rose water, one gill of wine, and half a pint of cream. Crush two Naples biscuits or use the crumbs from a nice loaf, or a roll soaked in cream. Mix everything together and place it into a rich puff pastry, ensuring the edges are doubled around the dish. Bake it like a custard.

Lemon Pudding

1. Grate the zest of three lemons, then take two whole lemons and roll them on the table under your hand until they’re soft, being careful not to break them. Cut and squeeze them into the grated zest.

2. Take ten ounces of soft wheat bread and add a pint of scalded white wine. Let it soak and then put it in No. 1.

3. Beat four egg whites and eight egg yolks together, then add them to the mixture, along with three-quarters of a pound of melted butter (make sure it’s very fresh and good) and one pound of fine sugar. Mix everything together thoroughly until well combined.

4. Spread paste No. 7 or 9 on a dish, plate, or saucers, and fill with the mixture above.

5. Bake for about 1 hour, and when it's done—attach pieces of dough, cut with a jagged knife or a pastry tool to your liking, and baked lightly on a floured paper; with this garnish, they can be served hot or cold.

Puff Pastry for Tarts.

No. 1. Rub one pound of butter into one pound of flour, whip 2 egg whites and add them with cold water and one egg yolk; mix into a paste, then roll in one pound of butter six or seven times, dusting with flour each time. This is great for any small item.

No. 2. Rub six pounds of butter into fourteen pounds of flour, add eight eggs, and cold water to make a stiff dough.

No. 3. To any amount of flour, mix in three-fourths of its weight in butter, (twelve eggs to a peck) mix in one-third or half, and roll in the rest.

No. 4. Into two quarts of salted flour, mix in cold water until it's stiff, then incorporate one and a half pounds of butter in nine or ten additions.

No. 5. One pound of flour, three-quarters of a pound of butter, mix well.

No. 6. For one pound of flour, mix in a quarter pound of butter, wet it with three eggs, and add a half pound of butter that has been rolled.

A Glaze for Sweet Meats.

No. 7. Mix one third of a pound of butter and one pound of lard into two pounds of flour, and moisten with four well-beaten egg whites; add enough water to make a paste. Roll in the remaining shortening through ten or twelve rollings—bake quickly.

No. 8. Mix in one and a half pounds of suet with six pounds of flour and a spoonful of salt. Moisten it with cream and incorporate two and a half pounds of butter in six or eight additions—perfect for a chicken or meat pie.

Royal Paste.

No. 9. Rub half a pound of butter into one pound of flour, beat four egg whites until foamy, add two egg yolks, and two ounces of fine sugar; roll often, rubbing one third and rolling two thirds of the butter is best; great for tarts and apple cakes.

1. One pint of cream, sweetened to your liking and warmed up; stir in sweet wine until it curdles, then grate in some cinnamon and nutmeg.

2. Sweeten a quart of milk, add nutmeg, wine, brandy, rose water, and six eggs; bake in teacups or dishes, or boil in water, making sure it doesn't boil over into the cups.

3. Add a stick of cinnamon to one quart of milk, bring it to a boil, then mix in six eggs and two spoons of rose water—bake.

4. Boiled Custard—one pint of cream, two ounces of almonds, two tablespoons of rose water or orange flower water, a bit of mace; boil until thick, then stir in sugar, and pour into china cups, and serve.

Rice Pudding.

Boil a bit of mace and a quartered nutmeg in a quart of cream, add well-cooked rice while it’s boiling, sweeten it and add flavor with orange or rose water, then pour it into cups or dishes. Once it cools, it’s ready to serve.

A Creamy Custard.

Four eggs beaten and mixed with one quart of cream, sweetened to your liking, half a nutmeg, and a little cinnamon—baked.

Sick Bed Custard

Scald a quart of milk, sweeten it a bit and add a little salt, whip 3 eggs and mix them in, then bake it on coals in a pewter dish.

Apple Tarts

Stew and strain the apples, add cinnamon, rose water, wine, and sugar to your liking, layer in pastry, squeeze orange juice on top—bake gently.

Cranberries.

Stewed, strained, sweetened, mixed into paste No. 9, and baked slowly.

Marmalade, placed into paste No. 1, baked slowly.

Apricots should not be peeled, sliced, or pitted; instead, place them in whole and sprinkle sugar on top, as mentioned above.

Orange or Lemon Pie.

Take 6 large lemons, rub them well with salt, submerge them in a mix of salt and water, and let them sit for 2 days, changing the water daily. After 14 days, cut the lemons into slices and chop them as finely as possible. Boil them for 2 or 3 hours until tender, then take 6 pippins, peel, quarter, and core them. Boil them in 1 pint of clean water until the pippins break down. Next, combine half of the pippins with all the liquid from the cooking with the lemon or orange mixture and add 1 pound of sugar. Boil everything together for about 15 minutes, then store it in a jar and squeeze in the juice of a fresh orange. Use one spoonful of this mixture along with a spoonful of the pippin pulp, layered in a thin royal paste in small shallow pans or saucers, brushed with melted butter and sprinkled with superfine sugar. Bake gently, and it will turn out very well.

N.B. Pastry pans or saucers should be lightly buttered before the dough is placed in them. If using glass or china, only add a top crust; you can garnish with cut dough, like a lemon pudding, or serve on dough No. 7.

Gooseberry Pie.

Lay fresh berries in a dish and sprinkle sugar over them, then add more berries and sugar until the dish is full. Cover with pastry No. 9, and bake a bit longer than other tarts.

Grapes need to be halved and pitted, just like a gooseberry.

To make a great Syllabub from the Cow.

Sweeten a quart of cider with fine sugar, grate some nutmeg into it, then pour fresh milk from your cow into the mixture. After adding the amount of milk you think is right, pour half a pint or more, depending on how much syllabub you're making, of the sweetest cream you can find over the top.

A Whipped Syllabub.

Take two bowls of cream and one of white wine, grate in the skin of a lemon, take the whites of three eggs, sweeten it to your taste, then whip it with a whisk, remove the froth as it rises, and put it into your syllabub glasses or containers, and they’re ready to use.

To make a great cream.

Take a pint of cream, sweeten it to your taste, grate a little nutmeg, add a spoonful of orange flower water and rose water, and two spoonfuls of wine; beat four eggs and two egg whites, stir everything together in one direction over the heat until it thickens, have cups ready, and pour it in.

Lemon Cream.

Take the juice of four large lemons, half a pint of water, a pound of finely beaten double refined sugar, the whites of seven eggs, and one well-beaten yolk; mix everything together, strain it, and place it over a gentle heat, stirring constantly and skimming it clean. Add the peel of one lemon when it’s very hot, but be careful not to let it boil. Remove the lemon peel and pour the mixture into china dishes.

Raspberry Cream.

Take a quart of thick sweet cream and boil it a couple of times, then remove it from the heat and strain some raspberry juice into it according to your preference. Stir it well before you add the juice so it's nearly cold when you mix it in. After that, stir it in one direction for about 15 minutes; then sweeten it to your liking, and when it's cold, you can serve it.

Whipped Cream.

Take a quart of cream and the whites of 8 eggs beaten with half a pint of wine; mix it together and sweeten it to your taste with double refined sugar. You can add a fragrance (if you like) using musk or amber gum wrapped in a cloth and steeped a bit in the cream. Whip it up with a whisk that has a bit of lemon peel tied in the middle, spoon off the froth, and pour it into glasses.

A Little Something.

Fill a dish with finely broken biscuits, rusk, and spiced cake, soaked in wine, then pour a well-made custard (not too thick) over the rusk, and add a layer of syllabub on top; garnish with jelly and flowers.

Fruitcake.

Mix one pound of currants, one teaspoon each of nutmeg, mace, and cinnamon, a little salt, one pound of candied citron and orange peel, and blanched almonds, 6 pounds of well-dried flour, beat 21 eggs, and add 1 quart of fresh ale yeast, half a pint of wine, 3 half pints of cream, and raisins, as needed.

Vanilla Cake.

Nine pounds of flour, 3 pounds of sugar, 3 pounds of butter, 1 quart of empty jars, 1 quart of milk, 9 eggs, 1 ounce of spice, 1 gill of rose water, 1 gill of wine.

Another.

Three-quarters of a pound of sugar, 1 pound of butter, and 6 eggs mixed into 1 pound of flour.

An indulgent cake.

Rub 2 pounds of butter into 5 pounds of flour, add 15 eggs (lightly beaten), 1 pint of milk, 1 pint of wine, knead it until it's stiff like biscuit dough, cover well, and set it aside to rise overnight.

To 2.5 pounds of raisins, add 1 gill of brandy to soak overnight, or if they are fresh, soak for half an hour in the morning. Then, add 1 gill of rose water, 2.5 pounds of loaf sugar, and 1 ounce of cinnamon. Mix well and bake as loaf cake, No. 1.

Potato Pancake.

Boil the potatoes, peel and mash them, then add egg yolks, wine, and melted butter. Mix in flour to form a dough, shape it however you like, bake it, and then drizzle melted butter, wine, and sugar on top.

Johnny Cake, or Hoecakes.

Scald 1 pint of milk and mix it with 3 pints of cornmeal and half a pint of flour—bake it by the fire. Alternatively, scald two-thirds of the cornmeal with milk, or wet two-thirds with boiling water, then add salt, molasses, and shortening. Mix it with cold water until it's pretty stiff, and bake as mentioned above.

Indian Slapjack.

One quart of milk, 1 pint of cornmeal, 4 eggs, 4 tablespoons of flour, a little salt, mix together, bake on griddles, or fry in a dry pan, or bake in a pan that has been greased with suet, lard, or butter.

Loaf Cakes.

No. 1. Mix 6 pounds of sugar, 2 pounds of lard, and 3 pounds of butter into 12 pounds of flour. Add 18 eggs, 1 quart of milk, 2 ounces of cinnamon, 2 small nutmegs, and a teacup of coriander seed, all finely ground and sifted. Then add 1 pint of brandy, half a pint of wine, and 6 pounds of pitted raisins. First, dry your flour in the oven, and then finely grind and sift the sugar. Mix the shortening and sugar for half an hour; this will make the cake whiter and lighter. Preheat the oven with dry wood for 1.5 hours. If you’re using large pans, it will need about 2 hours to bake, adjusting the time for smaller loaves. To frost the cake, whip 6 egg whites while it’s baking, then gradually add 3 pounds of sifted loaf sugar and apply it thickly as soon as the cake comes out of the oven. Some people put the frosted cake back into the oven, but that can damage and yellow it; it's best to apply the frosting immediately without returning it to the oven.

Another.

No. 2. Mix 4 pounds of sugar, 3.5 pounds of shortening (half butter and half lard) into 9 pounds of flour, 1 dozen eggs, 2 ounces of cinnamon, 1 pint of milk, 3 tablespoons of coriander seeds, 3 gills of brandy, 1 gill of wine, 3 gills of emptying, and 4 pounds of raisins.

Another.

No. 3. Six pounds of flour, 3 pounds of sugar, 2.5 pounds of shortening (half butter, half lard), 6 eggs, 1 nutmeg, 1 ounce of cinnamon, 1 ounce of coriander seeds, 1 pint of ale, 2 gills of brandy, 1 pint of milk, and 3 pounds of raisins.

Another.

No. 4. Five pounds of flour, 2 pounds of butter, 2 and a half pounds of granulated sugar, 2 and a half pounds of raisins, 15 eggs, 1 pint of wine, 1 pint of emptying (or spirits), 1 ounce of cinnamon, 1 gill of rose water, 1 gill of brandy—baked like No. 1.

Another basic cake.

No. 5. Two quarts of milk, 3 pounds of sugar, 3 pounds of shortening, warmed hot, add a quart of sweet cider, this will curdle, add 18 eggs, allspice and orange to your taste, or you can use fennel, caraway, or coriander seeds; mix with 9 pounds of flour and 3 pints of yeast, and bake well.

Cookies.

One pound of sugar boiled slowly in half a pint of water, skim off the foam and let it cool, then add two teaspoons of pearl ash dissolved in milk. Next, mix in two and a half pounds of flour, rub in 4 ounces of butter, and two large tablespoons of finely powdered coriander seed. Moisten the mixture with the syrup; shape it into rolls about half an inch thick and cut them however you like. Bake for fifteen to twenty minutes in a low oven — they’ll stay good for three weeks.

Another Christmas Cookie.

To three pounds of flour, add a teacup of finely powdered coriander seed, mix in one pound of butter and one and a half pounds of sugar. Dissolve three teaspoonfuls of pearl ash in a teacup of milk, and knead everything together well. Roll the mixture out to three-quarters of an inch thick, then cut or stamp it into your desired shapes and sizes. Bake slowly for fifteen to twenty minutes; although they may seem hard and dry initially, if stored in an earthen pot in a dry cellar or damp room, they will turn out finer, softer, and better after six months.

Molasses Gingerbread

One tablespoon of cinnamon, some coriander or allspice, mixed with four teaspoons of pearl ash dissolved in half a pint of water, four pounds of flour, one quart of molasses, and four ounces of butter (if it's summer, rub in the butter; if it's winter, warm the butter and molasses and pour them into the spiced flour). Knead well until it's stiff—the more you knead it, the lighter and whiter it will be. Bake for about fifteen minutes; don't let it scorch. Before putting it in the oven, wash it with egg whites and sugar mixed together.

Gingerbread Cakes, or gingerbread made with butter and sugar.

No. 1. Three pounds of flour, one grated nutmeg, two ounces of ginger, one pound of sugar, three small teaspoons of pearl ash dissolved in cream, one pound of butter, four eggs; knead it until it's stiff, shape it however you like, and bake for 15 minutes.

Soft Gingerbread to be baked in pans.

No. 2. Mix three pounds of sugar and two pounds of butter into four pounds of flour, add 20 eggs, 4 ounces of ginger, and 4 tablespoons of rose water, then bake as in No. 1.

Butter drop dough.

No. 3. Mix 1/4 pound of butter and 1 pound of sugar, dusted with mace, into 1 1/4 pounds of flour. Add 4 eggs and 1 glass of rose water, then bake like you did in No. 1.

Gingerbread.

No. 4. Three pounds of sugar, half a pound of butter, a quarter of a pound of ginger, one dozen eggs, one glass of rose water, mix into three pounds of flour, bake as described in No. 1.

An affordable seed cake.

Rub one pound of sugar and half an ounce of allspice into four quarts of flour. Then pour in one pound of butter, melted in one pint of milk, along with nine eggs and one gill of yeast (caraway seeds and currants, or raisins if you prefer). Shape the mixture into two loaves and bake for one and a half hours.

Queen's Cake.

Whip half a pound of butter until creamy, then add 1 pound of sugar, ten eggs, one glass of wine, half a gill of rose water, and spices to your taste. Mix all of this into one and a quarter pounds of flour, pour it into pans, cover with paper, and bake in a hot oven for 12 to 16 minutes.

Pound Cake.

One pound of sugar, one pound of butter, one pound of flour, one pound or ten eggs, one gill of rose water, and spices to your taste; keep an eye on it, it will bake in a slow oven in 15 minutes.

Another called Pound Cake.

Work three-quarters of a pound of butter and one pound of good sugar until it's very white. Whip ten egg whites until they’re frothy, then add the yolks and mix them together. Add a tablespoon of rose water and two tablespoons of brandy. Combine everything with one and a quarter pounds of flour; if the mixture is still too soft, add more flour and bake it slowly.

Soft Cakes in mini pans.

One and a half pounds of sugar, half a pound of butter, mixed into two pounds of flour, add one glass of wine, one glass of rose water, 18 eggs, and a nutmeg.

A light cake to bake in small cups.

Half a pound of sugar, half a pound of butter, mixed into two pounds of flour, one glass of wine, one glass of rose water, two glasses of yeast, a nutmeg, cinnamon, and currants.

Shrewsbury Cake.

One pound of butter, three-quarters of a pound of sugar, a pinch of mace, four eggs mixed and beaten by hand until very light; combine this mixture with one pound of flour, roll into small cakes, and bake in a light oven.

N.B. In all cases where spices are mentioned, it is assumed they are finely ground and sifted; sugar must be dried and finely powdered; flour, dried in an oven; eggs well beaten or whipped into a frothy foam.

Diet Bread.

One pound of sugar, 9 eggs, beat for an hour, add 14 ounces of flour, a spoonful of rose water, and one spoonful of cinnamon or coriander, then bake quickly.

RUSK.—To create.

No. 1. Mix half a pound of sugar and half a pound of butter into four pounds of flour, then add a pint of milk and a pint of yeast; once it has risen well, bake in pans for ten minutes at a high temperature.

No. 2. One pound of sugar, one pound of butter, six eggs, mixed into 5 pounds of flour, one quart of yeast, and enough milk to moisten, for baking, as mentioned above.

No. 3. One pound of sugar, one pound of butter, mixed into 6 or 8 pounds of flour, 12 eggs, one pint of yeast, moistened with milk, and bake.

No. 4. P.C. rusk. Mix fifteen eggs with 4 pounds of flour and shape into large biscuits; then bake them stacked two high.

No. 5. One pint of milk, one pint of leftover (emptins), to be soaked overnight in a sponge. In the morning, melt three-quarters of a pound of butter and one pound of sugar in another pint of milk, add lukewarm, and beat until it rises well.

No. 6 Three-quarters of a pound of butter, one pound of sugar, 12 eggs, one quart of milk, add as much flour as needed to wet the mixture, a spoonful of cinnamon, and a bit of water. Let it sit until it’s very puffy or light; roll into small cakes and let them rest on oiled baking sheets while the oven is heating. Bake for 15 minutes in a hot oven, then brush the tops with sugar and egg whites while they are hot.

Cookie.

One pound of flour, one ounce of butter, one egg, mixed with milk, and broken in while the oven is preheating, and in the same proportions.

Butter Cookie.

One pint of milk and one pint of yeast mixed into flour for the sponge; the next morning, add one pound of melted butter (not hot), and knead in enough flour along with another pint of warmed milk to achieve a soft consistency—some people melt the butter in the milk.

A Butter Drop.

Four egg yolks, two egg whites, one pound of flour, a quarter pound of butter, one pound of sugar, two tablespoons of rose water, a pinch of mace, baked in tin pans.

For preserving quinces.

Take some quinces, peel them, and remove the core with a sharp knife if you want to keep them whole. Boil the peels and cores with two pounds of frozen grapes in 3 quarts of water. Let the mixture boil for an hour and a half or until it thickens, then strain it through a coarse sieve. Add one and a quarter pounds of sugar for every pound of quince. Pour the sugar into the syrup, bring it to a boil, and skim off the foam until it’s clear. Place the quinces into the syrup, chop up two oranges, and mix them in with the quinces. Let them simmer over a gentle fire for five hours, then transfer them to a stone pot for storage, keeping it in a cool, dry place.

For preserving quinces in loaf sugar.

Take some quinces, put them in a pot of cold water, hang it over the fire, and boil them until they're soft. Once cooled, take them out with a fork, peel them, and cut them into quarters or halves if you prefer. Weigh out the same amount of loaf sugar, put it in a brass kettle or saucepan with one quart of water, heat and skim it until it's very clear. Then, add the quinces and let them boil in the syrup for half an hour. If you want, add oranges like before, then transfer them to stone pots for storage.

To Preserve Strawberries.

Take two quarts of strawberries, strain them through a cloth, add half a pint of water and two pounds of sugar. Put it in a saucepan, heat it until it’s scalding and skim off the foam. Take two pounds of strawberries with the stems on, place your saucepan on a warming dish, and carefully add as many strawberries as you can with the stems facing up without bruising them. Let them boil for about ten minutes, then gently remove them with a fork and place them in a glass jar for later use. Once you’ve finished, pour the hot syrup into the jar and keep it in a cool place for future use.

Currants and Cherries can be prepared in the same way, by adding a little extra sugar.

The American Lemon.

Take the rind of a large watermelon that isn't too ripe, cut it into small pieces, take two pounds of loaf sugar, and one pint of water. Put it all into a kettle, let it boil gently for four hours, then put it into jars for use.

To store White Bullace, Pears, Plums, or Damsons, etc., for tarts or pies.

Gather them when they're fully grown, and just as they start to change color, pick out all the largest ones. Save about two-thirds of the fruit, while to the other third, add enough water to cover them. Boil and skim them; when the fruit is cooked very soft, strain it through a coarse sieve. For every quart of this liquid, add a pound and a half of sugar, boil it, and skim it thoroughly. Then add your fruit, just give them a quick scald. Remove it from the heat, and when it's cool, transfer them to wide-mouthed bottles, pour your syrup over them, place a piece of white paper on top, and cover it with oil.

How to make Marmalade.

To two pounds of quinces, add three-quarters of a pound of sugar and a pint of spring water. Then, put them on the stove and boil them until they’re soft. After that, take them out and mash them. Next, add them back into the liquid, let it boil for about 45 minutes, and then pour it into your jars or bowls.

To keep mulberries whole.

Set some mulberries in a skillet or preserving pan over the fire; strain them to get a pint of juice. Then take three pounds of finely ground sugar, moisten the sugar with the pint of juice, bring it to a boil and skim it. Add two pounds of ripe mulberries and let them soak in the syrup until they are warm. Then put them back on the fire and let them boil very gently. Cook them just halfway, then set them aside in the syrup until the next day, and then boil them gently again. When the syrup thickens and forms round drops when cold, they are done. Put everything into a jar for later use.

To preserve Gooseberries, Damsons, or Plums

Gather them when they’re dry, fully grown, and not ripe; pick them one by one, place them into very clean and dry glass bottles, and seal them tightly with new corks. Next, put a kettle of water on the stove and carefully place the bottles in; don’t wet the corks, but let the water reach the necks. Keep a gentle fire going until they’re slightly cooked and turn white; don’t take them out until they’re cold. Then pitch the corks all over, or seal them tightly with wax; finally, store them in a cool, dry cellar.

To preserve peaches.

Put your peaches in boiling water and just scald them, but don’t let them boil. Take them out and put them in cold water, then dry them in a strainer and place them in long, wide-mouthed bottles. For about six peaches, use a quarter of a pound of sugar, clarify it, pour it over your peaches, and fill the bottles with brandy. Seal them tightly and store them in a cool place.

How to preserve apricots.

Take your apricots and peel them, then pit as many as you can whole; give them a quick boil in a pint of water, or adjust according to how much fruit you have. Then measure out the same weight of sugar as your apricots, and take the liquid you boiled them in, along with your sugar, and boil it until it turns into a syrup. Give the apricots a quick boil, skimming off any foam as it forms; when the syrup gels, that's enough. Then remove the apricots, cover them with the jelly, place cut paper over them, and let them cool down. Alternatively, take plums before they have pits, which you can check by poking them with a pin. Boil them in several changes of water until they're as green as grass; peel them and boil them again. Use the same weight of sugar as the plums to make a syrup; combine your sugar with a pint of water. Then add the plums, simmer them over low heat until they clear up, skimming often, and they'll stay very green. Store them in jars and keep them for later use.

To preserve cherries.

Take two pounds of cherries, one and a half pounds of sugar, and half a pint of clean water. Melt some sugar in the water; once it's melted, add the remaining sugar and the cherries. Then, simmer them gently until the sugar is fully dissolved. After that, bring it to a rolling boil and skim off any foam. Remove it from the heat a couple of times and shake it, then put it back on and let it boil quickly. When the mixture reaches a nice color and the syrup is thick enough to hold its shape, it's done.

To Preserve Raspberries.

Choose raspberries that aren't too ripe, and weigh them to match the same amount in sugar. Moisten the sugar with a little water, then add the berries and let them simmer gently; be careful not to break them. Once they look clear, remove them and let the syrup boil until it's thick enough. Then add the berries back in, and once they're cool, store them in jars.

To preserve currants.

Take the weight of the currants in sugar, remove the seeds; take one pound of sugar, half a pint of water, let it dissolve; then add your currants and let them cook very slowly, skim the surface, and lift them out. Let the syrup boil; then put them back in, and when they are clear and the syrup is thick enough, take them off the heat; once they are cool, store them in jars.

To protect Plumbs.

Take your plums before they have pits, which you can tell by poking a pin through them. Then simmer them in lots of water until they’re as green as grass. Peel them and simmer them again. You need to use the same weight of sugar as the plums, along with a pint of water. Then add the plums, put them on the stove, and boil them slowly until they’re clear, skimming them often, and they will turn a bright green. Store them in jars and keep them for later use.

To preserve Damsons.

Take damsons when they're first ripe, pick them off carefully, wipe them clean, put them into snuff bottles, seal them tightly so no air or water can get in; put nothing in the bottles but plums, place the bottles in cold water, hang them over the fire, let them heat slowly and allow the water to boil gently for half an hour. Once the water cools, take out the bottles and store them in a cool place. They will last for twelve months if the bottles are sealed tightly, preventing air or water from entering. They won’t last long after the bottles are opened; the plums need to be firm.

Currant Jelly

After removing the currants from the stems, place them in a stone jar, seal it tightly, and set it in a kettle of boiling water, half submerged. Let it boil for half an hour, then take it out and strain the juice through a coarse sieve. For each pint of juice, add a pound of sugar, and heat it over a strong flame in a preserving pan or a bell-metal skillet. Keep stirring continuously until the sugar dissolves, then skim off the foam as it appears. When the jelly is clear and smooth, pour it into earthenware or china cups. Once it’s cool, cut white papers to fit the top of the pot, place them on the jelly, and dip them in brandy. Then cover the pot and poke holes in it. Store it in a dry place; you can also put some into jars for immediate use.

Drying Peaches.

Take the ripest and most beautiful peaches, slice them into water; use their weight in double refined sugar; with half, make a very thin syrup; then add your peaches, boiling them until they look clear, then pit and slice them, boil them until they are very soft, let them drain, take the other half of the sugar, and boil it almost to candy stage; then add your peaches, and let them sit overnight. After that, place them on a glass dish, and put them in an oven until they are dry; if they are overly sugary, gently wipe them with a damp cloth; make sure the first syrup is very thin, using a quart of water for every pound of sugar.

To pickle or make mangoes of melons.

Take green melons, as many as you want, and make a brine strong enough to float an egg; then pour it boiling hot over the melons, keeping them submerged in the brine. Let them sit for five or six days; then take them out, cut a slit on one side, remove all the seeds, scrape the insides well, and wash them thoroughly with cold water. Next, take a clove of garlic, a little sliced ginger and nutmeg, and some whole pepper; add these proportionally into the melons, filling them up with mustard seeds. Then place them in a clay pot with the slit side up, mix one part mustard with two parts vinegar enough to cover them, pour it over them hot, and keep them tightly sealed.

To preserve Barberries.

Take equal amounts of white wine vinegar and water; for every quart of this mixture, add half a pound of inexpensive sugar. Then, take the worst of your barberries and add them to this mixture, while putting the best ones in glasses. Boil your mixture with the worst of the barberries, skimming it thoroughly. Continue boiling until it achieves a nice color, then let it cool before straining. Strain it through a cloth, wringing it to extract as much color as possible from the barberries. Allow it to cool and settle, then pour the clear liquid into the glasses. In a small amount of the pickle, boil a little fennel; once cooled, place a small piece on top of the pot or glass, and seal it tightly with a bladder or leather. For every half pound of sugar, add a quarter pound of white salt.

Making pickled cucumbers.

Let your cucumbers be small, freshly picked, and free from blemishes. Then, prepare a brine with salt and water that's strong enough to float an egg. Boil the brine and skim off any foam, then pour it over your cucumbers and let them soak for twenty-four hours. After that, strain them into a colander and dry them thoroughly with a cloth. Take the best white wine vinegar and add cloves, diced mace, nutmeg, white peppercorns, long pepper, and pieces of ginger (as much as you like). Bring this mixture to a boil, then add the cucumbers along with a few vine leaves and a little salt. As soon as they start to change color, pack them into jars tightly, and when they cool down, seal them with a bladder and leather.

Beef à la mode.

Take a beef round and stuff it with half a pound of pork, half a pound of butter, and the soft part of half a loaf of wheat bread. Boil four eggs until they're very hard, then chop them up. Add sweet marjoram, sage, parsley, summer savory, and one ounce of pounded cloves. Chop everything together with two finely chopped eggs, then add a jill of wine. Season generously with salt and pepper. Cut holes in the beef to put your stuffing in, then stick whole cloves into the beef. Place it in a pot that can hold two pails, using sticks at the bottom if you want the beef round when it’s done. Wrap it in a cloth and tie it tightly with 20 or 30 yards of twine. Put it in the pot with two or three quarts of water and a jill of wine. If the beef round is large, it will take three to four hours to cook.

For dressing cod.

Put the fish in cold water and wash it, then hang it over the fire and soak it for six hours in hot water. After that, move it to clean warm water and let it scald for one hour; it will turn out much better than boiling.

To boil all kinds of garden produce.

In preparing various kitchen garden herbs, make sure they are thoroughly cleaned; check for any small snails or caterpillars hiding between the leaves; and remove all coarse outer leaves, as well as any tops damaged by the weather. Next, wash them in plenty of water and place them in a colander to drain. Also, ensure that your pot or saucepan is clean, well-tinned, and free of sand or grease.

How to store Green Peas until Christmas.

Take young peas, shell them, and put them in a colander to drain. Then, use a cloth folded four or five times on a table to spread them out and dry them thoroughly. Have your bottles ready, fill them, and cover them with slightly softened mutton fat. Fill the necks almost to the top, cork them, then tie a bladder and leather over them, and store them in a cool, dry place.

To cook French beans.

Take your beans and string them, then cut them in half and again across. Once you’ve finished with all of them, sprinkle salt over them and mix them together. As soon as your water boils, add the beans and let them boil quickly. They will cook fast and will have a brighter green color than when they were growing in the garden. If they are very young, just snap off the ends, then break them in half and prepare them in the same way.

Boiling broad beans.

Beans need a lot of water, and it's best not to shell them until right before they’re ready to cook. When the water is boiling, add them along with some fresh parsley and a bit of salt. Bring them to a quick boil, and when you notice them starting to soften, they're ready. Drain them, plate them with boiled parsley, and serve plain butter in a cup or a dish.

To boil green peas.

When your peas are shelled and the water is boiling, which should be just enough to cover them, add the peas along with a few mint leaves. As soon as they start boiling, add a piece of butter about the size of a walnut and stir them around. Once they're cooked enough, drain them and sprinkle in a little salt. Shake them until the water drips off, and serve them hot with melted butter in a cup or boat.

To steam asparagus.

First, cut the white ends off about six inches from the top, and scrape them clean from the green part downward. As you scrape them, toss them into a pan of clear water, and after soaking for a bit, tie them up in small, even bundles. When your water is boiling, add the bundles and cook quickly; but be careful not to overboil them, or they’ll lose their heads. Slice some bread for toast, and toast it brown on both sides. When your asparagus is done, take it out carefully; dip the toast in the asparagus water and place it at the bottom of your dish. Then arrange the heads of the asparagus on top, with the white ends facing outward. Drizzle a little melted butter over the heads, and cut an orange into small pieces to garnish and place between them.

Boiling cabbage.

If your cabbage is large, cut it into quarters; if it's small, cut it in half. Bring your water to a boil, then add a little salt, followed by the cabbage with a bit more salt on top. Get the water boiling again as quickly as you can, and when the stalk is tender, lift the cabbage into a colander or sieve to let the water drain off. Serve it as hot as possible. Savoy cabbage is prepared in the same way.

To brew Spruce Beer.

Take four ounces of hops and boil them for half an hour in one gallon of water. Strain the hop water, then add sixteen gallons of warm water, two gallons of molasses, and eight ounces of essence of spruce dissolved in one quart of water. Pour it into a clean barrel and shake it well. Add half a pint of yeast, then let it sit and ferment for a week; if it's really hot, it will take less time. When you’re ready to bottle it, add one spoonful of molasses to each bottle.

Emptiness.

Take a handful of hops and about three quarts of water, let it boil for about fifteen minutes, then make a thickening like you would for starch, strain the liquid, and when it's cold, add a little yeast to ferment it. It will stay good corked in a bottle for five or six weeks.

The author of American Cookery, lacking the education needed to ready the work for publication, had someone work for her who was responsible for preparing the recipes for printing. This person, with the intent to mislead her and harm the book’s sales, left out several vital ingredients in some of the recipes and replaced them with others that were very detrimental, all without her knowledge—something she discovered only after the book was published. However, she has corrected them as much as she could, by the following

Page 25. Rice pudding, No. 2; for one pound of butter, use half a pound—for 14 eggs, use 8. No. 5; after half a pint of rice, add 6 ounces of sugar.

Page 26. A tasty Indian pudding, No. 3; boil for only 6 hours.—A flour pudding; take 9 tablespoons of flour, add in scalding milk; bake for an hour and a half.—A boiled flour pudding; use 9 tablespoons of flour, and boil for an hour and a half.

Page 27. A cream almond pudding; for 8 yolks and 3 whites, use 8 eggs; for 1 spoon of flour, use 8—boil for an hour and a half.

Potato pudding, No. 1, No. 2. Add a pint of flour to each.

Page 29. Puff pastry for tarts, No. 3; for 12 eggs use 6.

Page 33. Plain cake; for 1 quart of filling, read 1 pint.

Page 35. Another plain cake, No. 5; for 9 pounds of flour, use 18 pounds.

In all puddings where cream is mentioned, you can use milk instead.

In pastes, only egg whites should be used.