The Country Housewife and Lady's Director in the Management of a House Part 14

The _Smoking-Closets,_

It is to be observ'd, from your own Writings, That the Smoking-Closets are of great use in curing of Hams; and they are no less useful in drying of Tongues. I have, in a place, in the Country, one of them in a Garret, where we enclose a Room of ten foot Square, where is a Chimney, into which, by a Register, we let in the Smoke from the Fire, which is made on a Hearth, on the ground Floor; so that the Smoke then does not come too hot on the Tongues, and so preserves them from turning rusty. This is much the best way of curing them, and one may cure, in such a Room, fourscore dozen at a time. This Place, likewise, we cure our Hung-Beef in. We have try'd some Sheeps Tongues, salted only in a Brine of common Salt, and dry'd in such a Room; and they are very red, and well tasted, though there is no Salt-Petre used in the Pickle.

A _Carp_ Pye. From Mrs. _Mary Gordon._

Put to a quartern of Flour a pound and a half of b.u.t.ter, rubbing a third part in; and make it into a Paste with Water: then roll in the rest of the b.u.t.ter, at two or three times, and lay your Paste in the Dish, putting some bits of b.u.t.ter, on the bottom Paste, with some Salt and Pepper, at discretion.

Then scale and gut your Carp, and wash it with Vinegar, and dry it well; and make the following Pudding for the Belly of the Carp: _viz._ Take the Flesh of an Eel, and mince it very small; add some grated Bread, some dry'd sweet Marjoram powder'd, two b.u.t.ter'd Eggs, a small Anchovy minced, a little Nutmeg grated, and some Salt and Pepper; mix this well, and fill the Belly of the Carp with it; and for the remaining Part, make it into b.a.l.l.s.

Then cut off the Tail and Fins of the Carp, and lay it in the Crust, with the b.a.l.l.s about it; some Mushroom b.u.t.tons, Oysters with their Fins taken off, and some Shrimps, a few Slices of Lemon, and some thin Slices of fat Bacon, a little Mace and some bits of b.u.t.ter: then close it, and before you put it into the Oven, pour in half a Pint of Claret. Serve this Pye hot.

To make Biscuits of _Potatoes._ From the same.

Boil the Roots of Potatoes, till they are tender; then peel them, and take their weight of fine Sugar, finely sifted; grate some Lemon-Peel on the Sugar; and then beat the Potatoes and Sugar together, in a Stone Mortar, with some b.u.t.ter, a little Mace, or Cloves, finely sifted, and a little Gum Dragon, steeped in Orange-Flower-Water, or Rose-Water, till it becomes a Paste; then make it into Cakes with Sugar, finely powder'd, and dry them in a gentle Oven.

To make _Biscuits_ of Red _Beet-Roots;_ from the same; call'd the _Crimson Biscuit._

Take the Roots of Red-Beets, and boil them tender; clean them, and beat them in a Mortar with as much Sugar, finely sifted; some b.u.t.ter; the Yolks of hard Eggs, a little Flower; some Spice, finely beaten, and some Orange-Flower-Water, and a little Lemon-Juice. When they are well mix'd, and reduced to a Paste, make them into Cakes, and dry them in a slow Oven.

To boil _Onions,_ that they shall lose their strong Scent, and become as sweet as Sugar in their Taste. From the same.

Take the largest Onions, and when you have cut off the Strings of the Roots, and the green Tops, without taking off any of the Skins, fling them into Salt and Water, and let them lie an Hour; then wash them in it, and put them into a Kettle, where they may have plenty of Water, and boil them, till they are tender. Then take them off, and take off as many Skins, as you think fit, till you come to the white Part, and then bruise them, if you will, and toss them up with Cream or b.u.t.ter, if you use them with boil'd Rabbits, or under a roasted Turkey; but in the last Case, this Sauce should be serv'd in Basons, or on Plates. You may also bruise them, and strain them through a Cullendar, and then put Cream to them; which is esteem'd the nicest way for a Turkey; or if you keep them whole, you may warm them in strong Gravey, well drawn, with Spice and sweet Herbs; and when that is done, thicken the Gravey with burnt b.u.t.ter, adding a little Claret, or White Wine; or, for want of that, a little Ale. This is a Sauce for a Turkey roasted, or roast Mutton, or Lamb.

_Hungary-Water._ From Mrs. _Du Pont,_ of _Lyons;_ which is the same, which has been famous, about _Montpelier._

Take to every Gallon of Brandy, or clean Spirits, one handful of Rosemary, one handful of Lavender. I suppose the handfuls to be about a Foot long a-piece; and these Herbs must be cut in Pieces, about an Inch long. Put these to infuse in the Spirits, and with them, about an handful of Myrtle, cut as before. When this has stood three Days, distil it, and you will have the finest Hungary-Water that can be. It has been said, that Rosemary Flowers are better than the Stalks; but they give a faintness to the Water, and should not be used, because they have a quite different Smell from the Rosemary; nor should the Flowers of Myrtle be used in lieu of the Myrtle, for they have a scent ungrateful, and not at all like the Myrtle.

The Manner of making the famous _Barcelona Snuff,_ as it was perform'd at the _Lyon_ at _Barcelona;_ from the same. This is also call'd _Myrtle Snuff._

Take _Seville_ Snuff, and prepare a dry Barrel, that has not had any Wine in it, or of any Scent; then cut the fresh Tops of Myrtle, and lay a layer of them at the bottom of the Cask, an Inch or two thick; then lay Snuff on that as thick, and lay on more Myrtle, two Inches; then again, put on Snuff, and so fill the Barrel in the same Manner, _Stratum super Stratum_.

Then press it down with a Board, that will fit, and set three Weights upon it of a quarter of an Hundred a-piece, and let it stand four and twenty Hours; then turn it out, and sift it, flinging the Myrtle away; then put it into the Cask, as before, with fresh Myrtle, and serve it so three times, and sift it off. When this is done, add to every ten Pounds of Snuff, one pound of Orangery Snuff, and mix the whole very well, and after three days, put it into glaz'd Pots, well pressed into them, and stopt close; or else into Leaden Pots: which last is rather the best.

To make _Orangery Snuff._ From the same.

Take _Seville_ Snuff and Orange-Flowers, fresh gather'd early in the Morning. And in a glaz'd Earthen Vessel, lay a Layer of the Flowers, then a Layer of Snuff, then a Layer of Flowers; and so on, till the Pot is full.

Press it down very gently, and let the Mouth of the Pot be open for twenty-four Hours; then turn all out, and sift your Snuff, and lay in fresh Flowers, with Snuff, in the same manner as before; and at the end of four and twenty Hours sift it off again, and repeat the same the third time: being sure that the Flowers do not remain longer than twenty-four Hours, else they will sour the Snuff. In making this Snuff, you ought to allow at least a pound for Waste, for the Flowers will gather a great deal of it.

To make _Orange-b.u.t.ter._ From the same.

Take Hogs-Lard (or as in some Places, call'd Hogs-Seame) wash this well in Spring-Water, beating it all the while with a piece of Wood; then take Orange-Flowers, fresh gather'd, and melt the Lard gently, and put about a quarter of a pound of the Flowers into a pound of Lard; let them remain ten Minutes, gently keeping them warm over the Fire; then strain it off, and when the Lard is again cold, beat it, and wash it with Orange-Flower-Water.

Then melt it gently a second time, and put in fresh Flowers, in the same manner as before, and it will become of a yellow Colour; and, when it is cool, beat it again with a wooden Paddle and Orange-Flower-Water, and then put it into Pots for use. I should remark, that the Lard should be melted by putting it in a glazed Vessel, and melting it by putting the Vessel into boiling Water.

To make Flour of _Mustard._

Those who live in the Country, or go to Sea, have frequent occasion to use Mustard, when there is no opportunity of getting it without extraordinary Trouble. It is a Sauce seldom thought on till the Minute we want it; and then, according to the old Way of making it, if we are lucky enough to have Mustard-Seed in the House, we must spend an Hour in the Ceremony of grinding it in a wooden Bowl, and an Iron Cannon-Bullet, according to the old Custom; or, if we have Mustard by us, ready made, if it has stood a Week, it is then of no value, if it is in small quant.i.ty. But to obviate this Difficulty, the Invention of grinding Mustard-Seed in a Mill, and thereby reducing of it to Flour, to be made fit for the Table in an instant, has been very well received: for by that Contrivance we have it always fresh, and full of brisk Spirits, and may only make just what we want without any spoil, as long as we keep a Stock of this Flour by us.

There are two Sorts of Mustard: _viz._ The white Sort, which is a large Grain, and not so strong; and the black Sort, which is a small Grain. That which I account the best, is from the wild Mustard, commonly found growing in _Ess.e.x_, which sells the best in the Markets. But from whatever Place we have it, regard should be chiefly had to its being free from Mustiness, which happens from the gathering the Seed wet, or in the Dew, and laying it close together before it is thresh'd. When this Seed is dry and sweet, grind it in a Mill, such as a Coffee-Mill; but the Mill must be fresh, and free from any Flavour or Taint: it should not indeed be used with any other thing. When you have ground a sufficient Quant.i.ty, pa.s.s it through a pretty open Sieve, and the next day put it into Vials with open Mouths, pressing it down close; stop them well, and keep it for use. When you want good Mustard for the Table, take a spoonful or two of this Flour, and as much boiling Liquor from the Pot, where Beef or Pork is boiled, as will make it of the Consistence you desire, stirring it well till it is mixt for your Purpose; or for want of such Liquor, boil a little Salt and Water together, and mix your Mustard-Flour with that; but in either of these Ways you must observe, that while your Mustard is warm, it will last better.

Some who do not love their Mustard overstrong, put equal Quant.i.ties of the white and black Mustard-Seed into the Mill, and then the Flour will not be so poignant to the Palate, and will have a brighter Look. If your Mill be set very sharp, the Flour will be so fine, that it need hardly be sifted.

To keep _Anchovys_ good for a long time. From Mrs. _M. N._

As the People in the Country have not always the conveniency of a Market near them, and the Anchovy is often required for Fish-Sauce; so should every Family keep a quant.i.ty by them. They should be large, and fresh brought over when we buy them, and feel firm to the Finger; neither should they have their Heads on, for they are then more apt to turn rancid and stink; and if we buy them in large Quant.i.ties, the frequent opening the Pot we keep them in will subject them to Change. But to prevent this, as the Liquor falls or shrinks, add Vinegar to them, which will continue them firm and free from Rotting for two Years.

To Roast a Shoulder of _Mutton_ like _Venison._ From the same.

Take a Shoulder of Mutton, and skin it; then lay it in the fresh Blood of a Sheep, well stirr'd with a little Salt, as it is bleeding, for six or eight Hours. When you have done this, wash it in Water and Salt, and at last with Vinegar; or else you may steep it in an Infusion of warm Water, a Gallon, and half a quarter of an Ounce of _Brazil_-Wood rasp'd. You may steep it in this Liquor for four Hours, or else you may let it pa.s.s half an Hour in a gentle Oven with Water and Salt, and a small Piece of _Brazil_-Wood in it; either of which will give it a Colour: but I think the two last are better than the Blood. Roast it then for its time, basting it well with Water and Salt, till it is near enough, and then give it a little sprinkling of Salt and raspings of Bread, with some Flour well mixt. The Sauce for this is Claret boil'd with Cinnamon, sweetned with a little Sugar and Crumbs of Bread grated: but some will use the Claret, Sugar and Cinnamon without the Crumbs, in Saucers; as it is now the most common way in n.o.blemens Families to do Venison. But in the Dish with the artificial Shoulder of Venison, put a strong Gravey of Beef; or made of some of the Beef-Glue which you have recommended in your Book.

To make a _Hare-Pye,_ for a cold Treat. From the same.

Take the Flesh of an Hare, and beat it in a Marble Mortar; then add as many b.u.t.ter'd Eggs as will almost equal the Quant.i.ty of the Hare's-Flesh. Mix these together with a little fat Bacon cut small, some Pepper and Salt, and a little powder of Cloves and Mace, or sweet Marjoram, to your Pleasure, and mix them very well; then lay in your Paste, and b.u.t.ter it well at the bottom with some seasoning, strew'd upon it, and lay in your Preparation, and cover it with b.u.t.ter; then close it, and serve it when it is cold.

To preserve _Ginger,_ and reduce the common _Ginger_ for that purpose. From the same.

Take the large Roots of Ginger, and pour scalding Water upon them; and when that is cool, pour on some more scalding Water: and so repeat the same till the seventh or eighth time, or till you find the Ginger soft, and very much swell'd. Then warm some White Wine, and put it in that, for a few Hours, stirring it frequently while it is in any of the Liquors. Boil the last Liquor with fine Sugar to a Syrup; then put in your Ginger, and boil it for some time; then set it by till the next day, and repeat the boiling of the Ginger, adding every now and then a little White Wine, till the Ginger begins to look a little clear; and when it is cold, put it into Gla.s.ses, or glazed Jars, stopping it close.

_Marmalade_ of _Oranges_ and _Lemons._ From the same.

It is necessary to boil the Rinds of each in several Waters, till the Bitterness is lost, and that they are reduced to a tenderness, such as you like; then beat them in a Marble Mortar with as much of the Pulp of Golden-Pippins, or Golden-Rennets, as you think proper. Then take their weight of Sugar well powder'd, and a Pint of Water to every Pound of Sugar; boil your Sugar and Water, and when you have made a Syrup, put in your Pulp, and boil them all together till they are clear. Then put in the Juice of Oranges and Lemons, so much as will give you the Taste you desire; then boil it over again till it jellies, and put it into Gla.s.ses, Keep this in a dry Place.