The Closet of Sir Kenelm Digby Knight Opened by Sir Kenelm Digby (best e reader for epub .txt) 📖

If they are well seasoned, they will keep twelve or fifteen days; provided you keep them in a good place, not moist, nor of any bad smell. You must still turn them and remove them from one place to another.


SCOTCH COLLOPS

My Lord of Bristol's Scotch Collops are thus made: Take a leg of fine Sweet-Mutton, that, to make it tender, is kept as long as possible may be without stinking. In Winter seven or eight days. Cut it into slices with a sharp Knife as thin as possibly you can. Then beat it with the back of a heavy Knife, as long as you can, not breaking it in pieces. Then sprinkle them with Salt, and lay them upon the Gridiron over a small Charcoal-fire, to broil, till you perceive that side is enough, and before any moisture run out of them upon the fire. Then lay the Collops into a warm dish close covered, till the Gravy be run out of them. Then lay their other side upon the Gridiron, and make an end of broiling them, and put them again into the dish, where the former Gravy run out. Add to this more Gravy of Mutton, heightened with Garlike or Onions, or Eschalots; and let them stew a while together, then serve them in very hot.

They are also very good of a Rump of tender Beef.


TO ROST WILD-BOAR

At Franckfort, when they rost Wild-boar (or Robuck or other Venison) they lay it to soak, six or eight or ten days (according to the thickness and firmness of the piece and Penetrability of it) in good Vinegar, wherein is Salt and Juniper-berries bruised (if you will, you may add bruised Garlick or what other Haut-goust you like) the Vinegar coming up half way the flesh, and turn it twice a day. Then if you will, you may Lard it.

When it is rosted, it will be very mellow and tender. They do the like with a leg or other part of Fresh-pork.


PYES

I made good Pyes there with two Hares, a good Goose and (as much as the Goose is) the lean of fresh good Pork, all well hashed and seasoned; then larded with great Lardons well seasoned (first sprinkled with Vinegar and Wine) and covered with Bay-leaves, and sheets of Lard; then laid inpast, and baked.

I made also good Pyes of Red-Deer, larding well the lean, then laying under it a thick Plastron (or Cake of a Finger thick) of Beef-suet, first chapped small, and seasoned well with Pepper and Salt, then beaten into a Cake fit for the meat. And another such Cake upon the Deers-flesh, and so well baked in strong crust, and soaked two or three hours in the oven after it was baked enough, which required six good hours. If you use no Suet, put in Butter enough; as also, put in enough to fill the paste, after it is baked and half cold, by a hole made in the top, when it is near half baked.


BAKED VENISON

My Lady of Newport bakes her Venison in a dish thus; A side or a hanch serves for two dishes. Season it as for a Pasty. Line the dish with a thin crust, of good pure Past, but make it pretty thick upwards towards the brim, that it may be there Pudding crust. Lay then the Venison in a round piece upon the Paste in the dish, that must not fill it up to touch the Pudding, but lie at ease; put over it a cover, and let it over-reach upon the brim with some carved Pasty work to grace it, which must go up with a border like a lace growing a little way upwards upon the Cover, which is a little arched up, and hath a little hole in the top to pour in unto the meat the strong well seasoned broth that is made of the broken bones, and remaining lean flesh of the Venison. Put a little pure Butter or Beef-suet to the Venison, before you put the cover on, unless it be exceeding fat. This must bake five or six hours or more as an ordinary Pasty. An hour, or an hour and half before you take it out to serve it up, open the Oven, and draw out the dish far enough to pour in at the little hole of the cover the strong decoction (in stead of decoction in water, you may boil it by it self in Balneo in duplici vase ; or bake it in a pot with broth and Gravy of Mutton) of the broken bones and flesh. Then set it in again, to make an end of his baking and soaking. The meat within (even the lean) will be exceeding tender and like a gelly; so that you may cut all of it with a spoon. If you bake a side at once in two dishes, the one will be very good to keep cold; and when it is so, you may, if you please, bake it again, to have it hot; not so long as at first, but enough to have it all perfectly heated through. She bakes thus in Pewter-dishes of a large cise.

Mutton or Veal may be thus baked with their due seasoning; as with Onions, or Onions and Apples, or Larding, or a Cawdle, &c. Sweetbreads, Beatilles, Champignons, Treuffles, &c.


AN EXCELLENT WAY OF MAKING MUTTON STEAKS

Cut a Rack of Mutton into tender Steaks, Rib by Rib, and beat the flesh well with the back of a Knife. Then have a composition ready, made of Crumbs of stale Manchet grated small, and a little Salt (a fit proportion to Salt the meat) and a less quantity of White-pepper. Cover over on both sides all the flesh with this, pretty thick, pressing it on with your fingers and flat Knife, to make it lie on. Then lay the Steaks upon a Gridiron over a very quick fire (for herein consisteth the well doing) and when the fire hath pierced in a little on the one side, turn the other, before any juyce drop down through the Powder. This turning the steaks will make the juyce run back the other way; and before it run through, and drop through this side, you must turn again the other side; doing so till the Steaks be broiled enough. Thus you keep all the juyce in them, so that when you go to eat them (which must be presently, as they are taken from the fire) abundance of juyce runneth out as soon as your Knife entereth into the flesh. The same Person, that doth this, rosteth a Capon so as to keep all its juyce in it. The mystery of it is in turning it so quick, that nothing can drop down. This maketh it the longer in rosting. But when you cut it up, the juyce runneth out, as out of a juycie leg of Mutton; and it is excellent meat.


EXCELLENT GOOD COLLOPS

Take two legs of fleshy juycie tender young Mutton, cut them into as thin slices as may be. Beat them with the back of a thick Knife, with smart, but gentle blows, for a long time, on both sides. And the stroaks crossing one another every way, so that the Collops be so short, that they scarce hang together. This quantity is near two hours beating. Then lay them in a clean frying-pan, and hold them over a smart fire: And it is best to have a fit cover for the Pan, with a handle at the top of it, to take it off when you will. Let them fry so covered, till the side next the Pan be done enough; then turn the other side, and let that fry, till it be enough. Then Pour them with all the Gravy (which will be much) into a hot dish, which cover with another hot one, and so serve it in to eat presently. You must season the Collops with Salt sprinkled upon them, either at the latter end of beating them, or whiles they fry. And if you love the taste of Onions, you may rub the Pan well over with one, before you lay in the Steaks or Collops; or when they are in the dish, you may beat some Onion-water amongst the Gravy. You may also put a little fresh-butter into the pan to melt, and line it all over before you put in the Collops, that you may be sure, they burn not to the pan. You must put no more Collops into one pan, at once, then meerly to cover it with one Lare; that the Collops may not lye one upon another.


BLACK PUDDINGS

Take three pints of Cream, and boil it with a Nutmeg quartered, three or four leaves of large Mace, and a stick of Cinnamon. Then take half a pound of Almonds, beat them and strain them with the Cream. Then take a few fine Herbs, beat them and strain them to the Cream, which came from the Almonds. Then take two or three spoonfuls (or more) of Chickens blood; and two or three spoonfuls of grated-bread, and the Marrow of six or seven bones, with Sugar and Salt, and a little Rose-water. Mix all together, and fill your Puddings. You may put in eight or ten Eggs, with the whites of two well-beaten. Put in some Musk or Ambergreece.


TO MAKE PITH PUDDINGS

Take a good quantity of the pith of Oxen, and let it lie all night in water to soak out the blood. The next morning, strip it out of the skin, and so beat it with the back of a spoon, till it be as fine as Pap: You must beat a little Rose-water with it. Then take three pints of good thick Cream, and boil it with a Nutmeg quartered, three or four leaves of large Mace; and a stick of Cinnamon. Then take half a pound of the best Jordan Almonds. Blanch them in cold water all night; then beat them in a Mortar with some of your Cream; and as they grow dry, still put in more Cream; and when they be well beaten, strain the Cream from the Almonds into the Pith. Then beat them still, until the Cream be done, and strain it still to the pith. Then take the yolks of ten Eggs, with the Whites of two; beat them well, and put them to your former Ingredients. Then take a spoonful of grated-bread. Mingle all these together, with half a pound of fine-sugar, the Marrow of six or seven bones, and some Salt, and so fill your Puddings.

They will be much the better, if you put in some Ambergreece.


RED-HERRINGS BROYLED

My Lord d'Aubigny eats Red-herrings thus broiled. After they are opened and prepared for the Gridiron, soak them (both sides) in Oyl and Vinegar beaten together in pretty quantity in a little Dish. Then broil them, till they are hot through, but not dry. Then soak them again in the same Liquor as before, and broil them a second time. You may soak and broil them again a third time; but twice may serve. They will be then very short and crisp and savoury. Lay them upon your Sallet, and you may also put upon it, the Oyl and Vinegar, you soaked the Herrings in.


AN OAT-MEAL-PUDDING

Take a Pint of Milk; and put to it a Pint of large or midling Oat-meal; let it stand upon the fire, until it be scalding hot: Then let it stand by and soak about half an hour: Then pick a few sweet Herbs and