BOILED EGGS.

On holydays, an egg or two at most; But her ambition never reached to roast. CHAUCER.

The fresher laid the better. Put them into boiling water; if you like the white just set, about two minutes' boiling is enough. A new-laid egg will take a little more. If you wish the yolk to be set, it will take three, and to boil it hard for a salad, ten minutes. A new-laid egg will require longer boiling than a stale one by half a minute.

FRIED EGGS.

Go work, hunt, exercise (he thus begun), Then scorn a homely dinner if you can; Fried eggs, and herbs, and olives, still we see: This much is left of old simplicity. POPE.

Eggs boiled hard, cut into slices, and fried, may be served as a second course dish, to eat with roast chicken.

EGGS AND BREAD.

Never go to France, Unless you know the lingo; If you do, like me, You'll repent, by jingo. Starving like a fool, And silent as a mummy, There I stood alone, A nation with a dummy.

Signs I had to make For every little notion; Limbs all going like A telegraph in motion; If I wanted bread, My jaws I set a-going, And asked for new laid eggs By clapping hands and crowing.

Put half a handful of breadcrumbs into a saucepan, with a small quantity of cream, sugar, and nutmeg, and let it stand till the bread has imbibed all the cream; then break ten eggs into it, and having beaten them up together, fry it like an omelet.

OMELETTE SOUFFLE.

"Where is my favorite dish?" he cried; "Let some one place it by my side!" DONNE.

Beat up the yolks of eight eggs, and the whites of four (set aside the remaining whites), with a spoonful of water, some salt, sugar, and the juice of a lemon; fry this, and then put it on a dish. Whip the four whites which were set aside to a froth with sugar, and place it over the fried eggs; bake it for a few minutes.



DESSERTS.

PUFF PASTE.

The puffs made me light, And now that's all over, I'm pretty well, thank you. MOORE.

Weigh an equal quantity of flour and butter, rub rather more than half the flour into one-third of the butter; add as much cold water as will make it into a stiff paste; work it until the butter be completely mixed with the flour, make it round, beat it with the rolling-pin, dust it, as also the rolling-pin with flour, and roll it out towards the opposite side of the slab, or paste-board, making it of an equal thickness, then with the point of a knife, put little bits of butter all over it, dust flour over it and under it, fold in all the sides, and roll it up, dust it again with flour, beat it a little, and roll out, always rubbing the rolling-pin with flour, and throwing some underneath the paste to prevent its sticking to the board.

It should be touched as little as possible with the hands.

PYRAMID PASTE.

You that from pliant paste would fabrics raise, Expecting thence to gain immortal praise, Your knuckles try, and let your sinews know Their power to knead, and give the form to dough; From thence of course the figure will arise, And elegance adorn the surface of your pies. KING.

Make a rich puff paste, roll it out a quarter of an inch thick, cut it into five or seven pieces with scalloped tin cutters, which go one within another; leave the bottom and top piece entire, and cut a bit out of the centre of the others. Place them upon buttered baking tins, and bake them of a light brown. Build them into a pyramid, laying a different preserved fruit upon each piece of paste, and on the top a whole apricot with a sprig of myrtle stuck in it.

FRUIT PIES.

Unless some sweetness at the bottom lie, Who cares for all the crinkling of the pie! KING.

Fruit pies for family use are generally made with common paste. Allow three quarters of a pound of butter to a pound and a half of flour. Peaches and plums for pies should be cut in half, and the stones taken out. Cherries also should be stoned, and red cherries only should be used for pies. Apples should be cut into very thin slices, and are much improved by a little lemon-peel. Apples stewed previous to baking, should not be done till they break, but only till they are tender. They should then be drained in a cullender, and chopped fine with a knife or edge of a spoon. In making pies of juicy fruit, it is a good way to set a small teacup on the bottom crust, and lay the fruit round it. The juice will collect under the cup, and not run out at the edges or top of the pie. The fruit should be mixed with a sufficient quantity of sugar, and piled up in the middle, so as to make the pie highest in the centre.

The upper crust should be pricked with a fork. The edges should be nicely crimped with a knife. If stewed fruit is put in warm, it will make the paste heavy. If your pies are made in the form of shells, the fruit should always be stewed first, or it will not be sufficiently done, as the shells (which should be made of puff paste) must not bake so long as covered pies.

Fruit pies with lids should have loaf sugar grated over them.

MINCE PIES.

When Terence spoke, oraculous and sly, He'd neither grant the question nor deny, Pleading for tarts, his thoughts were on mince pie.

My poor endeavors view with gracious eye, To make these lines above a Christmas pie.

Two pounds of boiled beef's heart or fresh tongue, or lean fresh beef chopped, when cold; two pounds of beef suet chopped fine, four pounds of pippin apples chopped, two pounds of raisins stoned and chopped, two pounds of currants picked, washed, and dried, two pounds of powdered sugar, one quart of white wine, one quart of brandy, one wine-glass of rose-water, two grated nutmegs, half an ounce of cinnamon, powdered, a quarter of an ounce of mace, powdered, a teaspoonful of salt, two large oranges, and half a pound of citron cut in slips. Pack it closely into stone jars, and tie them over with paper. When it is to be used, add a little more wine.

PLUM PUDDING.

All you who to feasting and mirth are inclined, Come, here is good news for to pleasure your mind. Old Christmas is come, for to keep open house: He scorns to be guilty of starving a mouse. Then come, boys, and welcome, for diet the chief,— Plum pudding, goose, capon, minced pies, and roast beef. The cooks shall be busied, by day and by night, In roasting and boiling, for taste and delight. Provision is making for beer, ale, and wine, For all that are willing or ready to dine. Meantime goes the caterer to fetch in the chief,— Plum pudding, goose, capon, minced pies, and roast beef. ANCIENT CHRISTMAS CAROL.

One quarter of a pound of beef suet; take out the strings and skin; chop it to appear like butter; stone one pound of raisins, one pound of currants, well washed, dried, and floured, one pound loaf sugar, rolled and sifted, one pound of flour, eight eggs well beaten; beat all well together for some time, then add by degrees two glasses of brandy, one wine, one rose-water, citron, nutmeg, and cinnamon; beat it all extremely well together, tie it in a floured cloth very tight, let it boil four hours constantly; let your sauce be a quarter pound of butter, beat to a cream, a quarter pound loaf sugar pounded and sifted; beat in the butter with a little wine and sugar and nutmeg.

COCOANUT PUDDING.

Whatever was the best pie going, In that Ned—trust him—had his finger. MOORE.

Take the thin brown skin off of a quarter pound of cocoa, wash it in cold water, and wipe it dry; grate it fine, stir three and half ounces of butter and a quarter pound of powdered sugar, to a cream; add half teaspoonful of rose-water, half glass of wine and of brandy mixed, to them. Beat the white of six eggs till they stand alone, and then stir them into the butter and sugar; afterwards sprinkle in the grated nut, and stir hard all the time. Put puff paste into the bottom of the dish, pour in the mixture, and bake it in a moderate oven, half an hour. Grate loaf sugar over it when cold.

APPLE PUDDING.

Where London's column, pointing to the skies, Like a tall bully, lifts the head and lies, There dwelt a citizen of sober fame, A plain, good man, and Balaam was his name; Religious, punctual, frugal, and so forth, His word would pass for more than he was worth; One solid dish his week-day meal affords, And apple pudding solemnized the Lord's. POPE.

Make a batter of two eggs, a pint of milk and three or four spoonfuls of flour; pour it into a deep dish, and having pared six or eight apples, place them whole in the batter, and bake them.

HASTY PUDDING.

But man, more fickle, the bold license claims, In different realms, to give thee different names. Thee, the soft nations round the warm Levant Polanta call; the French, of course, Polante. E'en in thy native regions, how I blush To hear the Pennsylvanians call thee mush! All spurious appellations, void of truth; I've better known thee from my earliest youth: Thy name is Hasty Pudding! Thus our sires Were wont to greet thee from the fuming fires; And while they argued in thy just defence, With logic clear, they thus explained the sense: "In haste the boiling caldron, o'er the blaze, Receives and cooks the ready-powdered maize; In haste 'tis served, and then in equal haste, With cooling milk, we make the sweet repast. No carving to be done, no knife to grate The tender ear, and wound the stony plate; But the smooth spoon, just fitted to the lip, And taught with art the yielding mass to dip, By frequent journeys to the bowl well stored, Performs the hasty honors of the board." Such is thy name, significant and clear,— A name, a sound, to every Yankee dear; But most to me, whose heart and palate chaste Preserve my pure, hereditary taste. BARLOW.

YORKSHIRE PUDDING.

The strong table groans Beneath the smoking sirloin, stretch'd immense From side to side; in which with desperate knife They deep incisions make, and talk the while Of England's glory, ne'er to be defaced While hence they borrow vigor; or amain Into the pudding plunged at intervals, If stomach keen can intervals allow, Relating all the glories of the chase. THOMSON.

This pudding is especially an excellent accompaniment to a sirloin of beef. Six tablespoonfuls of flour, three eggs, a teaspoonful of salt, and a pint of milk, make a middling stiff batter; beat it up well; take care it is not lumpy. Put a dish under the meat; let the drippings drop into it, till it is quite hot and well greased; then pour in the batter. When the upper surface is browned and set, turn it, that both sides may be brown alike. A pudding an inch thick will take two hours. Serve it under the roast beef, that the juice of the beef may enter it. It is very fine.

SUET PUDDING.

Sir Balaam now, he lives like other folks; He takes his chirping, and cracks his jokes. Live like yourself, was soon my lady's word; And lo! suet pudding was seen upon the board. POPE.

Suet, a quarter of a pound; flour, three tablespoonfuls; eggs two, and a little grated ginger; milk, half a pint. Mince the suet as fine as possible; roll it with the rolling-pin, so as to mix it well with the flour; beat up the eggs, mix them with the milk, and then mix them all together; wet your cloth well in boiling water, and boil it an hour and a quarter. Mrs. Glasse has it: "When you have made your water boil, then put your pudding into your pot."

OATMEAL PUDDING.

Of oats decorticated take two pounds, And of new milk enough the same to drown; Of raisins of the sun, stoned, ounces eight; Of currants, cleanly picked, an equal weight; Of suet, finely sliced, an ounce at least; And six eggs, newly taken from the nest: Season this mixture well with salt and spice; 'Twill make a pudding far exceeding rice; And you may safely feed on it like farmers, For the recipe is learned Dr. Harmer's.

EVE'S PUDDING.

If you want a good pudding, mind what you are taught: Take eggs, six in number, when bought for a groat; The fruit with which Eve her husband did cozen, Well pared and well chopped, take at least half a dozen; Six ounces of bread—let the cook eat the crust— And crumble the soft as fine as the dust; Six ounces of currants from the stalks you must sort, Lest they husk out your teeth, and spoil all the sport; Six ounces of sugar won't make it too sweet, And some salt and some nutmeg will make it complete. Three hours let it boil, without any flutter, And Adam won't like it without sugar and butter. ANONYMOUS.

CHARLOTTE DES POMMES.

Charlotte, from rennet apples first did frame A pie, which still retains her name. Though common grown, yet with white sugar stewed, And butter'd right, its goodness is allowed. KING.

Pare, core, and mince fifteen French rennet apples; put them into a frying-pan with some powdered loaf sugar, a little pounded cinnamon, grated lemon-peel, and two ounces and a half of fresh butter; fry them a quarter of an hour over a quick fire, stirring them constantly. Butter the shape the size the Charlotte is intended to be; cut strips of bread long enough to reach from the bottom to the rim of the shape, so that the whole be lined with bread; dip each bit into melted butter, and put a layer of fried apples, and one of apricot jam or marmalade, and then one of bread dipped into butter; begin and finish with it. Bake it in an oven for an hour. Turn it out to serve.

BATTER PUDDING.

A frugal man, upon the whole, Yet loved his friend, and had a soul; Knew what was handsome, and would do't On just occasion, coute qui coute. He brought him bacon (nothing lean); Pudding, that might have pleased a dean; Cheese, such as men of Suffolk make, But wished it Stilton for his sake. POPE.

Take six ounces of flour, a little salt, and three eggs; beat it well with a little milk, added by degrees, till the batter becomes smooth; make it the thickness of cream; put it into a buttered and floured bag; tie it tightly; boil one and a half hour, or two hours. Serve with wine sauce.

APPLE DUMPLINGS.

By the rivulet, on the rushes, Beneath a canopy of bushes, Colin Blount and Yorkshire Tray Taste the dumplings and the whey. SMART.

Pare and scoop out the core of six large baking apples; put part of a clove and a little grated lemon-peel inside of each, and enclose them in pieces of puff paste; boil them in nets for the purpose, or bits of linen, for an hour. Before serving, cut off a small bit from the top of each, and put a teaspoonful of sugar and a bit of fresh butter; replace the bit of paste, and strew over them pounded loaf sugar.

SWEETMEAT FRITTERS.

If chronicles may be believed, So loved the pamper'd gallant lived, That with the nuns he always dined On rarities of every kind; Then hoards, occasionally varied, Of biscuits, sweetmeats, nuts, and fruits.

Cut small any sort of candied fruit, and heat it with a bit of fresh butter, some good milk, and a little grated lemon-peel; when quite hot, stir in enough of flour to make it into a stiff paste; take it off the fire, and work in eight or ten eggs, two at a time. When cold, form the fritters, fry, and serve them with pounded loaf sugar strewed over them.

FRITTERS.

Methinks I scent some rich repast: The savor strengthens with the blast. GAY.

Take a dozen apricots, or any other fruit preserved in brandy; drain them in half; then wrap them in wafers, cut round, and previously moistened. Make the batter by putting a glass and a half of water, a grain of salt, and two ounces of fresh butter, into a saucepan. When it boils, stir in sufficient quantity of flour to make it rather a firm batter; keep it stirring three minutes; then pour it into another vessel: dip the fruit in this batter, and fry them; sprinkle them with sugar, then serve.



CREAMS.

ICE CREAM.

After dreaming some hours of the land of Cocaigne, That Elysium of all that is friand and nice, Where for hail they have bonbons, and claret for rain, And the skaters in winter show off on cream ice. MOORE.

Here ice, like crystal firm, and never lost, Tempers hot July with December's frost. WALLER.

Put a quart of rich cream into a broad pan; then stir in half a pound of powdered loaf sugar by degrees, and when all is well mixed, strain it through a sieve. Put it into a tin that has a close cover, and set it in a tub. Fill the tub with ice broken into small pieces, and strew among the ice a large quantity of salt, taking care that none of the salt gets into the cream. Scrape the cream down with a spoon as it freezes round the edges of the tin. While the cream is freezing, stir in gradually the juice of two large lemons or the juice of a pint of mashed strawberries or raspberries. When it is all frozen, dip the tin in lukewarm water; take out the cream, and fill your glasses, but not till a few minutes before you want to use it, as it will melt very soon.

If you wish to have it in moulds, put the cream into them as soon as it is frozen in the tin.

Set the moulds in a tub of ice and salt. Just before you want to use the cream, take the moulds out of the tub, wipe or wash the salt carefully from the outside, dip the moulds into lukewarm water, and turn out the cream. You may flavor a quart of ice cream with two ounces of sweet almonds, and one ounce of bitter almonds, blanched, and beaten in a mortar with a little rose-water to a smooth paste.

Stir in the almond gradually, while the cream is freezing.

WHIPPED CREAM.

Pudding our parson eats, the squire loves hare, But whipped cream is my Buxoma's fare, While she loves whipped cream, capon ne'er shall be, Nor hare, nor beef, nor pudding, food for me. GAY.

Sweeten with pounded loaf sugar a quart of cream, and to it a lump of sugar which has been rubbed upon the peel of two fine lemons or little oranges; or flavor it with orange flower water, a little essence of roses, the juice of strawberries, or any other fruit. Whisk the cream well in a large pan, and as the froth rises, take it off, and lay it on a sieve placed over another pan, and return the cream which drains from the froth till all is whisked; then heap it upon a dish, or put it into glasses.

BOILED CUSTARDS.

And boiled custard, take its merit in brief, Makes a noble dessert, where the dinner's roast beef.

Boil a pint of milk with lemon-peel and cinnamon; mix a pint of cream, and the yolks of five eggs well beaten; when the milk tastes of the seasoning, sweeten enough for the whole; pour it into the cream, stirring it well; then give the custard a simmer till of a proper thickness. Do not let it boil; stir the whole time one way; then season with a large spoonful of peach-water, and two teaspoonfuls of brandy or a little ratafia. If you wish your custards extremely rich, put no milk, but a quart of cream.

ORANGE CUSTARDS.

With orange custards and the juicy pine, On choicest melons and sweet grapes they dine. JONSON.

Sweeten the strained juice of ten oranges with pounded loaf sugar, stir it over the fire till hot, take off the scum, and when nearly cold, add to it the beaten yolks of twelve eggs and a pint of cream; put it into a saucepan, and stir it over a slow fire till it thickens. Serve it in cups.

CUSTARDS OR CREAMS.

But nicer cates, her dainty's boasted fare, The jellied cream or custards, daintiest food, Or cheesecake, or the cooling syllabub, For Thyrses she prepares. DODSLEY.

Whisk for one hour the whites of two eggs, together with two tablespoonfuls of raspberry or red currant syrup or jelly; lay it in any form of a custard or cream, piled up to imitate rock. It may be served in a cream round it.

ALMOND CREAMS.

And from sweet kernels pressed, She tempers dulcet creams. MILTON.

Blanch and pound to a paste, with rose-water, six ounces of almonds; mix them with a pint and a half of cream which has been boiled with the peel of a small lemon; add two well-beaten eggs, and stir the whole over the fire till it be thick, taking care not to allow it to boil; sweeten it, and when nearly cold, stir in a tablespoonful of orange-flower or rose-water.



MISCELLANEOUS.

YEAST.

Not with the leaven, as of old, Of sin and malice fed, But with unfeigned sincerity.

One dozen of potatoes, two cupfuls of hops; put them together in a bag, and place them in a pot with two quarts of water; let it boil till the potatoes are done; a cupful of salt, a ladle of flour; then pour the boiling water over it, then let it stand till lukewarm; add a cupful of old yeast, cover it up, and put near the fire till it foments.

BREAD.

His diet was of wheaten bread. COWPER.

Mixt with the rustic throng, see ruddy maids, Some taught with dextrous hand to twirl the wheel, Some expert To raise from leavened wheat the kneaded loaf. DODSLEY.

Her bread is deemed such dainty fare, That ev'ry prudent traveller His wallet loads with many a crust. COWPER.

Like the loaf in the Tub's pleasant tale, That was fish, flesh, and custard, good claret and ale, It comprised every flavor, was all and was each, Was grape and was pineapple, nectarine and peach. LOVILOND.

Mix with six pounds of sifted flour one ounce of salt, nearly half a pint of fresh sweet yeast as it comes from the brewery, and a sufficient quantity of warmed milk to make the whole into a stiff dough, work and knead it well on a board, on which a little flour has been strewed, for fifteen or twenty minutes, then put it into a deep pan, cover it with a warmed towel, set it before the fire, and let it rise for an hour and a half or perhaps two hours; cut off a piece of this sponge or dough; knead it well for eight or ten minutes, together with flour sufficient to keep it from adhering to the board, put it into small tins, filling them three quarters full; dent the rolls all around with a knife, and let them stand a few minutes before putting them in the oven.

The remainder of the dough must then be worked up for loaves, and baked either in or out of shape.

RYE AND INDIAN BREAD.

Of wine she never tasted through the year, But white and black was all her homely cheer, Brown bread and milk (but first she skimmed her bowls), And rasher of singed bacon on the coals. CHAUCER.

Sift two quarts of rye, and two quarts of Indian meal, and mix them well together. Boil three pints of milk; pour it boiling upon the meal; add two teaspoonfuls of salt, and stir the whole very hard. Let it stand till it becomes of only a lukewarm heat, and then stir in half a pint of good, fresh yeast; if from the brewery and quite fresh, a smaller quantity will suffice. Knead the mixture into a stiff dough, and set it to rise in a pan. Cover it with a thick cloth that has been previously warmed, and set it near the fire. When it is quite light, and has cracked all over the top, make it into two loaves; put them into a moderate oven, and bake them two hours and a half.

BUTTER.

Vessels large And broad, by the sweet hand of neatness clean'd, Meanwhile, in decent order ranged appear, The milky treasure, strain'd thro' filtering lawn, Intended to receive. At early day, Sweet slumber shaken from her opening lids, My lovely Patty to her dairy hies; There, from the surface of expanded bowls She skims the floating cream, and to her churn Commits the rich consistence; nor disdains, Though soft her hand, though delicate her frame, To urge the rural toil, fond to obtain The country housewife's humble name and praise. Continued agitation separates soon The unctuous particles; with gentler strokes And artful, soon they coalesce; at length Cool water pouring from the limpid spring Into a smooth glazed vessel, deep and wide, She gathers the loose fragments to a heap, Which in the cleansing wave, well wrought and press'd, To one consistent golden mass, receives The sprinkled seasoning, and of pats or pounds The fair impression, the neat shape assumes. DODSLEY.

COTTAGE CHEESE.

Warm from the cow she pours The milky flood. An acid juice infused, From the dried stomach drawn of suckling calf, Coagulates the whole. Immediate now Her spreading hands bear down the gathering curd, Which hard and harder grows, till, clear and thin, The green whey rises separate. DODSLEY.

Warm three half pints of cream with one half pint of milk, and put a little rennet to it; keep it covered in a warm place till it is curdled; have a proper mould with holes, either of china or any other; put the curds into it to drain, about one hour or less. Serve it with a good plain cream, and pounded sugar over it.



CAKES.

BUCKWHEAT CAKES.

Do, dear James, mix up the cakes: Just one quart of meal it takes; Pour the water on the pot, Be careful it is not too hot; Sift the meal well through your hand, Thicken well—don't let it stand; Stir it quick,—clash, clatter, clatter! O what light, delicious batter! Now listen to the next command: On the dresser let it stand Just three quarters of an hour, To feel the gently rising power Of powders, melted into yeast, To lighten well this precious feast. See, now it rises to the brim! Quick, take the ladle, dip it in; So let it rest, until the fire The griddle heats as you desire. Be careful that the coals are glowing, No smoke around its white curls throwing; Apply the suet, softly, lightly; The griddle's black face shines more brightly. Now pour the batter on; delicious! Don't, dear James, think me officious, But lift the tender edges lightly; Now turn it over quickly, sprightly. 'Tis done! Now on the white plate lay it: Smoking hot, with butter spread, 'Tis quite enough to turn our head!

JOHNNY CAKES.

Some talk of hoecake, fair Virginia's pride! Rich Johnny cake this mouth has often tried; Both please me well, their virtues much the same; Alike their fabric, as allied their fame. BARLOW.

A quart of sifted Indian meal, and a handful of wheat flour sifted; mix them; three eggs, well beaten; two tablespoonfuls of fresh brewer's yeast, or flour of home made yeast, a teaspoonful of salt, and a quart of milk.

MUFFINS.

Friend, I am a shrewd observer, and will guess What cakes you doat on for your favorite mess. ARMSTRONG.

Take a pint of warm milk, and a quarter pint of thick small-beer yeast; strain them into a pan, and add sufficient flour to make it like a batter; cover it over, and let it stand in a warm place until it has risen; then add a quarter of a pint of warm milk, and an ounce of butter rubbed in some flour quite fine; mix them well together; add sufficient flour to make it into a dough; cover it over. Let it stand half an hour; work it up again; break it into small pieces, roll them up quite round, and cover them over for a quarter of an hour, then bake them.

PANCAKES.

With all her haughty looks, the time I've seen When the proud damsel has more humble been; When with nice airs she hoist the pancake round, And dropt it, hapless fair! upon the ground. SHENSTONE.

To three tablespoonfuls of flour add six well-beaten eggs, three tablespoonfuls of white wine, four ounces of melted butter nearly cold, the same quantity of pounded loaf sugar, half a grated nutmeg, and a pint of cream. Mix it well, beating the batter for some time, and pour it thin over the pan.

PLUM-CAKE.

First in place, Plum-cake is seen o'er smaller pastry ware, And ice on that. SWIFT.

Pick two pounds of currants very clean, and wash them, draining them through a cullender. Wipe them in a towel, spread them out in a large dish, and set them near the fire or in the hot sun to dry, placing the dish in a slanting position. Having stoned two pounds of best raisins, cut them in half, and when all are done, sprinkle them well with sifted flour, to prevent their sinking to the bottom of the cake. When the currants are dry, sprinkle them also with flour.

Pound the spice, two tablespoonfuls of cinnamon, two nutmegs, powdered; sift and mix the cinnamon and nutmeg together. Mix also a large glass of wine and brandy, half a glass of rose-water in a tumbler or cup. Cut a pound of citron in slips; sift a pound of flour in a broad dish, sift a pound of powdered white sugar into a deep earthen pan, and cut a pound of butter into it. Warm it near the fire, if the weather is too cold for it to mix easily. Stir the butter and sugar to a cream; beat twelve eggs as light as possible; stir them into the butter and sugar alternately with the flour; stir very hard; add gradually the spice and liquor. Stir the raisins and currants alternately in the mixture, taking care that they are well floured. Stir the whole as hard as possible, for ten minutes after the ingredients are in.

Cover the bottom and sides of a large tin or earthen pan with sheets of white paper well buttered, and put into it some of the mixture. Then spread some citron on it, which must not be cut too small; next put a layer of the mixture, and then a layer of citron, and so on till all is in, having a layer of mixture at the top.

This cake will require four or five hours baking, in proportion to its thickness.

Ice it next day.

LAFAYETTE GINGERBREAD.

Must see Rheims, much famed, 'tis said, For making kings and gingerbread. MOORE.

Five eggs, half pound of brown sugar, half pound fresh butter, a pint of sugarhouse molasses, a pound and a half of flour, four tablespoonfuls of ginger, two large sticks of cinnamon, three dozen grains of allspice, three dozen of cloves, juice and grated peel of two lemons. Stir the butter and sugar to a cream; beat the eggs very well; pour the molasses at once into the butter and sugar. Add the ginger and other spice, and stir all well together. Put in the eggs and flour alternately, stirring all the time. Stir the whole very hard, and put in the lemon at the last. When the whole is mixed, stir it till very light. Butter an earthen pan, or a thick tin or iron one, and put the gingerbread in it. Bake it in a moderate oven an hour or more, according to its thickness, or you may bake it in small cakes or little tins.

SHREWSBURY CAKES.

And here each season do those cakes abide, Whose honored names the inventive city own, Rendering through Britain's isle Salopia's praises known. SHENSTONE.

Sift one pound of sugar, some pounded cinnamon and a nutmeg grated, into three pounds of flour, the finest sort; add a little rose-water to three eggs well beaten; mix these with the flour, &c.; then pour into it as much butter melted as will make it a good thickness to roll out.

Stir it well, and roll thin; cut it into such shapes as you like. Bake on tins.

HONEY-CAKE.

In vain the circled loaves attempt to lie Concealed in flaskets from my curious eye; In vain the cheeses, offspring of the pail, Or honeyed cakes, which gods themselves regale. PARNELL.

One pound and a half of dried sifted flour, three quarters of a pound of honey, half a pound of finely powdered loaf sugar, a quarter of a pound of citron, and half an ounce of orange-peel cut small, of powdered ginger and cinnamon, three quarters of an ounce. Melt the sugar with the honey, and mix in the other ingredients; roll out the paste, and cut it into small cakes of any form.

NAPLES BISCUITS.

Though I've consulted Holinshed and Stow, I find it very difficult to know Who, to refresh the attendants to a grave, Burnt claret first or Naples biscuit gave. KING.

Put three quarters of a pound of fine flour to a pound of powdered sugar; sift both together three times; then add six eggs beaten well, and a spoonful of rose-water; when the oven is nearly hot, bake them.

GINGERBREAD.

Whence oft with sugared cates she doth 'em greet, And gingerbread, if rare, now certes doubly sweet. SHENSTONE.

To three quarters of a pound of treacle, beat one egg strained; mix four ounces of brown sugar, half an ounce of ginger sifted, of cloves, mace, allspice, and nutmeg, a quarter of an ounce; beat all as fine as possible; melt one pound of butter, and mix with the above: add as much flour as will knead it into a pretty stiff paste; roll it out, and cut it in cakes.

SPONGE CAKE.

On cake luxuriously I dine, And drink the fragrance of the vine, Studious of elegance and ease, Myself alone I seek to please. GAY.

Take the juice and grated rind of a lemon, twelve eggs, twelve ounces of finely pounded loaf sugar, the same of dried and sifted flour; then, beat the yolks of ten eggs; add the sugar by degrees, and beat it till it will stand when dropped from the spoon; put in at separate times the two other eggs, yolks, and whites; whisk the ten whites for eight minutes, and mix in the lemon-juice, and when quite stiff, take as much as the whisk will lift, and put it upon the yolks and sugar, which must be beaten all the time; mix in lightly all the flour and grated peel, and pour it gradually over the whites; stir it together, and bake it in a large buttered tin or small ones; do not more than half fill them.

SUGAR BISCUITS.

This happy hour elapsed and gone, The time of drinking tea comes on. The kettle filled, the water boiled, The cream provided, the biscuits piled. And lamp prepared; I straight engage The Lilliputian equipage Of dishes, sauces, spoons, and tongs, And all the et ceteras which thereto belongs. DODSLEY.

The weight of eight eggs in finely pounded loaf sugar, and of four in dried flour; beat separately the whites and yolks; with the yolks beat the sugar for half an hour; then add the whites and the flour, and a little grated nutmeg, lemon-peel, or pounded cinnamon. Bake them as French biscuits.

DERBY CAKE.

Some bring a capon, some Derby cake, Some nuts, some apples, some that think they make The better cheesecakes, bring them.

Rub in with the hand one pound of butter into two pounds of sifted flour; put one pound of currants, one pound of good moist sugar, and one egg; mix all together with half pint of milk; roll it out thin, and cut it into round cakes with a cutter; lay them on a clean baking plate, and put them into a middling heated oven for about ten minutes.

CRACKNELS.

However, you shall home with me tonight, Forget your cares, and revel in delight; I have in store a pint or two of wine, Some cracknels, and the remnant of a chine. SWIFT.

Blanch half a pound of sweet almonds, and pound them to a fine paste, adding to them by degrees six eggs, when thoroughly pounded; pour on them a pound of powdered sugar, the same of butter, and the rinds of two lemons grated; beat up these ingredients in the mortar; put a pound of flour on a slab, and having poured the almond paste upon it, knead them together till they are well incorporated; roll it out, and cut the cracknels into such forms as you think proper; rub them with yolk of egg, and strew over them powdered sugar or cinnamon; then lay them on a buttered tin, and bake them in a moderate oven, taking great care they do not burn.

CHEESECAKES.

Treat here, ye shepherds blithe! your damsels sweet, For pies and cheesecakes are for damsels meet. GAY.

Put two quarts of new milk into a stewpan; set it near the fire, and stir in two tablespoonfuls of rennet; let it stand till it is set (this will take about an hour); break it well with your hand, and let it remain half an hour longer; then pour off the whey, and put the curd into a cullender to drain; when quite dry, put it in a mortar, and pound it quite smooth; then add four ounces of powdered sugar, and three ounces of fresh butter; oil it first by putting it in a little potting pot, and setting it near the fire; stir it all well together; beat the yolks of four eggs in a basin with a little nutmeg grated, lemon-peel, and a glass of brandy; add this to the curd, with two ounces of currants washed and picked; stir it all well together; have your tins ready lined with puff paste, about a quarter of an inch thick; notch them all round the edge, and fill each with the curd.

Bake them twenty minutes.

BRIDE CAKE.

The bridal came; great the feast, And good the bride cake and the priest. SMART.

Take four pounds of fresh butter, two pounds of loaf sugar, pounded and sifted fine, a quarter of an ounce of mace and the same quantity of nutmegs; to every pound of flour put eight eggs; wash and pick four pounds of currants, and dry them before the fire; blanch a pound of sweet almonds, and cut them lengthways very thin, a pound of citron, a pound of candied orange, a pound of candied lemon, and half pint of brandy; first work the butter to a cream; then beat in your sugar a quarter of an hour; beat the white of your eggs to a very strong froth; mix them with your sugar and butter; beat the yolks half an hour at least, and mix them with your cake; then put in your flour, mace, and nutmeg; keep beating it till your oven is ready; put in your brandy; beat the currants and almonds lightly in; tie three sheets of paper round the bottoms of your hoops, to keep it from running out; rub it well with butter; put in your cake and the sweetmeats in three layers, with cake between every layer; after it is risen and colored, cover it with paper.

It takes three hours baking.

KISSES.

"I never give a kiss," says Prue, "To naughty man, for I abhor it." She will not give a kiss, 'tis true, She'll take one, though, and thank you for it. FROM THE FRENCH.

One pound of the best loaf sugar, powdered and sifted, the whites of four eggs, twelve drops of essence of lemon, a teacup of currant jelly. Beat the whites of four eggs till they stand alone. Then beat in gradually the sugar, a teaspoonful at a time. Add the essence of lemon, and beat the whole very hard. Lay a wet sheet of paper on the bottom of a square tin pan. Drop on it at equal distances a small teaspoonful of currant jelly. With a large spoon, pile some of the beaten white of eggs and sugar on each lump of jelly, so as to cover it entirely. Drop on the mixture as evenly as possible, so as to make the kisses of a round smooth shape. Set them in a cool oven, and as soon as they are colored, they are done. Then take them out, and place two bottoms together. Lay them lightly on a sieve, and dry them in a cool oven, till the two bottoms stick fast together, so as to form one oval or ball.

SWEET MACAROONS.

Where cakes luxuriant pile the spacious dish, And purple nectar glads the festive hour, The guest, without a want, without a wish, Can yield no room to music's soothing power. JOHNSON.

Blanch a pound of sweet almonds; throw them into cold water for a few minutes; lay them in a napkin to dry, and leave them for twenty-four hours; at the end of that time, pound them, a handful at a time, adding occasionally some white of egg, till the whole is reduced to a fine paste; then take two pounds of the best lump sugar; pound and sift it; then put it to the almonds with the grated rinds of two lemons; beat these ingredients together in the mortar, adding, one at a time, as many eggs as you find necessary to moisten the paste, which should be thin, but not too much so, as in that case it would run; your paste being ready, take out a little in a spoon, and lay the macaroons on sheets of white paper, either round or oval, as you please; lay them at least an inch apart, because they spread in baking, and, if put nearer, would touch.

The whole of your paste being used, place the sheets of paper on tins in a moderate oven for three quarters of an hour.

This kind of cake requires great care.

SYLLABUB.

Mountown! the Muses' most delicious theme, O, may thy codlins ever swim in cream! The rasp and strawberries in Bordeaux drown, To add a redder tincture to their own! Thy white wine, sugar, milk, together club, To make that gentle viand—syllabub! KING.

Not all thy plate, how formed soe'er it be, Can please my palate like a bowl of thee. BARLOW.

In a large china bowl put a pint of port and a pint of sherry, or other white wine; sugar to taste. Milk the bowl full; in twenty minutes cover it pretty high with clouted cream; grate over it nutmeg; put pounded cinnamon and nonpareil comfits. It is very good without the nonpareil comfits.

BEER OR ALE.

O, Peggy, Peggy! when thou goest to brew, Consider well what you're about to do; Be very wise, very sedately think That what you're now going to make is drink; Consider who must drink that drink, and then What 'tis to have the praise of honest men; For surely, Peggy, while that drink does last, 'Tis Peggy will be toasted or disgraced. Then if thy ale in glass thou wouldst confine, To make its sparkling rays in beauty shine, Let thy clean bottle be entirely dry, Lest a white substance to the surface fly, And floating there disturb the curious eye; But this great maxim must be understood, "Be sure, nay very sure, thy cork be good." Then future ages shall of Peggy tell, That nymph that brewed and bottled ale so well! KING.

Twelve bushels of malt to the hogshead for beer, eight for ale; for either, pour the whole quantity of water, hot, but not boiling, on at once, and let it infuse three hours, close covered; mash it in the first half hour, and let it stand the remainder of the time. Run it on the hops, previously infused in water; for beer, three quarters of a pound to a bushel; if for ale, half a pound. Boil them with the wort, two hours, from the time it begins to boil. Cool a pailful; then add three quarts of yeast, which will prepare it for putting to the rest when ready next day; but, if possible, put together the same night. Sun, as usual. Cover the bunghole with paper, when the beer has done working; and when it is to be stopped, have ready a pound and a half of hops, dried before the fire; put them into the bunghole, and fasten it up.

Let it stand twelve months in casks, and twelve in bottles before it be drank. It will keep, and be very fine, eight or ten years. It should be brewed in the beginning of March. Great care must be taken that bottles are perfectly prepared, and the corks are of the best sort.

The ale will be ready in three or four months, and if the vent-peg be never removed, it will have spirit and strength to the last. Allow two gallons of water, at first, for waste.

After the beer or ale is run from the grains, pour a hogshead and a half for the twelve bushels; and a hogshead of water, if eight were brewed. Mash, and let stand; and then boil, &c.

ORIGIN OF MINT JULEPS.

'Tis said that the gods, on Olympus of old, (And who the bright legend profanes with a doubt!) One night, 'mid their revels, by Bacchus were told, That his last butt of nectar had somehow run out.

But determined to send round the goblet once more, They sued to the fairer mortals for aid In composing a draught, which till drinking were o'er, Should cast every wine ever drank in the shade.

Grave Ceres herself blithely yielded her corn, And the spirit that lives in each amber-hued grain, And which first had its birth from the dews of the morn, Was taught to steal out in bright dew-drops again.

Pomona, whose choicest of fruits on the board Were scattered profusely, in every one's reach, When called on a tribute to cull from the hoard, Express'd the mild juice of the delicate peach.

The liquids were mingled, while Venus looked on, With glances so fraught with sweet magical power, That the honey of Hybla, e'en when they were gone, Has never been missed in the draught from that hour.

Flora then from her bosom of fragrancy shook, And with roseate fingers pressed down in the bowl, All dripping and fresh as it came from the brook, The herb whose aroma should flavor the whole.

The draught was delicious, each god did exclaim, Though something yet wanting they all did bewail; But juleps the drink of immortals became, When Jove himself added a handful of hail. HOFFMAN.

PUNCH.

Four elements, joined in An emulous strife, Fashion the world, and Constitute life.

From the sharp citron The starry juice pour; Acid to life is The innermost core.

Now, let the sugar The bitter one meet; Still be life's bitter Tamed down with the sweet!

Let the bright water Flow into the bowl; Water, the calm one, Embraces the whole.

Drops from the spirit Pour quick'ning within, Life but its life from The spirit can win.

Haste, while it gloweth, Your vessels to bring; The wave has but virtue Drunk hot from the spring. TRANSLATED FROM SCHILLER.



INDEX.

A la Braise, Beef, 37 Artichokes, 75 Asparagus, 80 Apple Dumplings, 106 Apple Pudding, 100 Almond Creams, 111 Ale, 133

Broth, Chicken, 24 Boiled Salmon, 29 Beef, Roast, 36 Beef, Baked with Potatoes, 38 Beef, Ragout, 39 Beef, Kidneys, 39 Broiled Beefsteaks, 40 Beef, Salt, 42 Birds, Potted, 58 Beans, Lima, 75 Batter Pudding, 105 Butter, 115 Bread, 112 Bride Cake, 128 Biscuits, Naples, 123 Biscuits, Sugar, 125 Buckwheat Cakes, 117 Beer, 133

Calf's Liver, Roasted, 44 Calf's Head, Surprised, 45 Calf's Head, Roasted, 46 Capon, 51 Chicken Croquettes, 51 Carrots, 81 Cranberry Sauce, 70 Caper Sauce, 70 Cabbage, Pickled, 85 Cocoanut Pudding, 100 Charlotte des Pommes, 104 Custards or Creams, 111 Custards, Boiled, 110 Cottage Cheese, 116 Cheesecakes, 127 Cracknels, 126

Derby Cakes, 126

Eggs, To Poach, 91 Eggs, Boiled, 92 Eggs and Bread, 93 Eggs, Fried, 93 Eve's Pudding, 104

Fish White, To Stew, 25 Fish White, Another Way to Stew, 26 Fish Brown, To Stew, 27 Forcemeat Balls, 60 Fowl a la Hollandaise, 49 Fruit Pies, 96 Fritters, 107 Fritters, Sweetmeat, 106

Gingerbread, Lafayette, 121 Gingerbread, 124

Hams, To Cure, 52 Ham Pies, 53 Hare, Roasted, 54 Herbs, 82 Hasty Pudding, 101 Honey Cake, 123

Ice Cream, 109 Indian and Rye Bread, 114

Jelly, Currant, 87 Jelly, Cherry, 89 Jelly, Apple, 88 Jelly, Calves' feet, 89 Johnny Cakes, 118

Ketchup, Mushroom, 65 Kisses, 129

Lobster, Boiled, 30 Larks, 58 Leeks, 81

Mutton, Leg of, 52 Macaroni Gratin, 63 Mint Sauce, 69 Mushrooms, To Stew, 64 Mangoes, 84 Mince Pies, 98 Macaroons, Sweet, 130 Muffins, 118 Mint Juleps, Origin of, 135

Naples Biscuit, 123

Oatmeal Pudding, 103 Oysters, 31 Oysters, Fried, 31 Oysters, Stewed, 32 Oysters, Scalloped, 33 Oyster Loaves, 33 Oyster Pattie, 62 Ortolans, To Roast, 56 Onion Sauce, 74 Omelet, 91 Omelette, Souffle, 94 Orange Custards, 110

Perch with Wine, 27 Patties for Fried Bread, 62 Pheasants, To Roast, 56 Potatoes, 76 Peas, 78 Pineapple Preserve, 90 Puff Paste, 95 Pyramid Paste, 96 Plum Pudding, 99 Plum Cake, 120 Pancakes, 119 Punch, 137

Roasted Sturgeon, 28 Rabbits, Fricasseed, 54 Rice, 79 Rye Bread, 114

Soup, Turtle, 21 Scotch Haggis, 41 Scotch Collops, 44 Salmis of Wild Duck, 47 Stewed Duck and Peas, 48 Salad, To Dress, 73 Spinach, 79 Sponge Cake, 124 Superlative Sauce, 68 Syllabub, 132 Sugar, To Clarify, 86 Suet Pudding, 103 Shrewsbury Cakes, 122

Tongues, To Pickle, for Boiling, 43 Truffles, 63 Turkey, Boiled, 50 Turkey, Devilled, 50 Turnips, 79

Venison, 35 Venison, Pasty, 36 Veal, Stewed Fillet, 45 Veal, Stuffing for, 60 Vol au Vent, 61 Vegetables, 72

Woodcocks, 57 Whipped Cream, 109

Yorkshire Pudding, 102 Yeast, 112



Transcriber's Note

The following typographical errors have been fixed:

Page Error 44 stew the liver changed to sew the liver Footnote 56-* leur foie.' changed to leur foie." 74 KING changed to KING. 77 uncover the soucepan changed to uncover the saucepan 126 to night changed to tonight

Inconsistently spelled words

Cawthorn / Cawthorne fryingpan / frying-pan lemon juice / lemon-juice pates / pates peppercorns / pepper-corns stewpan / stew-pan

THE END