A queens delight

by Anonymous

Touching Marmalets, and Quiddony, as followeth.

To make Marmalet of Damsins.

Take two quarts of Damsins that be through ripe, and pare off the skin of three pints of them, then put them into an earthen Pipkin, those with the skins undermost then set the Pipkin into a pot of seething water, and let the water seethe apace untill the Damsins be tender. Cover the Pipkin close, that no water gets into them, and when they are tender, put them out into an earthen pan, and take out all the stones and skins, and weigh them, and take the weight with hard sugar, then break the sugar fine, and put it into the Damsins, then set it on the fire, and make it boil apace till it will come from the bottome of the skillet, then take it up, and put it into a glass but scum it clear in the boiling.

To make white Marmalet of Quinces.

Take unpared Quinces, and boil them whole in fair water, peel them and take all the pap from the core, to every pound thereof add three quarters of a pound of Sugar, boil it well till it comes well from the pans bottom, then put it into boxes.

To make Marmalet of any tender Plum.

Take your Plums, & boil them between two dishes on a Chafing dish of coals, then strain it, and take as much Sugar as the Pulp doth weigh, and put to it as much Rose-water, and fair water as will melt it, that is, half a pint of water to a pound of Sugar, and so boil it to a Candy height, then put the pulp into hot sugar, with the pap of a roasted apple. In like manner you must put roasted apples to make Past Royal of it, or else it will be tough in the drying.

To make Orange Marmalet.

Take Oranges, pare them as thin as you can; boil them in four several waters, let them be very soft before you take them out, then take two quarts of Spring-water, put thereto twenty Pippins pared, quartered, and coared, let them boil till all the vertue be out, take heed they do not lose the colour; then strain them, put to every pint of water a pound of sugar, boil it almost to a Candy-height, then take out all the meat out of the Oranges, slice the peel in long slits as thin as you can, then put in your peel with the juyce of two Lemmons, and one half Orange, then boil it to a Candy.

To make Quiddony of Pippins of Ruby or any Amber colour.

Take Pippins, and cut them in quarters, and pare them, and boil them with as much fair water as will cover them, till they be tender, and sunk into the water, then strain all the liquor from the Pulp, then take a pint of that liquor, and half a pound of Sugar, and boil it till it be a quaking gelly on the back of a spoon; so then pour it on your moulds, being taken out of fair water; then being cold turn them on a wet trencher, and so slide them into the boxes, and if you would have it ruddy colour, then boil it leasurely close covered, till it be as red as Claret Wine, so may you conceive, the difference is in the boiling of it; remember to boil your Quinces in Apple-water as you do your Plums.

To make Quiddony of all kind of Plums.

Take your Apple-water, and boil the Plums in it till it be red as Claret Wine, and when you have made it strong of the Plums, put to every pint half a pound of Sugar, and so boil it till a drop of it hang on the back of a spoon like a quaking gelly. If you will have it of an Amber colour, then boil it with a quick fire, that is all the difference of the colouring of it.

To make Marmalet of Oranges, or Orange Cakes, &c.

Take the yellowest and fairest Oranges, and water them three days, shifting the water twice a day, pare them as thin as you possible can, boil them in a water changed five or six times, until the bitterness of the Orange be boiled out, those that you preserve must be cut in halves, but those for Marmalet must be boiled whole, let them be very tender, and slice them very thin on a Trencher, taking out the seeds and long strings, and with a Knife make it as fine as the Pap of an Apple; then weigh your Pap of Oranges, and to a pound of it, take a pound and a half of sugar; then you must have Pippins boiled ready in a skillet of fair water, and take the pap of them made fine on a Trencher, and the strings taken out, (but take not half so much Pippins as Oranges) then take the weight of it in sugar, and mix it both together in a Silver or Earthen Dish; and set it on the coals to dry the water out of it, (as you do with Quince Marmalet) when your sugar is Candy height, put in your stuff, and boil it till you think it stiff enough, stirring it continually: if you please you may put a little Musk in it.