To make a _Sturgeon-_Pye; from the same.
Put to a quartern of Flour, two Pounds of Butter, and rub a third Part in; then make it into a Paste with Water, and roll the rest in at three times; then roll out your Bottom, and when it is in the Dish, lay some Butter, in pieces, upon it; and strew on that, a little Pepper and Salt. Then cut your Sturgeon in Slices cross-ways, about three quarters of an Inch thick, seasoning them with Pepper, Salt, Nutmeg and Lemon-Peel grated, till your Pye is full, and on the Top lay on Pieces of Butter; then close it, and put in, just before it goes to the Oven, some White Wine and Water; and when it is bak'd, serve it: garnish it with sliced Lemon, or Orange.
To butter Crabs, from the same, for Garnish for the foregoing Dishes, or to be served by themselves.
Take middle-siz'd Sea-Crabs; break the Claws, and pick them; then take out the Body, free from all the Films and boney Parts; mix these together with some Pepper and Salt, to your mind; and when you have heated some White Wine over the Fire, put your Mixture into it, and stir it well together, and keep it warm in a gentle Oven, till you want it for Use: and just before you use it, pour into your Mixture a little melted Butter, and stir it well in; then clean your Shells, as well as possible, in hot Water, and put in your Mixture, and serve it to the Table hot. Or this Mixture may be serv'd on a Plate, upon Sippets, with Slices of Lemon or Orange. You should fry the Sippets.
The Manner of Pickling and Drying of Sheeps Tongues, or Hogs Tongues, which they call Stags Tongues; from a celebrated Practitioner of forty Years standing in London.
The Sheeps Tongues, which are commonly bought in the London Markets, are the best, if they are the Tongues of Wethers, fed in low Lands; being the largest, as they are taken from the largest sort of Sheep: but the Tongues of all Sorts of Sheep are good enough to be worth Pickling. But there is this Difference in the Value, that one large Tongue, well cured, will sell for three Pence, while the smallest Sort, cured in the same manner, will only sell for Three Half-pence, or a Penny. These Tongues are bought in Quantities of the Carcass Butchers, about Whitechappel, and other Butchers about Town, who kill from One hundred to Six hundred Sheep in a Day, each Butcher; and they know very well how to cut out the Tongues, with all their Parts to advantage: but they are afterwards trimm'd, when we receive them, into a more regular Shape; by those who cure them. When we are about this Work, there is one thing necessary to be observ'd, especially in hot Weather, but always it is best to be done; which is, cut the fleshy Part of the Bottom of the Tongue length-ways, and you will find, towards the Root, an Artery, which as soon as 'tis cut will bleed, and joining to that is a kind of Sweet-bread; take these out, as clean as you can, without disfiguring the Tongue; otherwise the Tongues will have an ungrateful Smell, and putrify: so, that if you deal by Wholesale, they will be return'd upon your hands, or be a trouble to the Family where they are made. Wash these well, after trimming, in Salt and Water, and then salt them with common Salt, well dry'd, in an Iron Kettle; one pound to half an Ounce of Salt-Petre, or Nitre, powder'd and well mix'd. Rub them well with the Mixture, and lay them close together in a Tub, or glaz'd earthen Vessel; and, after a few Days, when they are salt enough, take them from the Pickle, and when they are a little dry, tie them by the Tips, half a dozen together; and hang them up in a Chimney, where Deal Saw-Dust is burnt, till they are smoked enough, to be cured for boiling; then boil them in their Bunches, and let them dry for Sale. But to come a quicker Way to cure these Tongues, in the Pickle, as we do generally, is to make a Brine or Pickle in the following manner; that is, take a quantity of Water, and make a Pickle of it with common Salt, boil'd till it will bear an Egg; and then put in to every Pound of Salt, half an Ounce of Nitre, or Salt-Petre; and when the Pickle is cold, throw in your Tongues: which is the quickest Way. But for drying of them, the Smoking-Closets will do perfectly well, only we have not always those Conveniencies.
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 Butter, rubbing a third part in; and make it into a Paste with Water: then roll in the rest of the Butter, at two or three times, and lay your Paste in the Dish, putting some bits of Butter, on the bottom Paste, with some Salt and Pepper, at discretion.