Take the Bag or Paunch of a Calf, and wash it, and clean it well with Water and Salt; then take some Beef-Suet, and shred it small, and shred some Apples, after they are pared and cored, very small. Then put in some Sugar, and some Spice beaten small, a little Lemon-Peel cut very fine, and a little Salt, and a good quantity of Grots, or whole Oat-meal, steep'd a Night in Milk; then mix these all together, and add as many Currans pick'd clean from the Stalks, and rubb'd in a coarse Cloth; but let them not be wash'd. And when you have all ready, mix them together, and put them into the Calf's-Bag, and tye them up, and boil them till they are enough. You may, if you will, mix up with the whole, some Eggs beaten, which will help to bind it. This is our Custom to have ready, at the opening of the Doors, on Christmas-Day in the Morning. It is esteem'd here; but all that I can say to you of it, is, that it eats somewhat like a Christmas-Pye, or is somewhat like that boil'd. I had forgot to say, that with the rest of the Ingredients, there should be some Lean of tender Beef minced small.
The Northampton-Cake.
Take a Peck of Flour, and a Pound of fine Sugar beaten well into Powder, and sifted; then add a quarter of an Ounce of Cloves, half an Ounce of Cinnamon, and a large Nutmeg, and beat them to powder; put to this some Orange-Flower-Water, or Rose-Water; then take five or six Pounds of Currans well pick'd, and rub'd dry with a coarse Cloth, but not wash'd. Put these with your Fruit, and a little Salt into the Flour; then take as much Cream as you think proper: then melt two Pounds of Butter, to mix with it, and add a Pint of Canary-Wine, and kneed it with some fresh Ale-Yeast, till it rises under your hand. Have your Oven hot before you put it in the Hoop for Baking.
Of the Baking of Fruit. From Mr. L. M.
It is to be observed, that all Fruits that are ripe require little baking, and those which are of the hardest, or most unripe Sorts, ought to have a long and gentle baking. In Pears, for example, when we have some of those, which ripen in the Autumn, they will bake with a Tart; for as they are ripe of themselves, they require very little baking, for Ripeness is one degree tending to Rottenness; and as that is done by heat gently, so the Oven brings that to a certain height, suddenly, with its safeguard of Sugar; that the Fruit comes to its full flavour, with the additional beauty, from the Sugar. It would have done a great deal by Nature itself, if the Tree had stood in a place agreeable; but much more would it be for those baking Pears, as we call them, if they had the advantage of a good Climate; one may guess then how much difference there is between one and the other. In the tough and hard Pears, one ought to bake them twice, that is, once with a little Water and Sugar, in as hot an Oven as they bake Bread in; and then put them in Pyes, and bake them over again, so will they become tender, well tasted, and of a fine colour. But be it as it will, as soon as either of these come out of the Oven, pour some Cream over them, and mix it with them, if they are to be served hot, mashing the Fruit all the while; but if they are to be served cold, then only pour some Cream over them, when they just come from the Oven, and let it remain till you serve it cold.
There is one way which is practised by some, and that is, to break the hard Pears, just when they are taken out of the Oven, in the Pye; for else the outsides, though the Rind is off, will be hard, and tough: then pour on the Cream. It is to be noted, that all ripe Apples require less baking, and less Sugar, than the hard Apples, which do not become ripe till some Months afterwards. When an Apple, or Pear, for example, is as ripe as it can be in our Climate, it will have some softness, and some sweetness in it, and therefore will require less baking, as baking is only a sort of ripening; and so on the other hand: but we are providentially provided with both Apples and Pears, which are, some ripe sooner, and some ripe later; even that by the end of July, we have some ripe, and some remain hard and sour till June. We ought be apprised of the Sorts, to take them in their several Seasons, and not to take the Winter Fruits, for baking, when we have ripe Fruits by us. Many thousand Bushels of Fruit are lost for want of this Caution.
So at any time, when you use Apples, or Pears, for Tarts, Puddings, or Sauces, let them be all of one Sort, and ripe; for, if they are ripe, or towards it, they will soon soften; and if you put two Sorts together, one will be in Pulp very soon, and the other will be hard for an Hour or two, and at length will not be soft. Memorandum, This is not to be disregarded.
To make Paste. From Mrs. Peasly.
There are many sorts of Paste made, and among them, are some which are made with Eggs, according to the old fashion; but these are always hard, when they are baked, though they will fly and crackle in the Mouth, but they taste like Sticks: while, on the other side, leave out your Eggs, and use Butter and Water only, as in the following Receipts, and your Paste will melt in the Mouth, and be agreeable to the Taste.
If you would have a sweet Paste; then take half a Pound of Butter, and rub
it into about a Pound of Flour, with two or three Ounces of double-refined
Sugar powder'd, and make it a Paste, with cold Milk, some Sack and Brandy.
This is a very good one.