A Book of Simples

by Unknown

320. To make Biskit.

Take half a pound of sugar finely beaten 7 yolkes of eggs 5 whites beat ye sugar and eggs together an hour then having your oven ready put in five ounces of flour and a spoonfull of carraway seeds stir it to mingle all well together then have paper ready cut and put a spoonfull on every paper and so fast as you can hasten to the oven they will soon be baked if y^r oven be hot as for manchet.

321. To make Cheese Cakes.

Take new milk cheese when it is well pressed and work it with your hand till it be like pulpe then work it with some cold butter and put in 6 yolkes and 2 whites some plumpt currants season it with nutmeg cinnamon & Sugar and so make them up in very good paste.

322. To make Almond Loaves.

Take a pot of milk and put so much runnet to it as will make a fine tender curd then drain it very dry then take the yolks of 6 eggs a spoonfull of rosewater 3 or 4 spoonfulls of cream 3 spoonfulls of flour and 2 of grated bread So season it with Salt Sugar and nutmeg then being well mingled, make them like loaves and bake them in wooden dishes and bake them very quick or else they will flat when you serve them then let their sauce be rosewater butter and sugar.

323. Mrs Daniells Re^ct to make White Metheglin.

To every 3 gallons of water put one gallon of honey seeth the same on a moderate fire till the third part be consumed scumming it clear stiring it with a Scummer now and then to raise the honey from the bottom wⁿ its sodden enough it will be clear in boyling by which you may know it is boyled suffitiently then put it into a sweet vessel to every 3 gallons so boyl’d and clear’d put one quart of good ale barme the next day draw y^e same liquor into another vessel leaving the grounds in the bottom & then put new barme the same quantity after it’s again thus purified and so let it rest in the vessel puting in your bag of spices. The Lady Downs adds Sweet marjerom, rosemary pennyroyall, violets, sweet bryer tops, fennell balme tops lavender tops and time the best of seeds corriander carraway and anyseeds, of spices ginger nutmegs cloves and mace the spices and seeds to hang in a bag in the barrell, these herbs and spices to the quantity of 8 gallons half an ounce or better of each. But with this addition twill not be so white.

324. Another of Hers to make White Metheglin.

To 12 gallons of water you must take rosemary half a handfull broad time, sweet marjerrom, egremony, harts tongue burrage buglace of each one handfull of violet flowers 2 handfulls of jillie flowers one handfull anyseeds corriander carraway parsley seeds of each one ounce well bruised w^ch with the seeds boyle the herbs in the water till it comes to 10 gallons then strain it out and let it coole a little put in your honey good hive honey and stir it together ading so much liquor as will bear an egg to the breadth of 6 pence then take the liquor and put it over ye fire and boyle it a little but scumme it very well, then make it cold and put a little fresh ale barme into it then put it into a barrel & when it hath done working put in a little bag of such spices as you please with a small quantity of musk.