Take Oysters and wash them cleane in their own Liquor, and let them settle, then strain it, and put your Oysters to it with a little Mace and whole pepper, as much Salt as you please, and a little Wine-Vinegar, then set them over the fire, and let them boyle leisurely till they are pretty tender; be sure to skim them still as the skim riseth; when they are enough, take them out till the Pickle be cold, then put them into any pot that will lye close, they will keep best in Caper barrels, they will keep very well six weeks.
To boyle Cream with Codlings.
Take a quart of Cream and boyle it with some Mace and Sugar, and take two yolks of Eggs, and beat them well with a spoonfull of Rose-water and a grain of Amber-greece, then put it into the Cream with a piece of sweet Butter as big as a Wall-nut, and stir it together over the fire untill it be ready to boyle, then set it some time to coole, stirring it continually till it be cold; then take a quarter of a pound of Codlings strained, and put them into a silver Dish over a few coales till they be almost dry, and being cold, and the Cream also, poure the Cream upon them, and let them stand on a soft fire covered an hour, then serve them in.
To make the Lady Albergaveres Cheese.
To one Cheese take a Gallon of new Milk, and a pint of good Cream, and mix them well together, then take a Skillet of hot water as much as will make it hotter then it comes from the Cow, then put in a spoonfull of Rennet, and stir it well together and cover it, and when it is come, take a wet Cloth and lay it on your Cheese-Mot, and take up the Curd and not break it; and put it into your Mot; and when your Mot is full, lay on the Suiker, and every two hours turn your Cheese in wet Cloathes wrung dry; and lay on a little more wet, at night take as much salt as you can between your finger and thumb, and salt your Cheese on both sides; let them lye in Presses all night in a wet Cloth; the next day lay them on a Table between a dry Cloth, the next day lay them in Grasse, and every other day change your Grasse, they will be ready to eat in nine dayes; if you will have them ready sooner, cover them with a Blanket.
To dresse Snayles.
Take your Snayles (they are no way so as in Pottage) and wash them well in many waters, and when you have done put them in a white Earthen Pan, or a very wide Dish, and put as much water to them as will cover them, and then set your Dish or Pan on some coales, that it may heat by little and little, and then the Snayles will come out of the shells and so dye, and being dead, take them out, and wash them very well in Water and salt twice or thrice over; then put them in a Pipkin with Water and Salt, and let them boyle a little while in that, so take away the rude slime they have, then take them out againe and put them in a Cullender; then take excellent sallet Oyle and beat it a great while upon the fire in a frying Pan, and when it boyls very fast, slice two or three Onyons in it, and let them fry well, then put the Snayles in the Oyle and Onyons, and let them stew together a little, then put the Oyle, Onyons, and Snayles altogether in an earthen Pipkin of a fit size for your Snayles, and put as much warm water to them as will serve to boyle them, and make the Pottage and season them with Salt, and so let them boyle three or foure hours; then mingle Parsly, Pennyroyall, Fennell, Tyme, and such Herbs, and when they are minced put them in a Morter, and beat them as you doe for Green-sauce, and put in some crums of bread soaked in the Pottage of the Snayles, and then dissolve it all in the Morter with a little Saffron and Cloves well beaten, and put in as much Pottage into the Morter as will make the Spice and bread and Herbs like thickning for a pot, so put them all into the Snayles and let them stew in it, and when you serve them up, you may squeeze into the pottage a Lemon, and put in a little Vinegar, or if you put in a Clove of Garlick among the Herbs, and beat it with them in the Morter; it will not tast the worse; serve them up in a Dish with sippets of Bread in the bottom. The Pottage is very nourishing, and they use them that are apt to a Consumption.
To boyle a rump of Beefe after the French fashion.
Take a rump of Beef, or the little end of the Brisket, and parboyle it halfe an houre, then take it up and put it in a deep Dish, then slash it in the side that the gravy may come out, then throw a little Pepper and salt betweene every cut, then fill up the Dish with the best Claret wine, and put to it three or foure pieces of large Mace, and set it on the coales close covered, and boyle it above an houre and a halfe, but turn it often in the mean time; then with a spoon take of the fat and fill it with Claret wine, and slice six Onyons, and a handfull of Cappers or broom buds, halfe a dozen of hard Lettice sliced, three spoonfuls of wine-Vinegar and as much verjuyce, and then set it a boyling with these things in it till it be tender, and serve it up with brown Bread and Sippets fryed with butter, but be sure there be not too much fat in it when you serve it.
An excellent way of dressing Fish.