Baronial 12th Night - Garbage - stewed chicken offal (hearts, gizzards, livers, feet, neck) Harl. MS 279, 1430

         

Fryer chickens went on sale ($.68/pound) right after Thanksgiving. I purchased 16 of them and much to my surprise on the day I was butterflying them I discovered that they came complete with neck, gizzards, liver and heart. Joy! A "found dish" within the already purchased ingredients that I could offer at the event for those brave enough to try it. I did purchase (on sale) an additional package of livers, gizzards and hearts, and chicken feet.

I have to chuckle because at this particular event, the diner's got to enjoy mortis (mortrews), entrails (trayne roast), compost (pickled vegetables) and garbage (offal) all while being entertained with a boar's head. I'm not sure if anyone else realized it or if I have just let the cat out of the bag, but 12th night had a bit of an accidental darker theme going on :-D

xvij - Garbage. Take fayre garbagys of chykonys, as the hed, the fete, the lyuerys, an the gysowrys; washe hem clene, an caste hem in a fayre potte, an caste ther-to freysshe brothe of Beef or ellys of moton, an let it boyle; an a-lye it wyth brede, an ley on Pepir an Safroun, Maces, Clowys, an a lytil verious an salt, an serue forth in the maner as a Sewe.

17 - Garbage - Take fair garbage of chickens, as the head, the feet, the liver, and the gizzard; wash them clean, and caste them in a fair pot, and caste there-to fresh broth of beef or else of mutton, and let it boil; and mix it with bread, and lay on pepper and saffron, mace, cloves, and a little verjuice and salt, and serve forth in the manner as a stew

Garbage - stewed chicken offal (hearts, gizzards, livers, feet, neck) Harl. MS 279, 1430

1 1/2-2 pounds of chicken offal
1 c. beef broth
2 tbsp. bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. pepper (I used my pepper mix which is made from black pepper, cubebs, long peppers and grains of paradise)
pinch of saffron
1 tsp. mace
1/4 tsp. clove
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt

Clean your offal; this means rinsing away blood, cutting gizzards in half and removing anything you find inside of them (it's part of the digestive system and you -don't- want to eat that!), trim away the lining of the gizzard, trimming fat, green parts and membranes from the livers, remove connective tissue from hearts, wash the feet, peel if you want (I didn't), clip the toes if you want (I didn't). Make sure that you clean and sanitize your work surface after. Offal is delicious but it does carry a higher risk of contamination.

Place all ingredients in a pot, bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer and cook until tender. I have to confess that I treated the garbage like I treat a stock and simmered this for about six hours after which I served. What I discovered is the livers mostly disappear, they cook away to almost nothing, flavoring the broth.

Those who tried it loved it, and someone took home the left overs. If rumor is true, chicken feet were a much sought after commodity.

Baronial 12th Night - Brawn with Mustard- Pork with Mustard The good husvvifes ievvell, 1587

Brawn with Mustard- pork with mustard The good husvvifes ievvell, 1587

To sowce a Pigge. TAke white Wine and a litle sweete broth, and halfe a score Nutmegs cut in quarters, then take Rosemarie, Baies,Time, and sweete margerum, and let them boyle altogether, skum them verie cleane, and when they be boyled, put them into an earthen pan, and the syrop also, and when yee serue them, a quarter in a dish, and the Bayes, and nutmegs on the top.

To Souse (pickle) a Pig. - Take white wine and a little sweet broth, and half a score nutmegs cut in quarters, then take rosemary, bay, thyme and sweet marjoram, and let them boil together, and skim them verie clean, and when they are boiled, put them into an earthen pan, and the syrup also, and when you serve them, a quarter in a dish, and the bay and nutmeg on the top. 

Interesting note: A score is 20, so the recipe above called for ten quartered nutmegs!

To Pickle Pork

2 cups water
1 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup kosher salt
2 tbsp. sugar

I combined a couple of different recipes to create the pork dish that I served. Because I knew I wasn't going to use the wine I prepared a brine to pickle the pork before cooking it. I created a very basic brine by heating all of the ingredients below, adding about a cup full of ice to quickly cool it and then putting it and the pork which I had sliced into pieces into ziplock bags and placing them in the fridge for about 24 hours. This created a very light pickle on the pork. I have also done this in the past using a combination of the spices called for David Friedman's "Lord's Salt" recipe (it's delicious).

Brawn with Mustard

1 ½ to 2 pounds pork (I used shoulder roast with bone in)
2 cups dry white wine (I subbed chicken stock and ginger ale)
Fresh Rosemary, thyme and marjoram (ok, another confession--I used a 3/4 ounce package of thyme, rosemary and parsley mix, putting the parsley in the beef, and the rosemary and thyme in the pork and then added about 2 tsp. dried marjoram)
4 fresh bay leaves
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 ½ tsp. salt

Rinse the pork very well after you have brined it. Place the pork in the pot with the remainder of the ingredients. You may even wish to forego the salt because the pork should be plenty salty already, and cook until tender. I froze this and then thawed and warmed it the day of the event, and serve it with my favorite mustard (slightly out of period).

To Make Mustard of Dijon The Accomplisht Cook, Robert May

The seed being cleansed, stamp it in a mortar, with vinegar and honey, then take eight ounces of seed, two ounces of cinnamon, two of hone, and vinegar as much will serve, good mustard not too think, and keep it close covered in little oyster barrels.

To Make Mustard

1 cup mustard seeds
1 ½ cups mustard powder
¼ cup cinnamon
¼ cup honey
½ cup vinegar
1 ½ cups water

Grind the mustard seeds for a few seconds in a spice or coffee grinder, or by hand if you wish using a mortar and pestle just enough to crack. Pour the seeds, mustard powder, honey and cinnamon into a bowl and then add cold vinegar and water. Wait at least 12 hours before using.

What I have learned with this particular mustard is that you really need to make it long before you plan to serve it. The longer it sits, the better it gets, so this is one of the first things I made for the event after I made the sugar candies. It sat for about two weeks prior to the event in my fridge with a post-it note advising anyone who thought about using it they would be in trouble. To be honest, I've made it once and have since purchased stone ground mustard and a whole grain mustard and mixed them together, adding the honey and the cinnamon to them.

Baronial 12th Night - Beef-y-stewed –Stewed Beef Harl. MS 279, 1430

              

 

.vj. Beef y-Stywyd.—Take fayre beef of þe rybbys of þe fore quarterys, an smyte in fayre pecys, an wasche þe beef in-to a fayre potte; þan take þe water þat þe beef was soþin yn, an strayne it þorw a straynowr, an sethe þe same water and beef in a potte, an let hem boyle to-gederys; þan take canel, clowes, maces, graynys of parise, quibibes, and oynons y-mynced, perceli, an sawge, an caste þer-to, an let hem boyle to-gederys; an þan take a lof of brede, an stepe it with brothe an venegre, an þan draw it þorw a straynoure, and let it be stylle; an whan it is nere y-now, caste þe lycour þer-to, but nowt to moche, an þan let boyle onys, an cast safroun þer-to a quantyte; þan take salt an venegre, and cast þer-to, an loke þat it be poynaunt y-now, & serue forth.

6. Beef Stewed - Take fair beef of the ribs of the fore quarters, and chop (smite) in fair pieces, and wash the beef into a fair pot; then take the water that the beef was washed (sothin) in, and strain it through a strainer, and set the same water and beef in a pot, and let them boil together; then take cinnamon, cloves, mace, grains of paradise, cubebs, and onions minced, parsley and sage, and cast thereto and let them boil together; and then take a loaf of bread, and steep it with broth and vinegar, and then draw it through a strainer, and let it be still; and when it is near enough, cast the liquor thereto, but not too much, and then let boil once, and cast saffron thereto a quantity; then take salt and vinegar and cast thereto, and look that it be sharp (sour) enough, and serve forth.

To Make Stock

Making your own stocks are very cost effective for feasts, so save your bones and your scraps of veggies! Just toss them in a ziplock bag in the freezer until you have enough to make a good stock. Make your stock and can or freeze until needed.

There are two separate ways to make stock. The first is on the stove top/slow cooker and the second is in your oven. I made the chicken and pork stock on the stove top and the beef stock in the oven. For any stock you will need: bones (preferably some with meat) if you are making a meat based stock, vegetables, aromatics, water and time--lots and lots of time.

A good stock will -always- start with cold water. During the initial boiling of the stock--skim, skim, skim. You want to remove any and all impurities that come to the surface. After the initial boiling, lower your temperature to a simmer and *never, ever!* stir the stock. Your stock should be clear and richly colored. A really good meat stock will convert to a gelatin when cold. This happens because the collagin in the bones dissolves which can only happen during a very long simmering process. If you are in a hurry, you can make a good broth, but you cannot make a good stock. A good stock has a deep, well developed flavor that is imparted through the aromatics and vegetables. I prefer to roast my bones before making any meat stock which adds an additional flavor component. If you are making a vegetable stock be sure to include mushrooms, tomatoes (if not cooking period), nori etc.--do not skip this. These vegetables create "umami", a savory or meaty flavor to your stock which is very much needed in vegetable stock.

To make the beef stock for the beef y-stewed I coated approximately 4 pounds of bones with a little bit of oil, salt and pepper and roasted in a 400 degree oven until they were brown. I used rib bones that I found on sale, along with a handful of marrow bones in addition to bones I had saved up.

My basic veggie blend for any stock includes a couple of carrots, celery and onions. I also use parsley, rosemary, thyme, bay and black pepper to the stock. If I have it, I add garlic. Wash your vegetables, roughly chop and make a bed of them for your roasted bones. A good rule of thumb to remember is that for every pound of bones you will need approximately 2 quarts of water. When making stock, be sure that the bones are covered by at least an inch. Add your aromatics, bring to a boil, skim off the scum and then lower the heat and simmer. Simmer times vary but I prefer about five hours for most stocks. Use your best judgment. If you are going to cook your stock in the oven, turn the heat down to about 275 degrees and let simmer over night.

Once you have finished cooking your stock, strain it at least once to make sure that you are removing all the bits. I do this by lining a wire strainer with a piece of muslin and pouring the stock through it. Allow your stock to cool overnight. Once my stock has cooled I remove the fat, reheat and strain it once again just to make sure that it is very clear.

.vj. Beef y-Stywyd.—Take fayre beef of þe rybbys of þe fore quarterys, an smyte in fayre pecys, an wasche þe beef in-to a fayre potte; þan take þe water þat þe beef was soþin yn, an strayne it þorw a straynowr, an sethe þe same water and beef in a potte, an let hem boyle to-gederys; þan take canel, clowes, maces, graynys of parise, quibibes, and oynons y-mynced, perceli, an sawge, an caste þer-to, an let hem boyle to-gederys; an þan take a lof of brede, an stepe it with brothe an venegre, an þan draw it þorw a straynoure, and let it be stylle; an whan it is nere y-now, caste þe lycour þer-to, but nowt to moche, an þan let boyle onys, an cast safroun þer-to a quantyte; þan take salt an venegre, and cast þer-to, an loke þat it be poynaunt y-now, & serue forth.


6. Beef Stewed - Take fair beef of the ribs of the fore quarters, and chop (smite) in fair pieces, and wash the beef into a fair pot; then take the water that the beef was washed (sothin) in, and strain it through a strainer, and set the same water and beef in a pot, and let them boil together; then take cinnamon, cloves, mace, grains of paradise, cubebs, and onions minced, parsley and sage, and cast thereto and let them boil together; and then take a loaf of bread, and steep it with broth and vinegar, and then draw it through a strainer, and let it be still; and when it is near enough, cast the liquor thereto, but not too much, and then let boil once, and cast saffron thereto a quantity; then take salt and vinegar and cast thereto, and look that it be sharp (sour) enough, and serve forth.


Beef-y-stewed –stewed beef Harl. MS 279, 1430

2 pounds stew beef
6 cups stock (you can sub plain water, water w/beef bouillon cubes, or broth)
1/2 tsp. each cinnamon and mace
1/4 tsp. each clove, cubebs and grains of paradise
1 bag pearl onions, or, one medium onion sliced
1 tbsp. parsley
1/2 tbsp. dried sage
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
pinch of saffron
1 tsp. salt or to taste
1/4 tsp. pepper or poudre forte
1/2 to 1 cup breadcrumbs depending on preference

Place onions in a pot and bring to a boil, let them cook approximately five minutes or until they start to become transparent and then drain. Place remainder of ingredients with the exception of the bread crumbs into your pot along with your onions and cook until the beef is tender, approximately an hour. Spoon out about 2 cups of broth, add them to your bread crumbs (I have a confession to make, I honestly have no idea how much broth I added to the bread crumbs, I wanted to make it juicy enough--so 2 cups is a guess), place in the food processor and pulse or grind until you make a slurry. Return this mixture back to your stew and cook until mixture has thickened.

As an alternative and in deference to modern tastes, you could flour and season your beef ahead of time and cook in oil before stewing.

Baronial 12th Night Recipes - Rastons Harl. MS 279, 1430

Rastons? Is it a bread or a pastry? My most educated guess is "yes"-- all breads are a kind of pastry, but not all pastries are bread.  There have been several very lively discussions about this particular bit of history and whether or not the end product constitutes a pastry or a bread. 

This particular recipe takes flour and eggs, mixes it with a leavening agent ( þan take Warme Berme), and then instructs you to let it rest ( & þenne lat reste a whyle), the end result being a product that is not unlike modern day bread. 

I will leave it to you to continue the debate. 

Rastons Harl. MS 279, 1430 

.xxv. Rastons.—Take fayre Flowre, & þe whyte of Eyroun, & þe ȝolke, a lytel; þan take Warme Berme, & putte al þes to-gederys, & bete hem to-gederys with þin hond tyl it be schort & þikke y-now, & caste Sugre y-now þer-to, & þenne lat reste a whyle; þan kaste in a fayre place in þe oven, & late bake y-now; & þen with a knyf cutte yt round a-boue in maner of a crowne, & kepe þe cruste þat þou kyttyst; & þan pyke al þe cromys withynne to-gederys, an pike hem smal with þin knyf, & saue þe sydys & al þe cruste hole with-owte; & þan caste þer-in clarifiyd Boter, & Mille*. [melle A. (mix). ] þe cromeȝ & þe botere to-gedereȝ, & keuere it a-ȝen with þe cruste, þat þou kyttest a-way; þan putte it in þe ovyn aȝen a lytil tyme; & þan take it out, & serue it fortℏ.

25. Rastons- take fair flour, and the white of eggs, and the yolk, a little; then take Warm Barm, and put all these together, and beat them thereto, and then let rest a while: then caste in a fair place in the oven, and let bake enough: and then with a knife cut it round above in the manner of a crown, and keep the crust that thou cut; & then pick all the crumbs within together, and pick them small with thine knife, and save the sides and all the crust whole without; and then cast therein clarified butter and mix the crumbs and butter together, and cover it again with the crust, that thou cuttest away; then put in the oven again a little time; and then take it out and serve it forth.

Rastons

1 cup lukewarm milk

1 cup lukewarm water

1 egg beaten
1 tbsp. sugar

1 1/2 tbsp. Yeast (not quick acting)

Bread Flour

This recipe creates a great loaf of bread that can be frozen. I replaced the ale called for in the original recipe with milk and water. I also chose to use unbleached bread flour instead of a mixture of white/wheat I had used previously. I had originally meant to freeze the dough and cook the bread on site day of. Research indicated that in order to freeze dough you needed to increase the amount of yeast to compensate for the yeast that would die during the freezing process, so I also increased the amount of yeast. Also, due to a bought of "foggy head syndrome" I forgot to add the salt to the tweaked recipe, ergo, no salt. If you prefer sweeter bread, no salt is needed, however, if you prefer your bread not so sweet, be sure to add salt to the dough.

I wish I had gotten pictures of this bread--it was beautiful. The recipe above creates two round loaves of soft crusted bread with a good crumb.

Heat milk and water to just above body temperature. While your water and milk are heating mix yeast and sugar with 1 cup flour. Beat egg. Add the warmed water and milk to the flour and yeast and then add beaten egg. Cover and set aside at least 20 minutes. When you return the sponge should be frothy and bubbly.

Slowly add in flour until a soft dough is formed. Shape the dough into rounds and place on your baking sheet. I usually use a little bit of oil to stick parchment paper to the pan, and then dust with a handful of flour so the bread does not stick. Cover the loaves and allow to sit until doubled in size. Spray the loaves with cooking spray if you want a browner crust, otherwise, place into a 400 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes. Or until crust is golden and bread sounds hollow when thumped.


At this point you can freeze the loaf or serve. If you wish to serve according to the instructions, cut off the top of the loaf and scoop out the crumb, like you would if you were creating a bread bowl. Mince the crumb of the bread, mix with clarified butter, replace the top and set the loaf back into the oven for several minutes before serving.

Baronial 12th Night - Let Lardes – hard custard flavored with herbs cooked in bacon grease Harl. MS 4016, 1450

Delicious appetizers on the table featuring black olives, let lardes, capers, mortrews of pork & chicken, green olives, caperberries and mortrews of fish

Let Lardes – hard custard flavored with herbs cooked in bacon grease Harl. MS 4016, 1450

Letlardes. - Take mylke scalding hote; And take eyren̄, the yolkes and the white, and drawe hem thorgh a streynour, and caste to þe mylke; And þen̄ drawe þe iuce of herbes, whicℏ that þou wiƚƚ, so þat þey ben̄ goode, and drawe hem thorgh a streynour. And whan̄ the mylke bigynnetℏ to crudde, caste þe Iuce thereto, if þou wilt haue it grene; And if þou wilt haue it rede, take Saundres, and cast to þe mylke whan̄ it croddeth, and leue þe herbes; And if þou wilt haue hit yelowe, take Saffron̄, and caste to þe mylke whan̄ hit cruddetℏ, and leve þe Saundres; And if þou wilt haue it of al þes colours, take a potte with mylke & Iuse of herbes, and anoþer potte witℏ mylke and saffron̄; And anoþer [folio 18b.] potte with mylke and saundres, and put hem al in a lynnen̄ cloþe, and presse hem al togidur; And if þou wilt haue it of one colour, take but one clotℏ,*. [Douce MS. of these. ] and streyne it in a clotℏ in þe same maner, and bete on̄ þe clothe witℏ a ladeƚƚ or a Skymour, to make sad or*. [Douce MS. and.] flatte; and leche it faire with a knyfe, and fry the leches in a pan̄ witℏ a lituƚƚ fressℏ grece; And take a lituƚƚ, and put hit in a dissℏ, and serue it forth.

.xxix. Milke Rostys.—Take swete Mylke, an do it in a panne; take Eyroun with alle þe whyte, & swenge hem, & caste þer-to; colour it with Safroun, & boyle it so þat it wexe þikke; þan draw it þorw a straynoure, & nym that leuyth,*. [Take what remains. ] & presse it: & whan it is cold, larde it, & schere on schevres,*. [Shivers; thin strips. ] & roste it on a Gredelle, & serue forth [supplied by ed.] .

Let Lardes

2 cups whole milk
3 eggs beaten
bacon fat or lard or butter
opt: saffron (to color yellow), fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary, parsley etc.)

Heat milk to scalding in a double broiler, or directly on the stove being careful not to burn. Add your coloring agents or herbs at this point. I added saffron. Beat the eggs and add them all at once to the hot milk. Stir and heat until mixture begins to boil, reduce heat and continue to stir until all of the curd has separated from the whey (liquid will appear watery). Remove the pot from the heat and allow to cool.

Line a large strainer with cheesecloth (I use muslin) and strain the curds overnight if possible, otherwise till dripping has stopped. Press on your curds to try to make them as dry as possible. Weight your curds, overnight if possible, if not for several hours. Slice into 1/4" slices.

Heat the bacon fat (butter or lard) in a frying pan and fry the slices until browned on both sides. Serve hot.

Note: I served these at room temperature and they were delicious. In deference to modern taste I sprinkled with a little bit of salt.

Mortrews of Pork & Chicken and Mortrews of Fish - Baronial 12th Night Recipes

Delicious appetizers on the table featuring black olives, let lardes, capers, mortrews of pork & chicken, green olives, caperberries and mortrews of fish

Mortrews of Pork & Chicken and Mortrews of Fish - an early form of pate Harl. MS 279, 1430

I did make a few changes from the original post (Mortrews of Chicken & Pork and Fish). In deference to modern tastes I added additional spicing to both of the Mortrews, and smoked the fish for the Mortrews of fish. Lastly I subbed broth for the ale in the Mortrews of pork and chicken, and whole milk for the almond milk in the Mortrews of Fish.

.xliiij. Mortrewys de Fleyssh.—Take Porke, an seþe it wyl; þanne take it vppe and pulle a-way þe Swerde,*. [Rind, skin. ] an pyke owt þe bonys, an hakke it and grynd it smal; þenne take þe sylf brothe, & temper it with ale; þen take fayre gratyd brede, & do þer-to, an seþe it, an coloure it with Saffroun, & lye it with ȝolkys of eyroun, & make it euen Salt, & caste pouder Gyngere, a-bouyn on þe dysshe.

xliiij - Mortrewys de Fleyssh. Take Porke, an sethe it wyl; thanne take it vppe and pulle a-way the Swerde, (Note: Rind, skin) an pyke owt the bonys, an hakke it and grynd it smal; thenne take the sylf brothe, and temper it with ale; then take fayre gratyd brede, and do ther-to, an sethe it, an coloure it with Saffroun, and lye it with 3olkys of eyroun, and make it euen Salt, and caste pouder Gyngere, a-bouyn on the dysshe.

44. Mortrews of Flesh - Take pork, and cook it well; then take it up and pull away the skin, and pick out the bones and hack it and grind it small; then take the self broth (the same broth you cooked it in, and temper it with ale; then take fair grated bread, and do thereto, and cook it, and color it with saffron, and mix it with yolks of eggs, and make it even salt, and caste powder ginger, above on the dish.

Mortrews of Pork and Chicken

2 ½ pounds pork shoulder
1 pound bone in, skin on chicken (I used chicken leg quarters)
½ pound bacon ends and pieces
Pinch of Saffron
1 tbsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. ground mustard
¾ tsp. ground pepper
½ tsp. fine spices
1/3 cup broth
1 egg beaten
1/3 cup dried bread crumbs
Opt. ½ tsp. fresh thyme

Dried Cherries to decorate

Boil chicken, pork and bacon together with just enough broth to cover until tender. Remove from heat and allow to cool overnight. Remove meat from the broth and set broth aside to reserve for later. Clean the meat being sure to pick off skin, bones, fat and gristle. Place meat into a blender and grind coarsely, adding broth if needed.

Please note: the boiled bacon is not that appetizing when cold, so feel free to remove it as well-- I did!


After meat has been ground add spices and place into a pot. Beat eggs and pour over bread crumbs, add enough broth to make bread wet and blend the egg and bread mixture until it becomes a smooth past. Add bread mixture to the meat, and cook, stirring constantly until it thickens into custard like consistency. Put into molds and serve. Optional, decorate with thyme and dried cherries.

How to Brine Fish

1 quart water
1/4 cup kosher salt
2 tbsp. sugar or brown sugar

Mix together water, salt and sugar. You can add additional flavorings or spices if you choose at this point. Add meat making sure that the meat is covered completely with the brine. Soak for a minimum of 1 hour or overnight. For every pound of meat, you will need 1 quart of brine.

How to Smoke Fish

Smoked fish is delicious and I wanted to smoke the fish in the Mortrews of Fish because while delicious, the dish is a bit bland. I used cherry wood to smoke the fish, but you could also use alder, apple or any sweet, mild wood. There are two methods to smoke food; cold smoking and hot smoking.

Cold smoking is done at temperatures below 130 degrees Fahrenheit for several hours to several days. This adds smoke flavoring to your food but does not cook it. Also note--this does put your food into the "danger zone" for food safety and can create an environment for harmful bacteria (botulism and listeria) to rapidly grow. I cannot stress enough how careful you must be when cold smoking. I recognize that many people do it successfully (I do), but I would not use this method for an event.

Interesting fact-- Botulus (from which we derive botulism) is the Latin word for...sausage...hmmmsss

This is why I chose to hot smoke the fish for the event. Hot smoking not only imparts flavor it cooks and dries the food as well, which is why it is important to *brine* your food before smoking. Even after brining my poor fish was more like fish jerky then the delicate flakes I wanted. BUT--easily worked with by soaking overnight in stock, and being mixed 50/50 with unsmoked fish. I digress.

Fattier fish are better for smoking, whole fish or skin on fish before skinless, boneless fillets. Remember this. You will want to brine your fish at a minimum of 15 minutes per pound before smoking. Also, you might want to soak some of the wood that you are using for smoking and heat the smoker a bit with it before adding your fish. I used an electric smoker and fell in love. It is now on my wish list, but any smoker will work (even your oven if you are in a pinch). Some sights recommend heating the fish at approximately 150 degrees for two hours and then turning the temperature up to 200 degrees to complete the process. I went full in at 200 degrees and the cod had PLENTY of flavor.

.xliij. Mortrewes of Fysshe.—Take Gornard or Congere, a-fore þe navel wyth þe grece (for be-hynde þe navel he is hery*. [Hairy. ] of bonys), or Codlyng, þe lyuer an þe Spaune, an sethe it y-now in fayre Water, and pyke owt þe bonys, and grynde þe fysshe in a Morter, an temper it vp wyth Almaunde Mylke, an caste þer-to gratyd brede; þan take yt vp, an put it on a fayre potte, an let boyle; þan caste þer-to Sugre and Salt, an serue it forth as other Mortrewys. And loke þat þow caste Gyngere y-now a-boue.

xliij - Mortrewes of Fysshe. Take Gornard or Congere, a-fore the navel wyth the grece (for be-hynde the navel he is hery (Note: Hairy) of bonys), or Codlyng, the lyuer an the Spaune, an sethe it y-now in fayre Water, and pyke owt the bonys, and grynde the fysshe in a Morter, an temper it vp wyth Almaunde Mylke, an caste ther-to gratyd brede; than take yt vp, an put it on a fayre potte, an let boyle; than caste ther-to Sugre and Salt, an serue it forth as other Mortrewys. And loke that thow caste Gyngere y-now a-boue.

43 - Mortrews of Fish - Take gurnard, or conger (eel), before the navel with the grease (for behind the navel he is hairy of bones), or codling (an inferior for of cod), the liver and the eggs, and cook it enough in fair water, and pick out the bones, and grind the fish in a mortar, and temper it up with almond milk, and cast there-to grated bread; then take it up and put it on a fair pot, and let boil; then cast thereto sugar and salt, and serve it fort as other motrews. And look that you caste ginger enough above.


Motrews of Fish

2-3 pounds smoked fish (I used cod)
1 1/2 cups whole milk (can sub creme fraiche or sour cream)
2 cups fish stock (can sub chicken or pork broth)
1/2 to 1 cup bread crumbs
1 ½ tbsp. salt
3/4 tbsp. sugar
Opt. Garnish with vinegar and boiled shrimps, 1 tbsp. tarragon, 1/2 tsp. lemon juice, 1/2 tsp. ground pepper

Once again I used frozen cod (almost all fish we get are frozen or prohibitively expensive if fresh). I brined the fish I was smoking overnight, then dried it off and put it in the smoker for approximately an hour and a half to two hours. The thinner parts of the fish were, as stated previously, like fish jerky. I soaked the fish in broth overnight. The next day I boiled the remainder of the fish and coarsely ground the two together. Returned to the pot, added the bread crumbs, salt, sugar, tarragon, lemon juice and ground pepper and the milk and cooked till thickened.

When serving I garnished with boiled shrimps.

Trayne Roste-Harleian MS 4016 ~1450 - Mock Entrails

Trayne Roste-Harleian MS 4016 ~1450

Trayne roste. [supplied by ed.] *. [Douce MS.] ¶ Take Dates and figges, and kutte hem in a peny brede; And þen̄ take grete reysons and blanched almondes, and prik hem thorgh with a nedel into a threde of a mannys lengtℏ, and one of one frute and a-noþer of a-noþer frute; and þen̄ bynde the threde with the frute A-bought a rownde spete, endelonge þe spete, in maner of an hasselet; And then̄ take a quarte of wyne or Ale, and fyne floure,*. [D. MS.; sugur, Harl. ] And make batur thereof, and cast thereto pouder ginger, sugur, & saffron̄,*. [Douce MS. ] pouder of Clowes, salt; And make þe batur not fully rennyng, and noþer stonding, but in þe mene, that hit may cleue, and than rost the*. ["than rost the": D. MS.; that rost, Harl. ] treyne abougℏt the fire in þe spete; And þen̄ cast the batur on̄ the treyne as he turnetℏ abought [supplied by ed.] the fire, so longe til þe frute be hidde in the batur; as þou castest þe batur there-on, hold a vesseƚƚ vndere-nethe, for*. [against, to stop. ] spilling of þe batur/ And whan hit is y-rosted weƚƚ, hit wol seme a hasselet; And then̄ take hit vppe fro þe spit al hole, And kut hit in faire peces of a Span̄ lengtℏ, And serue [supplied by ed.] *. [Douce MS. ] of hit a pece or two in a dissℏ al hote.


Trayne Roste [Supplied by ed.]( [Douce MS.] Take dates and figs, and cut them in a penny bread; and then take great raisins and blaunched almonds, and prick them through with a needle into a thread of a man's length, and one of fruit and a nother of another fruit; and then bind the thread with the fruit about a round spit, along the spit, in manner of an hasselet; and then take a quarte of wine or ale, and fine flour, and make batter thereof, and caste thereto powder ginger, sugar and saffron, powder of cloves, salt; and make the batter not fully running and not standing, but in the mean (middle) that it may cleve, and then rost the treyne abought the fire in the spit; and then cast the batter on the treyne as he turns about the fire, so long till the fruit be hidden in the batter; as you cast the batter thereon hold a vessel underneath for spilling of the batter, and when it is roasted well, hit will seem a hasselet; and then take it up from the spit al whole, and cut it in fair pieces of a span length, and serve of it a piece or two in a dish all hot.


Trayne Roste

4 pieces heavy string 18" long
1/4 cup sliced almonds, soaked in warm water
18 dried figs, halved
6 oz dates, halved
1/2 cup raisins
4 ounces apricots cut in halves
4 ounces of prunes cut in halves
1 1/2 cups oil
7 oz beer (I used seltzer water)
1 1/3 cups flour
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 ground ginger
dash of salt

Using a sharp needle, thread the dried fruits and nuts onto the strings. Alternate the fruits and nuts to achieve an uneven appearance. Set aside. Beat together beer, flour, salt and spices. Dip the strings of fruit and nuts in the batter to coat. Fry in oil over high heat one at a time. Fry until golden and drain.~ Renfrow, Cindy; Take a Thousand Eggs or More

For Pyes of Mutton or Beefe. - Mincemeat Pie (1591) and How to Render Suet

For Pyes of Mutton or Beefe.

Shred your meat and Suet togither fine, season it with cloves, mace, Pepper, and same Saffron, great Raisins, Corance and prunes, and so put it into your Pyes. ~ A Book of Cookrye Very necessary for all such as delight therin printed by Edward Allde, London 1591

How to Render Suet

I was fortunate enough to find suet at a local grocer. This was an extra step I took to add authenticity to the mince pies, but it is not a step you need to take. Suet, lard and vegetable suet are interchangeable. However, if you get the opportunity, you *should* try to make your own rendered suet, aka tallow. Why did I render it? To be quite honest, real suet is the fat around the kidneys, I had a sneaky suspicion that what I might have purchased as "suet" was not. Additionally, raw suet contains things we may not necessarily want to eat; skin, vein, blood and/or connective tissue...ick!

The process is super easy if you have a crock pot. Trim off any visible bits of meat or skin. Place your suet in the freezer. Once hardened cut your suet into blocks and process to a coarse grind. Place your ground suet into a food processor, turn on low and leave overnight. The next day you will find that the suet has rendered completely, leaving behind what is referred to as 'cracklings' which you can eat if you wish. Strain your fat (I used a coffee filter in a strainer), and allow to cool.

What you end up is tallow. THIS is what I used in the mince pies.

For Pyes of Mutton or Beefe.

Shred your meat and Suet togither fine, season it with cloves, mace, Pepper, and same Saffron, great Raisins, Corance and prunes, and so put it into your Pyes.

For Pies of Mutton or Beef

Shred your meat and suet together fine, season it with clove, mace, pepper and some saffron, great raisins, currants and prunes, and so put it into your pies.

Filling

1 1/2 to 2 pounds of ground beef or veal (I used 80/20)
1/2 cup shredded suet
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground mace
1/2 tsp black pepper
a pinch of saffron
1/3 cup each raisins, currants and prunes chopped

I used store bought pie pastry. I got approximately 15 2" pastry shells from a 9" dough

Mix together all ingredients and cook slowly until the filling is cooked completely. When you are ready to serve, add your filling to your dough and cook in a 400 degree oven until the dough has turned brown (about 15 minutes). Serve.

Harleian MS. 279 (ab 1430) - lv. Iuschelle of Fysshe.

lv. Iuschelle of Fysshe - Fish Dumplings

This unusual recipe found in  Two fifteenth-century cookery-books : Harleian MS. 279 (ab 1430), & Harl. MS. 4016 (ab. 1450), with extracts from Ashmole MS. 1439, Laud MS. 553, & Douce MS. 55 by Thomas Austin  immediately caught my eye and I had to try it.  Originally I had assumed that this dish would produce results similar to Guisseƚƚ, a recipe for a savory bread dumpling, cooked in broth. I had always been a bit uncertain of that research, until I realized that the formula ofr Iuschelle of Fysshe is very similar to modern day quenelles, mixtures of meat or fish combined with breadcrumbs and cream that are usually poached.  

To follow up on the theory it became important to understand what the term Iuschelle meant. The Middle English Dictionary defines Iuschelle (jussel n. Also jus(s)elle, jushel(le & guissel.) as:

A dish made of eggs, or eggs mixed with grated bread, cooked in a seasoned broth; ~ of flesh; ~ sengle; ~ enforced, such a dish served with a sweet and spicy creamed sauce; (b) a dish made of fish roe and grated bread mixed and cooked in a fish broth; ~ of fish.

The Middle English Compendium defines frye as: 

Fri(e) - Also frī(e n.(2) Also friʒe (frye). Spawn or the young of fish; small fish

I believe that instead of the "roe" or the mass of eggs found inside a fish, this recipe is referring to the fry or newly hatched fish that no longer have an egg sac attached. I would suggest using any available smaller fish to create this recipe, or substituting roe for the fry. If you are unable to get pike, you may want to substitute cod, pollock, whiting, catfish or any other lean white fish.

.lv. Iuschelle of Fysshe.—Take fayre Frye of Pyke, and caste it raw on a morter, an caste þer-to gratid brede, an bray hem as smale as þow mayste; & ȝif it be to stondyng, caste þer-to Almaunde mylke, an bray hem to-gederys, an stere it to-gederys, & caste þer-to a littel Safroun & Salt, an whyte Sugre, an putte al in a fayre Treen bolle, & toyle*. [Twillein Douce MS. ] it to-gederys wyth þin hond, an loke þat it be noȝt to chargeaunt, but as a man may pore it out of þe bolle; and þan take a Chafoure or a panne, an caste þer-in fayre grauey of pyke or of Freysshe Samoun, y-draw þorw a straynoure, & sette[leaf 14.] it on þe fyre; þanne take fayre Percely an Sawge, an caste þer-to, an lat it boyle, an caste þer-to a lytil Safroun an Salt; and whan it hath y-boylid a whyle, stere it faste, an caste þe Stuffe þer-to, an stere it euermore; an whan alle is oute of þe bolle, caste a litil an a litil in-to þe chafoure, or þe panne; stere it soffter an sofftere, tylle it come to-gedere; þan gader it to-gederys with a ladelle or a Skymoure, softe, tille it be round to-gedere; þanne take it fro þe fyre, an sette þe vesselle on a fewe colys, an late it wexe styf be hys owne acord; þan serue forth.

55. Juschelle of Fish - Take fair fry of pike, and caste it raw on a mortar, and cast there-to grated bread, and bray them as small as you may; and if it be to standing (thick), caste there-to almond milk, and bray them together; and stir it together, and caste there-to a little saffron and salt, and white sugar, and put all in a fair tureen bowl and stir it together with your hand, and look that it be not to thick, but as a man may pour it out of the bowl; and then take a chafing dish or a pan, and caste there-in fair gravy of pike, or of fresh salmon, drawn through a strainer and set it on the fire, then take fair parsley and sage, and caste there-to, and let it boil, and cast there-to a little saffron and salt, and when it has boiled a while, stir it fast, and cast the stuff there-to and stir it evermore; an when all is out of the bowl, cast a little and a little in to the chafing-dish or the pan; stir it softer and softer, till it come together; then gather it to together with a ladle or a skimmer, soft, till it be round together; then take it from the fire, and set the vessel on a few coals, and let it wax stiff be his own accord; then serve forth.

Recipe Serves 6 - 8 (or more as smaller appetizers)

Fish Dumplings

1 pound lean white fish, cut into 1" pieces
2 slices bread, crusts removed
1 cup almond milk
1 egg white (to help bind fish- included here because eggs are a primary ingredient in Guisseƚƚ but are missing from this recipe)
Pinch of saffron
Salt and pepper to taste
Sugar to taste

Broth

4 cups fish stock
3 sprigs of fresh parsley (can substitute 1 tbsp. dried)
1/2 tsp. sage
Pinch of Saffron


Please, please, please--this cannot be stressed enough--use a well flavored stock (gravy) for your broth to poach the dumplings in, otherwise this dish will be very bland. I would strongly suggest that you make your own following the directions that can be found here, and substituting fish bones for beef or chicken bones. You may also want to round out the flavor of the stock by adding some fennel and white wine as part of the cooking liquid.

If you are unable to secure enough fish scraps and bones to make a broth, you can substitute a 50/50 mixture of vegetable stock and chicken stock. I would caution against using a premade "seafood stock" unless you are very certain that nobody with a shellfish allergy will be present. Seafood stock is usually made with shells of crab, shrimp, lobster in addition to fish bones.


Warm the milk up slightly and add saffron to it. Allow it to come to a cool temperature.


To make your dumplings you will want to soak your bread in the milk and then mash it until it becomes a paste. Grind your fish, either by using a blender, or using a sausage maker. It is important that the fish retain some texture and is not a paste. Blend the bread paste with the fish and remaining ingredients.

Here you have a choice. You can follow the medieval instructions of bringing the broth to a boil, stirring it quickly and adding your fish mixture to the broth. This, I imagine will act like poaching an egg, and allow the mixture to come together similar to a poached egg, or, like the Guissel, form many jagged dumplings of an uneven size. Continue to stir until the mixture becomes thick. The instructions state to " then take it from the fire, and set the vessel on a few coals, and let it wax stiff be his own accord; then serve forth." This method appears to suggest that the dumplings should be allowed to continue to cook for a short time before serving.

Or, you can diverge (as I did) and follow a more modern method of bringing a large pot of salted water to just below a simmer, and dropping your dough into it by the tablespoonful. If you are following this method, the dumplings will fall to the bottom of the pot and then rise up when they are completely cooked.


To serve, place your dumplings into your broth, garnish as desired and serve it forth.


This may seem like a very "fussy" dish to serve at an event, however, the dumplings can be made ahead of time and frozen prior to poaching. Day of the event, remove your frozen dumplings, place them in the boiling and salted water and proceed as per usual.

This is a very delicate dish, it could serve as a pottage in a first course, or, the dumplings can be served without broth or sauce on the side of a main dish in the second course as a garnish, or to round out the meal. I would suggest that plating the fish dumplings in a thin puddle of beautifully hot stock, garnished with boiled vegetables (asparagus, leeks, parsnips or a non-orange carrot) would be lovely.

Similar Recipes

Ancient Cookery [Arundel 334], (England, 1425)

Jussel of sysshe. Take frye of female pike, and pille away the skyn; and take the liver of codlinge, and bray altogeder; and take grated bred and cast therto in the brayinge, and when it waxes stif put hit into a chargeour, and colour hit depe with saffron; and then take grave of pyke, and grave of congur, and of calver salmon, and put al into a panne; and take parcel (parsley), and sauge hewen, but not too smalle, and boyle hit ensemble.; and when hit is boyled put in a potstik and stere hit wel, and ' when hit begynnes to crudde do away the potstik, and let hit boyle afterwarde a gode qwyle ; and then set hit doun, and dresse up fix leches in a dysshe, and strawe theron pouder of ginger; and serve hit forthe.

A Christmas Dinner in Honor of the Cratchit's - Charle's Dickens "A Christmas Carol"

 Featuring recipes for:

A Christmas Dinner in Honor of the Cratchit's

Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management, 1861

Roast Goose, Sage and Onion Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes, Apple Sauce, Gravy, Plum Pudding

Includes Bonus Recipes for "Harvey Sauce" and Mushroom Ketchup

The Third Visitor 
Artwork by John Leech, 1843

°• ♔ •°

Charle's Dicken's wrote several stories about the Christmas holiday, but, A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas, is my favorite. An instant best seller when it was first published in 1843, this story which transcends time and offers a dash of hope for better things to come has a dark past. It is that past we will touch lightly upon before we get to the "meat" of the story--A Christmas Dinner in Honor of the Cratchits!

One such issue was child labor as represented by the character's "Martha and Tim Cratchit". Dicken's had read a government report (The Condition and Treatment of the Children employed in the Mines and Colliers of the United Kingdom Carefully compiled from the appendix to the first report of the Commissioners With copious extracts from the evidence, and illustrative engravings,1842) that detailed child labor in factories and mines. The report was the result of a three year investigation and contained thousands of pages of oral testimony regarding the dangerous working conditions of children.

He was appalled to discover that childen, as young as three years old, were considered very cheap labor. They were small enough to crawl into machines to perform maintenance, with oftentimes crippling and sometimes fatal results. They would be forced to work up to 16 hours a day six days a week. It was a sad reality that the poor would be unable to support themselves if their children did not work and this reality is not lost, but reinforced in the story Dicken's wrote.

Ebenezer Scrooge represents the mindset of the period, hard and hard-hearted. Lest it is forgotten or overlooked Bob Cratchit, at the end of a twelve hour work day, with barely a coal used to heat his office space, is reminded by Mr. Scrooge that he has one holiday off a year. But Scrooge is also a generalization of the mindset of the time.

You’ll want all day to-morrow, I suppose?” said Scrooge.

“If quite convenient, sir.”

“It’s not convenient,” said Scrooge, “and it’s not fair. If I was to stop half-a-crown for it, you’d think yourself ill-used, I’ll be bound?”

The clerk smiled faintly.

“And yet,” said Scrooge, “you don’t think me ill-used, when I pay a day’s wages for no work.”

The clerk observed that it was only once a year.

“A poor excuse for picking a man’s pocket every twenty-fifth of December!” said Scrooge, buttoning his great-coat to the chin. “But I suppose you must have the whole day. Be here all the earlier next morning.

Remember, during this period of time, individuals who were poor were considered to be either lazy or immoral. It was their behavior that brought about their downfall. This attitude was bolstered by Rev. Thomas Malthus, who argued against the commonly held belief that a nations resources was determined by the size and fertility of it's population.

It would charitable to state that the Reverand's concerns came from his fears of overpopulation and lack of natural resources (food) which would lead to greater and continued suffering. However, his concern was that to help the poor would be to encourage them to continue to be lazy and immoral. It was his belief, that it would be better for everyone if the poor were to die of starvation and decrease the population.

I wish to be left alone,” said Scrooge. “Since you ask me what I wish, gentlemen, that is my answer. I don’t make merry myself at Christmas and I can’t afford to make idle people merry. I help to support the establishments I have mentioned—they cost enough; and those who are badly off must go there.”

“Many can’t go there; and many would rather die.”

“If they would rather die,” said Scrooge, “they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population. Besides—excuse me—I don’t know that.

I confess, that despite the darker origins of the story, I find it pleasurable to revisit it at this time of year. It reminds me that change is possible, and to hope for better things to come. This year, what struck me most was the description given of the Cratchit's Christmas Dinner.

Such a bustle ensued that you might have thought a goose the rarest of all birds; a feathered phenomenon, to which a black swan was a matter of course—and in truth it was something very like it in that house. Mrs. Cratchit made the gravy (ready beforehand in a little saucepan) hissing hot; Master Peter mashed the potatoes with incredible vigour; Miss Belinda sweetened up the apple-sauce; Martha dusted the hot plates; Bob took Tiny Tim beside him in a tiny corner at the table; the two young Cratchits set chairs for everybody, not forgetting themselves, and mounting guard upon their posts, crammed spoons into their mouths, lest they should shriek for goose before their turn came to be helped. At last the dishes were set on, and grace was said. It was succeeded by a breathless pause, as Mrs. Cratchit, looking slowly all along the carving-knife, prepared to plunge it in the breast; but when she did, and when the long expected gush of stuffing issued forth, one murmur of delight arose all round the board, and even Tiny Tim, excited by the two young Cratchits, beat on the table with the handle of his knife, and feebly cried Hurrah!

°• ♔ •°

The recipes that I bring you today, are based upon the meal described by Dicken's, and were found in "The Book of Household Management, by Mrs. Isabella Beeton", 1861, located at Project Gutenberg. I hope you enjoy.

ROAST GOOSE

968. INGREDIENTS.—Goose, 4 large onions, 10 sage-leaves, 1/4 lb. of bread crumbs, 1-1/2 oz. of butter, salt and pepper to taste, 1 egg.

Choosing and Trussing.—Select a goose with a clean white skin, plump breast, and yellow feet: if these latter are red, the bird is old. Should the weather permit, let it hang for a few days: by so doing, the flavour will be very much improved. Pluck, singe, draw, and carefully wash and wipe the goose; cut off the neck close to the back, leaving the skin long enough to turn over; cut off the feet at the first joint, and separate the pinions at the first joint. Beat the breast-bone flat with a rolling-pin, put a skewer through the under part of each wing, and having drawn up the legs closely, put a skewer into the middle of each, and pass the same quite through the body. Insert another skewer into the small of the leg, bring it close down to the side bone, run it through, and do the same to the other side. Now cut off the end of the vent, and make a hole in the skin sufficiently large for the passage of the rump, in order to keep in the seasoning.

Mode.—Make a sage-and-onion stuffing of the above ingredients, by recipe No. 504; put it into the body of the goose, and secure it firmly at both ends, by passing the rump through the hole made in the skin, and the other end by tying the skin of the neck to the back; by this means the seasoning will not escape. Put it down to a brisk fire, keep it well basted, and roast from 1-1/2 to 2 hours, according to the size. Remove the skewers, and serve with a tureen of good gravy, and one of well-made apple-sauce. Should a very highly-flavoured seasoning be preferred, the onions should not be parboiled, but minced raw: of the two methods, the mild seasoning is far superior. A ragoût, or pie, should be made of the giblets, or they may be stewed down to make gravy. Be careful to serve the goose before the breast falls, or its appearance will be spoiled by coming flattened to table. As this is rather a troublesome joint to carve, a large quantity of gravy should not be poured round the goose, but sent in a tureen.

Time.—A large goose, 1-3/4 hour; a moderate-sized one, 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hour.

Seasonable from September to March; but in perfection from Michaelmas to Christmas.

Average cost, 5s. 6d. each. Sufficient for 8 or 9 persons.

Note.—A teaspoonful of made mustard, a saltspoonful of salt, a few grains of cayenne, mixed with a glass of port wine, are sometimes poured into the goose by a slit made in the apron. This sauce is, by many persons, considered an improvement.

SAGE-AND-ONION STUFFING, for Geese, Ducks, and Pork.

504. INGREDIENTS.—4 large onions, 10 sage-leaves, 1/4 lb. of bread crumbs, 1-1/2 oz. of butter, salt and pepper to taste, 1 egg.

Mode.—Peel the onions, put them into boiling water, let them simmer for 5 minutes or rather longer, and, just before they are taken out, put in the sage-leaves for a minute or two to take off their rawness. Chop both these very fine, add the bread, seasoning, and butter, and work the whole together with the yolk of an egg, when the stuffing will be ready for use. It should be rather highly seasoned, and the sage-leaves should be very finely chopped. Many cooks do not parboil the onions in the manner just stated, but merely use them raw. The stuffing then, however, is not nearly so mild, and, to many tastes, its strong flavour would be very objectionable. When made for goose, a portion of the liver of the bird, simmered for a few minutes and very finely minced, is frequently added to this stuffing; and where economy is studied, the egg may be dispensed with.

Time.—Rather more than 5 minutes to simmer the onions.

Average cost, for this quantity, 4d.

Sufficient for 1 goose, or a pair of ducks.

MASHED POTATOES.

1145. INGREDIENTS.—Potatoes; to every lb. of mashed potatoes allow 1 oz. of butter, 2 tablespoonfuls of milk, salt to taste.

Mode.—Boil the potatoes in their skins; when done, drain them, and let them get thoroughly dry by the side of the fire; then peel them, and, as they are peeled, put them into a clean saucepan, and with a large fork beat them to a light paste; add butter, milk, and salt in the above proportion, and stir all the ingredients well over the fire. When thoroughly hot, dish them lightly, and draw the fork backwards over the potatoes to make the surface rough, and serve. When dressed in this manner, they may be browned at the top with a salamander, or before the fire. Some cooks press the potatoes into moulds, then turn them out, and brown them in the oven: this is a pretty mode of serving, but it makes them heavy. In whatever way they are sent to table, care must be taken to have them quite free from lumps.

Time.—From 1/2 to 3/4 hour to boil the potatoes.

Average cost, 4s. per bushel.

Sufficient,—1 lb. of mashed potatoes for 3 persons.

Seasonable at any time.

APPLE SAUCE FOR GEESE, PORK, &c.

363. INGREDIENTS.—6 good-sized apples, sifted sugar to taste, a piece of butter the size of a walnut, water.

Mode.—Pare, core, and quarter the apples, and throw them into cold water to preserve their whiteness. Put them in a saucepan, with sufficient water to moisten them, and boil till soft enough to pulp. Beat them up, adding sugar to taste, and a small piece of butter This quantity is sufficient for a good-sized tureen.

Time.—According to the apples, about 3/4 hour. Average cost, 4d.

Sufficient, this quantity, for a goose or couple of ducks.

A GOOD BEEF GRAVY FOR POULTRY, GAME, &c.

435. INGREDIENTS.—1/2 lb. of lean beef, 1/2 pint of cold water, 1 shalot or small onion, 1/2 a teaspoonful of salt, a little pepper, 1 tablespoonful of Harvey's sauce or mushroom ketchup, 1/2 a teaspoonful of arrowroot.

Mode.—Cut up the beef into small pieces, and put it, with the water, into a stewpan. Add the shalot and seasoning, and simmer gently for 3 hours, taking care that it does not boil fast. A short time before it is required, take the arrowroot, and having mixed it with a little cold water, pour it into the gravy, which keep stirring, adding the Harvey's sauce, and just letting it boil. Strain off the gravy in a tureen, and serve very hot.

Time.—3 hours. Average cost, 8d. per pint.

CHRISTMAS PLUM-PUDDING. (Very Good.)

1328. INGREDIENTS.—1-1/2 lb. of raisins, 1/2 lb. of currants, 1/2 lb. of mixed peel, 3/4 lb. of bread crumbs, 3/4 lb. of suet, 8 eggs, 1 wineglassful of brandy.

Mode.—Stone and cut the raisins in halves, but do not chop them; wash, pick, and dry the currants, and mince the suet finely; cut the candied peel into thin slices, and grate down the bread into fine crumbs. When all these dry ingredients are prepared, mix them well together; then moisten the mixture with the eggs, which should be well beaten, and the brandy; stir well, that everything may be very thoroughly blended, and press the pudding into a buttered mould; tie it down tightly with a floured cloth, and boil for 5 or 6 hours. It may be boiled in a cloth without a mould, and will require the same time allowed for cooking. As Christmas puddings are usually made a few days before they are required for table, when the pudding is taken out of the pot, hang it up immediately, and put a plate or saucer underneath to catch the water that may drain from it. The day it is to be eaten, plunge it into boiling water, and keep it boiling for at least 2 hours; then turn it out of the mould, and serve with brandy-sauce. On Christmas-day a sprig of holly is usually placed in the middle of the pudding, and about a wineglassful of brandy poured round it, which, at the moment of serving, is lighted, and the pudding thus brought to table encircled in flame.

Time.—5 or 6 hours the first time of boiling; 2 hours the day it is to be served.

Average cost, 4s.

Sufficient for a quart mould for 7 or 8 persons.

Seasonable on the 25th of December, and on various festive occasions till March.

Bonus Recipes

Harvey's Sauce

INGREDIENTS.— 6 anchovies, 1 pint of strong vinegar, 3 tablespoonfuls of India soy, 3 table-spoonfuls of mushroom catchup, 2 heads of garlic bruised small, 1/4 ounce of cayenne, cochineal powder

Mode.— Dissolve anchovies in vinegar, and then add to them India soy, and mushroom catchup, garlic, and cayenne. Add sufficient cochineal powder to colour the mixture red. Let all these ingredients infuse in the vinegar for a fortnight, shaking it every day, and then strain and bottle it for use. Let the bottles be small, and cover the corks with leather.

Mushroom Ketchup

INGREDIENTS.—To each peck of mushrooms 1/2 pound of salt; to each quart of mushroom-liquor 1/4 ounce of cayenne, 1/2 ounce of allspice, 1/2 ounce of ginger, 2 blades of pounded mace

Mode.—Choose full-grown mushroom-flaps, and take care they are perfectly fresh-gathered when the weather is tolerably dry; for, if they are picked during very heavy rain, the ketchup from which they are made is liable to get musty, and will not keep long. Put a layer of them in a deep pan, sprinkle salt over them, and then another layer of mushrooms, and so on alternately. Let them remain for a few hours, when break them up with the hand; put them in a nice cool place for 3 days, occasionally stirring and mashing them well, to extract from them as much juice as possible. Now measure the quantity of liquor without straining, and to each quart allow the above proportion of spices, etc. Put all into a stone jar, cover it up very closely, put it in a saucepan of boiling water, set it over the fire, and let it boil for 3 hours. Have ready a nice clean stewpan; turn into it the contents of the jar, and let the whole simmer very gently for 1/2 hour; pour it into a jug, where it should stand in a cool place till the next day; then pour it off into another jug, and strain it into very dry clean bottles, and do not squeeze the mushrooms. To each pint of ketchup add a few drops of brandy. Be careful not to shake the contents, but leave all the sediment behind in the jug; cork well, and either seal or rosin the cork, so as perfectly to exclude the air. When a very clear bright ketchup is wanted, the liquor must be strained through a very fine hair-sieve, or flannel bag, after it has been very gently poured off; if the operation is not successful, it must be repeated until you have quite a clear liquor. It should be examined occasionally, and if it is spoiling, should be reboiled with a few peppercorns.

Seasonable from the beginning of September to the middle of October, when this ketchup should be made.

Note: This flavouring ingredient, if genuine and well prepared, is one of the most useful store sauces to the experienced cook, and no trouble should be spared in its preparation. Double ketchup is made by reducing the liquor to half the quantity; for example, 1 quart must be boiled down to 1 pint. This goes farther than ordinary ketchup, as so little is required to flavour a good quantity of gravy. The sediment may also be bottled for immediate use, and will be found to answer for flavouring thick soups or gravies.