A Hash of Beef, Otherways, The Accomplisht Cook, Robert May

A Hash of Beef Otherways

Stew it in Beef gobbets, and cut some fat and lean together as big as a good pullets egg, and put them into a pot or pipkin with some Carrots cut in pieces as big as a walnut, some whole onions, some parsnips, large mace, faggot of sweet herbs, salt, pepper, cloves, and as much water and wine as will cover them, and stew it the space of three hours.

Interpreted Recipe

2 pounds chuck roast cut into slices
1 medium onion
2 carrots
2 parsnips
1/2 tsp. each thyme marjoram and winter savory
1 tbsp. parsley
2 cups red wine
1/8 tsp. mace
Salt and Pepper to taste

Lightly fry slices of beef in butter and then stew beef in a pan with water for about an hour and then skim it clean. Add salt, pepper, clove, mace, carrots, parsnips and whole onions and cook till tender. Add Parsley, thyme, sweet marjoram, spinach, sorrel and winters savory and some when then dish it up on sippets serve it hot.

Pickled Mushrooms, The whole Body of Cookery Dissected, William Rabisha

 

Take a bushel of mushrooms, blanch them over the crown, barm them beneath; if they are new, they look read as a Cherry; if old, black; this being done, throw them into a pan oif boyling water, then take them forth and let them drain; when they are cold, put them up into your Pot or Glass, put thereto Cloves, Mace, Ginger, Nutmeggs, whole Pepper; Then take white wine, a little Vinegar, with a little quantity of salt, so pour the Liquor into your Mushrooms, and stop them close for your use all the year.


Interpreted Recipe

1 pound small mushrooms
½ cup water
1 ½ - 2 tsp. salt
1 tsp peppercorns
5 cloves
1/2 tsp. mace and nutmeg
1 slice of fresh root ginger
1 ½ Cups white wine
2 tbsp vinegar

Clean the mushrooms and slice or quarter as you desire. Place mushrooms in a pan and cover with the water. Add salt. Bring mushrooms to a boil; boil for approximately two minutes and then drain. Place the mushrooms in your jar, add the remainder of spices, wine and vinegar. If you find that you do not have enough liquid to cover the mushrooms, add more wine. Once a day invert the jar. Note: The mushrooms were made several weeks prior to the event. I canned them. I did reheat the mushrooms to remove the alcohol content prior to serving. This was a very good make ahead dish. 1 pound of the mushrooms made 2 jars of pickles.

To make a grand Sallet of minced Capon, Veal, roast Mutton, Chicken or Neats tongue, The Accomplisht Cook, Robert May

 

To make a grand Sallet of minced Capon, Veal, roast Mutton, Chicken or Neats tongue.

Minced capon or veal, &c. dried Tongues in thin slices, lettice shred small as the tongue, olives, capers, mushrooms, pickled samphire, broom-buds, lemon or oranges, raisins, almonds, blew figs, Virginia potato, caparones, or crucifix pease, currans, pickled oysters, taragon.

How to dish it up.

Any of these being thin sliced, as is shown above said, with a little minced taragon and onion amongst it; then have lettice minced as small as the meat by it self, olives by themselves, capers by themselves, samphire by it self, broom-buds by it self, pickled mushrooms by themselves, or any of the materials abovesaid.

 

Garnish the dish with oranges and lemons in quarters or slices, oyl and vinegar beaten together, and poured over all, &c.

Interpreted Recipe

2 chicken breasts, roasted (alternately you could use veal, pork or tongue)
Loose leaf lettuce

2 tbsp. Olives
2 tbsp. Capers
4 tbsp. Pickled mushrooms
2 tbsp. Raisins
2 tbsp. Almonds
6 black figs
2 tbps. Baby peas boiled till tender
4 tbsp. Pickled Asparagus (for Samphire)
4 tbsp. Artichoke hearts

Dressing:

¾ cup Oil
2 tbsp. wine Vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste

To make a Crystal Jelly and Other Jelly for Service of Several Colours, The Accomplisht Cook, Robert May

To make a Crystal Jelly.

Take three pair of calves feet, and scald off the hair very clean, knock off the claws, and take out the great bones & fat, & cast them into fair water, shift them three or four times in a day and a night, then boil them next morning in a glazed pipkin or clean pot, with six quarts of fair spring water, boil it and scum it clean, boil away three quarts or more; then strain it into a clean earthen pan or bason, & let it be cold: then prepare the dross from the bottom, and take the fat of the top clean, put it in a large pipkin of six quarts, and put into it two quarts of old clear white-wine, the juyce of four lemons, three blades of mace, and two races of ginger slic’t; then melt or dissolve it again into broth, and let it cool. Then have four pound of hard sugar fine beaten, and mix it with twelve whites of eggs in a great dish with your rouling pin, and put it into your pipkin to your jelly, stir it together with a grain of musk and ambergriese, put it in a fine linnen clout bound up, and a quarter of a pint of damask rose-water, set it a stewing on a soft charcoal fire, before it boils put in a little ising glass, and being boil’d up, take it, and let it cool a little, and run it.

Other Jelly for service of several colours. 

Take four pair of calves feet, a knuckle of veal, a good fleshie capon, and prepare these things as is said in the crystal jelly: boil them in three gallons of fair water, till six quarts be wasted, then strain it in an earthen pan, let it cool, and being cold pare the bottom, and take off the fat on the top also; then dissolve it again into broth, and divide it into 4 equal parts, put it into four several pipkins, as will contain five pints a piece each pipkin, put a little saffron into one of them, into another 203 cutchenele beaten with allum, into another turnsole, and the other his own natural white; also to every pipkin a quart of white-wine, and the juyce of two lemons. Then also to the white jelly one race of ginger pare’d and slic’t & three blades of large mace, to the red jelly 2 nutmegs, as much in quantity of cinamon as nutmegs, also as much ginger; to the turnsole put also the same quantity, with a few whole cloves; then to the amber or yellow color, the same spices and quantity.

Then have eighteen whites of eggs, & beat them with six pound of double refined sugar, beaten small and stirred together in a great tray or bason with a rouling pin divide it into four parts in the four pipkins & stir it to your jelly broth, spice, & wine, being well mixed together with a little musk & ambergriese. Then have new bags, wash them first in warm water, and then in cold, wring them dry, and being ready strung with packthread on sticks, hang them on a spit by the fire from any dust, and set new earthen pans under them being well seasoned with boiling liquor.

Then again set on your jelly on a fine charcoal fire, and let it stew softly the space of almost an hour, then make it boil up a little, and take it off, being somewhat cold run it through the bag twice or thrice, or but once if it be very clear; and into the bags of colors put in a sprig of rosemary, keep it for your use in those pans, dish it as you see good, or cast it into what mould you please; as for example these.

Interpreted Recipe

To make clear Jelly:

2 cups clear stock
1 cup white wine
1 cup water
Juice of ½ a lemon
½ tsp. ground mace
1-2 slices of fresh ginger
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. rose water
4 packets unflavored gelatin

To Make Yellow Jelly

Add a pinch of saffron to the above

To Make Red Jelly

Substitute red wine for white
Add 2 tsp. ground nutmegs and 1 tsp. ground cinnamon or 1 cinnamon sticks to the above

Note: 2 packets unflavored gelatin + 2 cups liquid will make about 20 -1 ounce servings

Bloom the gelatin in the water. Heat the stock, wine, lemon juice, spices and sugar until boiling and pour into a bowl, add the gelatin and stir until completely dissolved. Add the rosewater. Put into your mold or pan and allow setting.

Note: You may need to strain the gelatin into your pan to remove undissolved gelatin and spices.

To make Mustard divers ways, The Accomplisht Cook, Robert May

To make Mustard divers ways.

Have good seed, pick it, and wash it in cold water, drain it, and rub it dry in a cloth very clean; then beat it in a mortar with strong wine-vinegar; and being fine beaten, strain it and keep it close covered. Or grind it in a mustard quern, or a bowl with a cannon bullet.

Otherways.

Make it with grape-verjuyce, common-verjuyce, stale beer, ale, butter, milk, white-wine, claret, or juyce of cherries.

Mustard of Dijon, or French Mustard.

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

Mustard of Dijon, or French Mustard

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

To make dry Mustard very pleasant in little Loaves or Cakes to carry in ones Pocket, or to keep dry for use at any time.

Take two ounces of seamy, half an ounce of cinamon, and beat them in a mortar very fine with a little vinegar, and honey, make a perfect paste of it, and make it into little cakes or loaves, dry them in the sun or in an oven, and when you would use them, dissolve half a loaf or cake with some vinegar, wine, or verjuyce.

Interpreted Recipe

Mustard of Dijon, or French Mustard
Makes approximately 3 cups

1 Cup Mustard Seeds
1 ½ Cups Mustard Powder
¼ cup cinnamon
¼ cup honey
½ cup vinegar
1 ½ cups water



Grind the whole mustard seeds for a few seconds in a spice or coffee grinder, or by hand with 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. Seeds can be a mix of brown, black or white. Black offers the most “heat”.

Note: I purchased prepared whole grain mustard and stone ground mustard mix in lieu of making the mustard. To these I added the cinnamon and honey. This dish was prepared almost a month in advance of the feast.

To Pickle Grapes The whole Body of Cookery Dissected, William Rabisha

 

To Pickle Grapes

Let not your grapes be fully ripe; their pickle is white wine and sugar

Interpreted Recipe  

Pickled Grapes

2 pounds seedless grapes
1 1/2  cups water
2 cups white wine
½ tsp salt
1 cup sugar (or to taste)

Make syrup by combining sugar and water together and simmering until dissolved. Let cool.

Wash and dry the grapes, cutting into small bundles of grapes and removing bad grapes. Place grapes into sterilized jars filling them about ¾ full.

Add wine to syrup and fill each jar with liquid. Additional spices can be added at this point. Leave to steep, shaking jars once or twice a week.

Similar Recipe From Accomplish't Cook

To pickle Capers, Gooseberries, Barberries, red and white Currans. Pick them and put them in the juyce of crab-cherries, grape-verjuyce, or other verjuyce, and then barel them up.

Interpreted Recipe

2 pounds seedless grapes

2 cups verjuice (or apple cider vinegar)

1/2 cup water

*opt for modern taste  up to 2 cups sugar  

Wash grapes, and cut into small bunches. Combine verjuice, water and sugar and bring to a boil, put grapes into a clean and sterilized jar and pour the hot verjuice over them. Let sit until cool.  Allow to marinate at least 24 hours, but longer is better. 

To Souce and Garnish a Pig (Brawn with Mustard) The Accomplisht Cook, Robert May

To souce a Pig.

Take a pig being scalded, cut off the head, and part it down the back, draw it and bone it, then the sides being well cleansed from the blood, and soaked in several clean waters, take the pig and dry the sides, season them with nutmeg, ginger, and salt, roul them and bind them up in clean clouts as the pig brawn aforesaid, then have as much water as will cover it in a boiling pan two inches over and two bottles of white-wine over and above; first let the water boil, then put in the collars with salt, mace, slic’t ginger, parsley-roots and fennil-roots scraped and picked; being half boiled put in two quarts of white-wine, and when it is boil’d quite, put in slices of lemon to it, and the whole peel of a lemon.

To garnish Brawn or Pig Brawn.

Leach your brawn, and dish it on a plate in a fair clean dish, then put a rosemary branch on the top being first dipped in the white of an egg well beaten to froth, or wet in water and sprinkled with flour, or a sprig of rosemary gilt with gold; the brawn spotted also with gold and silver leaves, or let your sprig be of a streight sprig of yew tree, or a streight furz bush, and put about the brawn stuck round with bay-leaves three ranks round, and spotted with red and yellow jelly about the dish sides, also the same jelly and some of the brawn leached, jagged, or cut with tin moulds, and carved lemons, oranges and barberries, bay-leaves gilt, red beets, pickled barberries, pickled gooseberries, or pickled grapes.

Interpreted Recipe

Brawn With Mustard

1 ½ to 2 pounds pork (loin, or shoulder)
2 cups dry white wine
2 ½ cups water or broth
1 small piece ginger chopped
2 tsp. nutmeg
1 ½ tsp. salt
*opt. 1 parsley root (sub parsnips) and 1 fennel root (sup 1 tsp. fennel) and 1 whole lemon cut in slices

Brine Mixture: 1 Tbsp. Salt to 1 cup of water

Remove extra fat from the meat, season with nutmeg, ginger and salt, and roll tightly and tie.  Make a brine of salt and water, and allow to sit in brine several hours, but overnight or longer is preferred. 

Bring additional water and wine to a boil, rinse your meat and then add it to the boiling water along with the parsley root (or parsnips), fennel root (or fennel seed),  lemon and additional seasonings you prefer.  Make sure that your meat is completely covered by cooking liquid, turn heat to medium low and cook until tender adding water, broth or wine as necessary. 

To serve, slice thinly and garnish with red and yellow wine jellies, jagged lemons or oranges, red beets, pickled grapes, fresh grapes, bay leaves, etc. 

Note: I have made this using pork butt, and pork shoulder roast. Ideally, it would be made using the loin or belly which make up the "sides" of the pig.  

This is a very "fluid" recipe.  Another cook I know, cooks the meat ahead of time and then stores it in the brine, as opposed to brining first and then storing.  I prefer to make ahead and store in the cooking liquid after brining as opposed to cooking first and brining second. 

 

Baronial 12th Night - To Make Muscadines, Commonly called Kissing Comfits

To Make Muscadines, Commonly called Kissing Comfits, Delightfull daily exercise for Ladies and Gentlewomen, 1621 - Take halfe a pound of double refined Sugar beaten and cearsed [sieved], put into the beating thereof, two graines of Muske, 3 grains of ambergreese, & a dram of orris powder: beat all these together with gum Dragogon steeped in damaske-rose-water, in an aliblaster [marble] mortar to a perfect paste, then slicke a sheete of white paper, slicked with a slick-stone very smooth, and rowle your sugar pate upon it, then cut it like lozenges with a rowel, & so dry them upon a stone, and when they bee dry they will serve to garnish a marchpaine, or other dishes, tarts, custards, or whatsoever else, if you will have any red you must mingle it with Rosa Paris, if blew, with blew bottles growing in the corne.

Kissing Comfits

3 tablespoons rose water
1 teaspoon gum arabic powder
3 eyedropper drops essence of ambergris
2 eyedropper drops essence of musk
4 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon powered orris root
2 drops yellow food color (optional)
2 drops blue food color (optional)

Pour rose water into a saucer, add gum arabic and stir until the gum is dissolved. Add the ambergris and musk, set aside until needed. Sift two cups of the sugar and the orris root into a bowl, Add the gum arabic mixture, a tablespoonful at a time and work into the sugar until the paste is smooth.

For white pastilles, sprinkle the third cup of sugar on a large plate and, with your fingers, work the paste into the sugar until it is smooth. For colored pastilles, divide the white paste into two equal parts, add a drop of food color to each part. Blend in each of the colors and set one aside covered (they dry out very quickly) while you work with the other.

Sprinkle half the remanning sugar on a clean plate and work in until smooth. Pat the paste into a square and cover it with a piece of wax paper. Roll it out gently to a sheet about 3/8 inch thick. Mark and cut off small squares, triangles and rectangles with a knife. Sprinkle a cookie sheet with the remanning sugar and place the pastilles on it about an inch apart.

When the pastilles have hardened, loosen them gently with a spatula (they break easily) and store them in an airtight container. You should be able to get about four dozen pastilles from this recipe. They will keep for six to eight weeks.-- "Dining with William Shakespeare" by Madge Lorwin

Baronial 12th Night - To make Manus Christi - A Closet for Ladies and Gentlevvomen, 1602

To make Manus Christi - A Closet for Ladies and Gentlevvomen, 1602

To make Manus Christi - Take halfe a pound of refined Suger, and some Rose water, and boyle them together, till it come to sugar again, then stirre it about while it be somewhat cold, then take your leaf gould, and mingle with it, then cast it according to art, That is in round gobbetts, and so keep them.

Manus Christi

2 cups sugar
2 tbsp. rosewater
1/4 cup water
Opt. Edible gold (I used stars for this event), food color (I used Wilton's pink), pearl luster dust

Place sugar, rosewater and water into a pan and allow the sugar to dissolve over low heat. Add a bit more water or rosewater if the sugar seems to dry and will not dissolve into a syrup. Heat till syrup reaches 230 degrees, remove pan from heat immediately, stir in gold or pearl luster dust, add food color if you wish and using a fork, whisk your hot sugar syrup until it starts to cool and becomes opaque in color. At this point, you can drop it by spoonfull's onto a lightly oiled cookie sheet or pour it into candy molds.

The resulting candy is very soft and will need a few days to dry out a bit before trying to serve. It almost reminds me of fudge in consistency.

Baronial 12th Night - How to cover all kinds of Seeds, or little pieces of Spices, or Orange or Limon Pill, with Sugar for Comfits. The queen-like closet (1670)

How to cover all kinds of Seeds, or little pieces of Spices, or Orange or Limon Pill, with Sugar for Comfits. The queen-like closet (1670)

Thomas Dawson lists comfets (comfits) as one of the "necessaries appertaining to a banquet".

How to cover all kinds of Seeds, or little pieces of Spices, or Orange or Limon Pill, with Sugar for Comfits. First of all you must have a deep bottomed Basin of Brass or Latin, with two ears of Iron to hang it with two Cords over some hot Coals. You must also have a broad Pan to put Ashes in, and hot Coals upon them. You must have a Brass Ladle to let run the Sugar upon the Seeds. You must have a Slice of Brass to scrape away the Sugar from the sides of the hanging Basin if need be. Having all these things in readiness, do as followeth; Take fine white Sugar beaten, and let your Seeds and Spice be dry, then dry them again in your hanging Basin: Take to every two pounds of Sugar one quarter of a pound of Spices or Seeds, or such like.

If it be Aniseeds, two pounds of Sugar to half a pound of Aniseeds, will be enough. Melt your Sugar in this manner, put in three Pounds of Sugar into the Basin, and one Pint of Water, stir it well till it be wet, then melt it very well and boil it very softly until it will stream from the Ladle like Turpentine, and not drop, then let it seeth no more, but keep it upon warm Embers, that it may run from the Ladle upon the seeds.

Move the Seeds in the hanging Basin so fast as you can or may, and with one hand, cast on half a Ladle full at a time of the hot Sugar, and rub the Seeds with your other hand a pretty while, for that will make them take the Sugar the better, and dry them well after every Coat. Do thus at every Coat, not only in moving the Basin, but also with stirring of the Comfits with the one hand, and drying the same: in every hour you may make three pounds of Comfits; as the Comfits do increase in bigness, so you may take more Sugar in your Ladle to cast on: But for plain Comfits, let your Sugar be of a light decoction last, and of a high decoction first, and not too hot.

For crisp and ragged Comfits make your decoction so high, as that it may run from the Ladle, and let it fall a foot high or more from the Ladle, and the hotter you cast on your sugar, the more ragged will your Comfits be; also the Comfits will not take so much of the sugar, as upon a light decoction, and they will keep their raggedness long; this high decoction must serve for eight or ten Coats, and put on at every time but one Ladle full. A quarter of a pound of Coriander seeds, and three pounds of sugar, will serve for very great Comfits. See that you keep your Sugar in the Basin always in good temper, that it burn not in Lumps, and if at any time it be too high boiled, put in a spoonful or two of water, and keep it warily with your Ladle, and let your fire be always very clear, when your Comfits be made, set them in Dishes upon Paper in the Sun or before the Fire, or in the Oven after Bread is drawn, for the space of one hour or two, and that will make them look very white.

Comfits

1 tbsp. seed of choice (anise, fennel, caraway)
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup water

To make smooth comfits you will want your sugar syrup heated to a lower heat, while jagged comfits you will need to heat your sugar to a higher heat. To make smooth comfits, I put the sugar and the water into a pot and then I heat it on low until the sugar has melted. At this point I heat the seeds in a large flat pan, similar to a wok or frying pan on low heat. If you can't comfortably reach into the pan and stir the seeds with your hand, then the pan is too hot.

Once the seeds are fragrant, and your syrup is heated take a teaspoon of it and pour it over the seeds in the pan. Using the back of a wooden spoon, (or your hand) stir the seeds until the sugar dries. If the seeds stick together, you have used too much syrup. If the sugar forms pellets in the bottom of the pan then you have used too much syrup.

The first few charges (coats) of the syrup the seed will look grayish, and then they will gradually begin to turn white. Continue to add syrup to your seeds until your comfits reach the size you want. They will lighten and whiten as they cool. If you wish to add color to your comfits add it to the syrup a few charges before your comfits reach the size you want.

Baronial 12th Night - Fig, Walnut and Candied Ginger Fruit Paste

Fig, Walnut and Candied Ginger (a rift of Rapeye--I claim cooks perogative)

Updated 6/15/2022 to include two steps I forgot!

I took several liberties with this recipe in order to accommodate allergies. First, the fruit was not cooked in wine, secondly I did not use pine nuts, apples were substituted for currants in order to get pectin and make the paste set up, and lastly, I added candied ginger in place of the other spices. It is in fact almost a completely different recipe then the original, but the method is the same.

Ingredients  (Serves 24)

4 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1 tbsp. lemon juice
3 cups sugar
1 1/2-2 cups finely chopped dried figs
2-3 tbsp. candied ginger sliced into small slivers
1 cup toasted walnuts

OPT: Cinnamon Stick

Directions

1. Place cored apples and figs into a pot and add water. Bring to a boil and cook until the fruit is very tender and starting to fall apart. 

2.  Place your fruit into a food processor and process until it forms a very smooth puree. Do not strain your fruit. 

3. Return fruit puree to the pan and add lemon juice, optional cinnamon and sugar and heat on low until the sugar has melted. 

4. Once sugar has melted into the fruit puree, increase heat to medium, and stir constantly until mixture becomes extremely fragrant, darker and thickens enough that a spoon pulled through the fruit leaves a furrow behind. 

5.  Remove from heat and add candied ginger and toasted walnuts. Stir until thoroughly mixed. 

6. Pour your paste into a lightly oiled mold, or onto a lightly oiled parchment lined cookie sheet and leave in a warm oven overnight. Alternatively, you could pour your paste into a cupcake or muffin pan. 

7. Unmold before serving. 

 

Fig. Walnut and Candied Ginger Fruit Paste in the pan 

Baronial 12th Night - To make Marmalade of Damsins or Prunes, The treasurie of commodius conceits (1573)

To make Marmalade of Damsins or Prunes, The treasurie of commodius conceits (1573) - TAke Damsins, which ar ripe, boyle them on the Fyre with a lyttle fayre water tyll they bee softe, then draw them through a course Boulter as ye make a tart set it on the Fyre agayne seeth iton height with sufficient sugar, as you do your Quinces, dash it with sweete water. &c. and box it. If you wil make it of Prunes, euen likewise doo put some Apples also to it, as you dyd to your Quinces.

This wise you may make Marmylade of Wardens, Peares, apples, & Medlars, Seruits or Checkers, strawberys euery one by him selfe, or els mixt it together, as you thik good. Partridge, John., The treasurie of commodius conceits (1573)

Plum Paste

2 pounds plums, quartered with core removed
2 cups water
2 pounds sugar

Place stoned and quartered unpeeled plums into a pot, and bring to a boil. Simmer until the plums are very tender and starting to break apart. Put your plums into a blender and blend until they create a smooth paste. Strain your plum paste into your pot and add your sugar. Cook stirring constantly until the mixture has thickened, darkened and a spoon passed through the center of the paste leaves a trail behind it. Pour your paste into a lightly oiled mold, or onto a lightly oiled cookie sheet and allow to dry. Alternatively, you can pour your paste into a jar, and can it. Cooking times vary on your fruit. I found that the plum paste was ready in about 35-40 minutes.

Plum Paste drying in the pan