A Queens Delight. Unknown
pull off the skin from them, and so case them in so much clarified Sugar as will cover them, and so boil them as fast as you can, keeping them from breaking, then take them up, and boil the syrup until it be as thick as for Quiddony; then pot them, and pour the syrup into them before they be cold.
Take your Apricocks and Pear-Plums and boil them tender, then take as much Sugar as they do weigh, and take as much water as will make the syrup, take your green Peaches before they be stoned and thrust a pin through them, and then make a strong water of ashes, and cast them into the hot standing lye to take off the fur from them, then wash them in three or four waters warm, so then put them into so much clarified Sugar as will candy them; so boil them, and put them up, &c.
To dry Pippins, or Pears without Sugar
Take Pippins or Pears and prick them full of holes with a bodkin, & lay them in sweet wort three or four dayes, then lay them on a sieves bottom, till they be dry in an Oven, but a drying heat. This you may do to any tender Plum.
To make Syrup of Clove-gilly flowers
Take a quart of water, half a bushel of Flowers, cut off the whites, and with a sieve sift away the seeds, bruise them a little; let your water be boiled, and a little cold again, then put in your Flowers, and let them stand close covered twenty four hours; you may put in but half the flowers at a time, the strength will come out the better; to that liquor put in four pound of Sugar, let it lye in all night, next day boil it in a Gallipot, set it in a pot of water, and there let it boil till all the Sugar be melted and the syrup be pretty thick, then take it out, and let it stand in that till it be through cold, then glass it.
To make Syrup of Hysop for Colds
Take a handful of Hysop, of Figs, Raisins, Dates, of each an ounce, of Collipint half an handful, French Barley one ounce, boil therein three pints of fair water to a quart, strain it and clarifie it with two whites of Eggs, then put in two pound of fine sugar, and boil it to a syrup.
To make Orange Water
Take a pottle of the best Maligo Sack, and put in as many of the peels of Oranges as will go in, cut the white clean off, let them steep twenty four hours; still them in a glass still, and let the water run into the Receiver upon fine Sugar-candy; you may still it in an ordinary Still.
To dry Cherries
Take a pound of sugar, dissolve it in thin fair water, when it is boiled a little while, put in your Cherries after they are stoned, four pound to one pound of Sugar, let them lye in the Sugar three dayes, then take them out of the syrup and lay them on sieves one by one, and set them before the Sun upon stools, turn them every day, else they will mould; when they look of a dark red colour, and are dry then put them up. And so you may do any manner of Fruit. In the Sun is the best drying of them, put into the syrup some juyce of Rasps.
To make juyce of Liquorish
Take English Liquorish, and stamp it very clean, bruise it with a hammer, and cut it in peices; to a pound of Liquorish thus bruised, put a quart of Hysop water, let them soak together in an earthen pot a day and a night, then pull the Liquorish into small pieces, and lay it in soak again two dayes more; then strain out the Liquorish, and boil the liquor a good while. Stir it often; then put in half a pound of Sugar-candy, or Loaf-sugar finely beaten, four grains of Musk, as much Ambergreece, bruise them small with a little Sugar; then boil them together till it be good & thick, still have care you burn it not; then put it out in glass plates, and make it into round rolls, and set it in a drying place till it be stiff, that you may work it into rolls to be cut as big as Barley corns, and so lay them on a place again: If it be needful strew on the place again a little Sugar to prevent thickning; so dry them still if there be need and if they should be too dry, the heat of the fire will soften them again.
A Perfume for Cloths, Gloves
Take of Linet two grains, of Musk three, of Ambergreece four, and the oyl of Bems a pretty quantity; grinde them all upon a Marble stone fit for that purpose; then with a brush or sponge rake them over, and it will sweeten them very well; your Gloves or Jerkins must first be washed in red Rose-water, and when they are almost dry, stretch them forth smooth, and lay on the Perfumes.
To make Almond Bisket
Take the whites of four new laid Eggs, and two yolks, then beat it well for an hour together, then have in readiness a quarter of a pound of the best Almonds blanched in cold water, & beat them very small with Bose-wart, for fear of Oyling; then, have a pound of the best Loaf-sugar finely beaten, beat that in the Eggs a while, then put in your Almonds, and five or six spoonfuls of the finest flower, and so bake them together upon Paper plates, you may have a little fine Sugar in a piece of tiffany to dust them over as they be in the Oven, so bake them as you do Bisket.
To dry Apricocks
First stone them, then weigh them, take the weight of them in double refined Sugar, make the syrup with so much water as will wet them, and boil it up so high, that a drop being droped on a Plate it will slip clean off, when it is cold, put in your Apricocks being pared, whilst your Syrup is hot, but it must not be taken off the fire before you put them in, then turn them in the syrup often, then let them stand 3 quarters of an hour, then take them out of the syrup, and tie them up in Tiffanies, one in a tiffany or more, as they be in bigness, and whilst you are tying them up, set the syrup on the fire to heat, but not to boil, then put your Apricocks into the syrup, and set them on a quick fire, and let them boil, as fast as you can, skim them clean, and when they look clear take them from the fire, and let them lie in the syrup till the next day, then set them on the fire to heat, but not to boil; then set them by till the next day, and lay them upon a clean Sieve to drain, and when they are well drained, take them out of the Tiffanies, and so dry them in a Stove, or better in the Sun with Glasses over them, to keep them from the dust.
To make Quinces for Pies
Wipe the Quinces, and put them into a little vessel of swall Beer when it hath done working; stop them close that no air can get in, and this will keep them fair all the year and good.
The best way to break sweet Powder
Take of Orrice one pound, Calamus a quarter of a pound, Benjamin one half pound, Storax half a pound, Civet a quarter of an ounce, Cloves a quarter of a pound, Musk one half ounce, Oyl of Orange flowers one ounce, Lignum Aloes one ounce, Rosewood a quarter of a pound, Ambergreece a quarter of an ounces. To every pound of Roses put a pound of powder; the bag must be of Taffity, or else the powder will run through.
To make excellent Perfumes
Take a quarter of a pound of Damask Rose-buds cut clean from the Whites, stamp them very small, put to them a good spoonful of Damask Rose-water, so let them stand close stoopped all night, then take one ounce and a quarter of Benjamin finely beaten, and also searsed, (if you will) twenty grains of Civit, and ten grains of Musk; mingle them well together, then make it up in little Cakes between Rose leaves, and dry them between sheets of Paper.
To make Conserve of Roses boiled
Take a quart of red Rose-water, a quart of fair water, boil in the Water a pound of red Rose-leaves, the whites cut off, the leaves must be boiled very tender; then take three pound of Sugar, and put to it a pound at a time, and let it boil a little between every pound, so put it up in your pots.
To make Conserves of Roses unboiled
Take a pound of red Rose leaves, the whites cut off, stamp them very fine, take a pound of Sugar, and beat in with the Roses, and put it in a pot, and cover it with leather, and set it in a cool place.
To make a very good Pomatum
Take the Fat of a young Dog one pound, it must be killed well that the blood settle not into the fat, then let the outer skin be taken off before it be opened, lest any of the hair come to the fat, then take all the fat from the inside, and as soon as you take it off fling it into Conduit water, and if you see the second skin be clear, peel it and water it with the other: be sure it cools not out of the water: you must