Part 6

YEAST.

Not with the leaven, as of old, Of sin and malice fed, But with unfeigned sincerity.

One dozen of potatoes, two cupfuls of hops; put them together in a bag, and place them in a pot with two quarts of water; let it boil till the potatoes are done; a cupful of salt, a ladle of flour; then pour the boiling water over it, then let it stand till lukewarm; add a cupful of old yeast, cover it up, and put near the fire till it foments.

BREAD.

His diet was of _wheaten bread_. COWPER.

Mixt with the rustic throng, see ruddy maids, Some taught with dextrous hand to twirl the wheel, Some expert To raise from _leavened wheat the kneaded loaf_. DODSLEY.

Her _bread_ is deemed such dainty fare, That ev'ry prudent traveller His wallet loads with many a crust. COWPER.

Like the _loaf_ in the Tub's pleasant tale, That was fish, flesh, and custard, good claret and ale, It comprised every flavor, was all and was each, Was grape and was pineapple, nectarine and peach. LOVILOND.

Mix with six pounds of sifted flour one ounce of salt, nearly half a pint of fresh sweet yeast as it comes from the brewery, and a sufficient quantity of warmed milk to make the whole into a stiff dough, work and knead it well on a board, on which a little flour has been strewed, for fifteen or twenty minutes, then put it into a deep pan, cover it with a warmed towel, set it before the fire, and let it rise for an hour and a half or perhaps two hours; cut off a piece of this sponge or dough; knead it well for eight or ten minutes, together with flour sufficient to keep it from adhering to the board, put it into small tins, filling them three quarters full; dent the rolls all around with a knife, and let them stand a few minutes before putting them in the oven.

The remainder of the dough must then be worked up for loaves, and baked either in or out of shape.

RYE AND INDIAN BREAD.

Of wine she never tasted through the year, But white and black was all her homely cheer, _Brown bread_ and milk (but first she skimmed her bowls), And rasher of singed bacon on the coals. CHAUCER.

Sift two quarts of rye, and two quarts of Indian meal, and mix them well together. Boil three pints of milk; pour it boiling upon the meal; add two teaspoonfuls of salt, and stir the whole very hard. Let it stand till it becomes of only a lukewarm heat, and then stir in half a pint of good, fresh yeast; if from the brewery and quite fresh, a smaller quantity will suffice. Knead the mixture into a stiff dough, and set it to rise in a pan. Cover it with a thick cloth that has been previously warmed, and set it near the fire. When it is quite light, and has cracked all over the top, make it into two loaves; put them into a moderate oven, and bake them two hours and a half.

BUTTER.

Vessels large And broad, by the sweet hand of neatness clean'd, Meanwhile, in decent order ranged appear, The milky treasure, strain'd thro' filtering lawn, Intended to receive. At early day, Sweet slumber shaken from her opening lids, My lovely Patty to her dairy hies; There, from the surface of expanded bowls She skims the floating cream, and to her churn Commits the rich consistence; nor disdains, Though soft her hand, though delicate her frame, To urge the rural toil, fond to obtain The country housewife's humble name and praise. Continued agitation separates soon The unctuous particles; with gentler strokes And artful, soon they coalesce; at length Cool water pouring from the limpid spring Into a smooth glazed vessel, deep and wide, She gathers the loose fragments to a heap, Which in the cleansing wave, well wrought and press'd, To one consistent golden mass, receives The sprinkled seasoning, and of pats or pounds The fair impression, the neat shape assumes. DODSLEY.

COTTAGE CHEESE.

Warm from the cow she pours The milky flood. An acid juice infused, From the dried stomach drawn of suckling calf, Coagulates the whole. Immediate now Her spreading hands bear down the gathering curd, Which hard and harder grows, till, clear and thin, The green whey rises separate. DODSLEY.

Warm three half pints of cream with one half pint of milk, and put a little rennet to it; keep it covered in a warm place till it is curdled; have a proper mould with holes, either of china or any other; put the curds into it to drain, about one hour or less. Serve it with a good plain cream, and pounded sugar over it.

CAKES.

BUCKWHEAT CAKES.

Do, dear James, mix up the cakes: Just one quart of meal it takes; Pour the water on the pot, Be careful it is not too hot; Sift the meal well through your hand, Thicken well--don't let it stand; Stir it quick,--clash, clatter, clatter! O what light, delicious batter! Now listen to the next command: On the dresser let it stand Just three quarters of an hour, To feel the gently rising power Of powders, melted into yeast, To lighten well this precious feast. See, now it rises to the brim! Quick, take the ladle, dip it in; So let it rest, until the fire The griddle heats as you desire. Be careful that the coals are glowing, No smoke around its white curls throwing; Apply the suet, softly, lightly; The griddle's black face shines more brightly. Now pour the batter on; delicious! Don't, dear James, think me officious, But lift the tender edges lightly; Now turn it over quickly, sprightly. 'Tis done! Now on the white plate lay it: Smoking hot, with butter spread, 'Tis quite enough to turn our head!

JOHNNY CAKES.

Some talk of hoecake, fair Virginia's pride! Rich _Johnny cake_ this mouth has often tried; Both please me well, their virtues much the same; Alike their fabric, as allied their fame. BARLOW.

A quart of sifted Indian meal, and a handful of wheat flour sifted; mix them; three eggs, well beaten; two tablespoonfuls of fresh brewer's yeast, or flour of home made yeast, a teaspoonful of salt, and a quart of milk.

MUFFINS.

Friend, I am a shrewd observer, and will guess What cakes you doat on for your favorite mess. ARMSTRONG.

Take a pint of warm milk, and a quarter pint of thick small-beer yeast; strain them into a pan, and add sufficient flour to make it like a batter; cover it over, and let it stand in a warm place until it has risen; then add a quarter of a pint of warm milk, and an ounce of butter rubbed in some flour quite fine; mix them well together; add sufficient flour to make it into a dough; cover it over. Let it stand half an hour; work it up again; break it into small pieces, roll them up quite round, and cover them over for a quarter of an hour, then bake them.

PANCAKES.

With all her haughty looks, the time I've seen When the proud damsel has more humble been; When with nice airs she hoist the _pancake_ round, And dropt it, hapless fair! upon the ground. SHENSTONE.

To three tablespoonfuls of flour add six well-beaten eggs, three tablespoonfuls of white wine, four ounces of melted butter nearly cold, the same quantity of pounded loaf sugar, half a grated nutmeg, and a pint of cream. Mix it well, beating the batter for some time, and pour it thin over the pan.

PLUM-CAKE.

First in place, _Plum-cake_ is seen o'er smaller pastry ware, And ice on that. SWIFT.

Pick two pounds of currants very clean, and wash them, draining them through a cullender. Wipe them in a towel, spread them out in a large dish, and set them near the fire or in the hot sun to dry, placing the dish in a slanting position. Having stoned two pounds of best raisins, cut them in half, and when all are done, sprinkle them well with sifted flour, to prevent their sinking to the bottom of the cake. When the currants are dry, sprinkle them also with flour.

Pound the spice, two tablespoonfuls of cinnamon, two nutmegs, powdered; sift and mix the cinnamon and nutmeg together. Mix also a large glass of wine and brandy, half a glass of rose-water in a tumbler or cup. Cut a pound of citron in slips; sift a pound of flour in a broad dish, sift a pound of powdered white sugar into a deep earthen pan, and cut a pound of butter into it. Warm it near the fire, if the weather is too cold for it to mix easily. Stir the butter and sugar to a cream; beat twelve eggs as light as possible; stir them into the butter and sugar alternately with the flour; stir very hard; add gradually the spice and liquor. Stir the raisins and currants alternately in the mixture, taking care that they are well floured. Stir the whole as hard as possible, for ten minutes after the ingredients are in.

Cover the bottom and sides of a large tin or earthen pan with sheets of white paper well buttered, and put into it some of the mixture. Then spread some citron on it, which must not be cut too small; next put a layer of the mixture, and then a layer of citron, and so on till all is in, having a layer of mixture at the top.

This cake will require four or five hours baking, in proportion to its thickness.

Ice it next day.

LAFAYETTE GINGERBREAD.

Must see Rheims, much famed, 'tis said, For making kings and _gingerbread_. MOORE.

Five eggs, half pound of brown sugar, half pound fresh butter, a pint of sugarhouse molasses, a pound and a half of flour, four tablespoonfuls of ginger, two large sticks of cinnamon, three dozen grains of allspice, three dozen of cloves, juice and grated peel of two lemons. Stir the butter and sugar to a cream; beat the eggs very well; pour the molasses at once into the butter and sugar. Add the ginger and other spice, and stir all well together. Put in the eggs and flour alternately, stirring all the time. Stir the whole very hard, and put in the lemon at the last. When the whole is mixed, stir it till very light. Butter an earthen pan, or a thick tin or iron one, and put the gingerbread in it. Bake it in a moderate oven an hour or more, according to its thickness, or you may bake it in small cakes or little tins.

SHREWSBURY CAKES.

And here each season do _those cakes_ abide, Whose honored names the inventive city own, Rendering through Britain's isle Salopia's praises known. SHENSTONE.

Sift one pound of sugar, some pounded cinnamon and a nutmeg grated, into three pounds of flour, the finest sort; add a little rose-water to three eggs well beaten; mix these with the flour, &c.; then pour into it as much butter melted as will make it a good thickness to roll out.

Stir it well, and roll thin; cut it into such shapes as you like. Bake on tins.

HONEY-CAKE.

In vain the circled loaves attempt to lie Concealed in flaskets from my curious eye; In vain the cheeses, offspring of the pail, Or _honeyed cakes_, which gods themselves regale. PARNELL.

One pound and a half of dried sifted flour, three quarters of a pound of honey, half a pound of finely powdered loaf sugar, a quarter of a pound of citron, and half an ounce of orange-peel cut small, of powdered ginger and cinnamon, three quarters of an ounce. Melt the sugar with the honey, and mix in the other ingredients; roll out the paste, and cut it into small cakes of any form.

NAPLES BISCUITS.

Though I've consulted Holinshed and Stow, I find it very difficult to know Who, to refresh the attendants to a grave, Burnt claret first or _Naples biscuit_ gave. KING.

Put three quarters of a pound of fine flour to a pound of powdered sugar; sift both together three times; then add six eggs beaten well, and a spoonful of rose-water; when the oven is nearly hot, bake them.

GINGERBREAD.

Whence oft with sugared cates she doth 'em greet, And _gingerbread_, if rare, now certes doubly sweet. SHENSTONE.

To three quarters of a pound of treacle, beat one egg strained; mix four ounces of brown sugar, half an ounce of ginger sifted, of cloves, mace, allspice, and nutmeg, a quarter of an ounce; beat all as fine as possible; melt one pound of butter, and mix with the above: add as much flour as will knead it into a pretty stiff paste; roll it out, and cut it in cakes.

SPONGE CAKE.

On _cake_ luxuriously I dine, And drink the fragrance of the vine, Studious of elegance and ease, Myself alone I seek to please. GAY.

Take the juice and grated rind of a lemon, twelve eggs, twelve ounces of finely pounded loaf sugar, the same of dried and sifted flour; then, beat the yolks of ten eggs; add the sugar by degrees, and beat it till it will stand when dropped from the spoon; put in at separate times the two other eggs, yolks, and whites; whisk the ten whites for eight minutes, and mix in the lemon-juice, and when quite stiff, take as much as the whisk will lift, and put it upon the yolks and sugar, which must be beaten all the time; mix in lightly all the flour and grated peel, and pour it gradually over the whites; stir it together, and bake it in a large buttered tin or small ones; do not more than half fill them.

SUGAR BISCUITS.

This happy hour elapsed and gone, The time of drinking tea comes on. The kettle filled, the water boiled, The cream provided, the _biscuits_ piled. And lamp prepared; I straight engage The Lilliputian equipage Of dishes, sauces, spoons, and tongs, And all the et ceteras which thereto belongs. DODSLEY.

The weight of eight eggs in finely pounded loaf sugar, and of four in dried flour; beat separately the whites and yolks; with the yolks beat the sugar for half an hour; then add the whites and the flour, and a little grated nutmeg, lemon-peel, or pounded cinnamon. Bake them as French biscuits.

DERBY CAKE.

Some bring a capon, some _Derby cake_, Some nuts, some apples, some that think they make The better cheesecakes, bring them.

Rub in with the hand one pound of butter into two pounds of sifted flour; put one pound of currants, one pound of good moist sugar, and one egg; mix all together with half pint of milk; roll it out thin, and cut it into round cakes with a cutter; lay them on a clean baking plate, and put them into a middling heated oven for about ten minutes.

CRACKNELS.

However, you shall home with me tonight, Forget your cares, and revel in delight; I have in store a pint or two of wine, Some _cracknels_, and the remnant of a chine. SWIFT.

Blanch half a pound of sweet almonds, and pound them to a fine paste, adding to them by degrees six eggs, when thoroughly pounded; pour on them a pound of powdered sugar, the same of butter, and the rinds of two lemons grated; beat up these ingredients in the mortar; put a pound of flour on a slab, and having poured the almond paste upon it, knead them together till they are well incorporated; roll it out, and cut the cracknels into such forms as you think proper; rub them with yolk of egg, and strew over them powdered sugar or cinnamon; then lay them on a buttered tin, and bake them in a moderate oven, taking great care they do not burn.

CHEESECAKES.

Treat here, ye shepherds blithe! your damsels sweet, For pies and _cheesecakes_ are for damsels meet. GAY.

Put two quarts of new milk into a stewpan; set it near the fire, and stir in two tablespoonfuls of rennet; let it stand till it is set (this will take about an hour); break it well with your hand, and let it remain half an hour longer; then pour off the whey, and put the curd into a cullender to drain; when quite dry, put it in a mortar, and pound it quite smooth; then add four ounces of powdered sugar, and three ounces of fresh butter; oil it first by putting it in a little potting pot, and setting it near the fire; stir it all well together; beat the yolks of four eggs in a basin with a little nutmeg grated, lemon-peel, and a glass of brandy; add this to the curd, with two ounces of currants washed and picked; stir it all well together; have your tins ready lined with puff paste, about a quarter of an inch thick; notch them all round the edge, and fill each with the curd.

Bake them twenty minutes.

BRIDE CAKE.

The bridal came; great the feast, And good the _bride cake_ and the priest. SMART.

Take four pounds of fresh butter, two pounds of loaf sugar, pounded and sifted fine, a quarter of an ounce of mace and the same quantity of nutmegs; to every pound of flour put eight eggs; wash and pick four pounds of currants, and dry them before the fire; blanch a pound of sweet almonds, and cut them lengthways very thin, a pound of citron, a pound of candied orange, a pound of candied lemon, and half pint of brandy; first work the butter to a cream; then beat in your sugar a quarter of an hour; beat the white of your eggs to a very strong froth; mix them with your sugar and butter; beat the yolks half an hour at least, and mix them with your cake; then put in your flour, mace, and nutmeg; keep beating it till your oven is ready; put in your brandy; beat the currants and almonds lightly in; tie three sheets of paper round the bottoms of your hoops, to keep it from running out; rub it well with butter; put in your cake and the sweetmeats in three layers, with cake between every layer; after it is risen and colored, cover it with paper.

It takes three hours baking.

KISSES.

"I never give a _kiss_," says Prue, "To naughty man, for I abhor it." She will not give a _kiss_, 'tis true, She'll take one, though, and thank you for it. FROM THE FRENCH.

One pound of the best loaf sugar, powdered and sifted, the whites of four eggs, twelve drops of essence of lemon, a teacup of currant jelly. Beat the whites of four eggs till they stand alone. Then beat in gradually the sugar, a teaspoonful at a time. Add the essence of lemon, and beat the whole very hard. Lay a wet sheet of paper on the bottom of a square tin pan. Drop on it at equal distances a small teaspoonful of currant jelly. With a large spoon, pile some of the beaten white of eggs and sugar on each lump of jelly, so as to cover it entirely. Drop on the mixture as evenly as possible, so as to make the kisses of a round smooth shape. Set them in a cool oven, and as soon as they are colored, they are done. Then take them out, and place two bottoms together. Lay them lightly on a sieve, and dry them in a cool oven, till the two bottoms stick fast together, so as to form one oval or ball.

SWEET MACAROONS.

Where _cakes_ luxuriant pile the spacious dish, And purple nectar glads the festive hour, The guest, without a want, without a wish, Can yield no room to music's soothing power. JOHNSON.

Blanch a pound of sweet almonds; throw them into cold water for a few minutes; lay them in a napkin to dry, and leave them for twenty-four hours; at the end of that time, pound them, a handful at a time, adding occasionally some white of egg, till the whole is reduced to a fine paste; then take two pounds of the best lump sugar; pound and sift it; then put it to the almonds with the grated rinds of two lemons; beat these ingredients together in the mortar, adding, one at a time, as many eggs as you find necessary to moisten the paste, which should be thin, but not too much so, as in that case it would run; your paste being ready, take out a little in a spoon, and lay the macaroons on sheets of white paper, either round or oval, as you please; lay them at least an inch apart, because they spread in baking, and, if put nearer, would touch.

The whole of your paste being used, place the sheets of paper on tins in a moderate oven for three quarters of an hour.

This kind of cake requires great care.

SYLLABUB.

Mountown! the Muses' most delicious theme, O, may thy codlins ever swim in cream! The rasp and strawberries in Bordeaux drown, To add a redder tincture to their own! Thy white wine, sugar, milk, together club, To make that gentle viand--_syllabub_! KING.

Not all thy plate, how formed soe'er it be, Can please my palate like a bowl of thee. BARLOW.

In a large china bowl put a pint of port and a pint of sherry, or other white wine; sugar to taste. Milk the bowl full; in twenty minutes cover it pretty high with clouted cream; grate over it nutmeg; put pounded cinnamon and nonpareil comfits. It is very good without the nonpareil comfits.

BEER OR ALE.

O, Peggy, Peggy! when thou goest to brew, Consider well what you're about to do; Be very wise, very sedately think That what you're now going to make is _drink_; Consider who must drink that drink, and then What 'tis to have the praise of _honest_ men; For surely, Peggy, while that drink does last, 'Tis Peggy will be _toasted or disgraced_. Then if thy _ale_ in glass thou wouldst confine, To make its sparkling rays in beauty shine, Let thy clean bottle be entirely dry, Lest a white substance to the surface fly, And floating there disturb the curious eye; But this great maxim must be understood, "_Be sure, nay very sure, thy cork be good_." Then future ages shall of Peggy tell, That nymph that _brewed and bottled ale so well_! KING.

Twelve bushels of malt to the hogshead for beer, eight for ale; for either, pour the whole quantity of water, hot, but not boiling, on at once, and let it infuse three hours, close covered; mash it in the first half hour, and let it stand the remainder of the time. Run it on the hops, previously infused in water; for beer, three quarters of a pound to a bushel; if for ale, half a pound. Boil them with the wort, two hours, from the time it begins to boil. Cool a pailful; then add three quarts of yeast, which will prepare it for putting to the rest when ready next day; but, if possible, put together the same night. Sun, as usual. Cover the bunghole with paper, when the beer has done working; and when it is to be stopped, have ready a pound and a half of hops, dried before the fire; put them into the bunghole, and fasten it up.