TARTS, CUSTARDS, CHEESE-CAKES, &c.
An apple tart is made the same way as a pie, but if to be eaten cold, make the short crust; which must be observed with all tarts intended to be eaten cold. If you use tin patties to bake in, butter them, and put a little crust all over them, or you will not be able to take them out; but if you bake them in glass or china, only an upper crust will be necessary, as you will not want, to take them out when sent to table; lay fine sugar at the bottom, then your cherries, plumbs, or whatever you may want to put in them, and put sugar at the top. Currants and raspberries make an exceeding good tart, and do not require much baking. Cherries require but little baking; gooseberries, to look red, must stand a good while in the oven. Apricots, if green, require more baking than when ripe; quarter or halve ripe apricots, and put in some of the kernels. Preserved fruit, as damascenes and bullace, require but little baking; fruit that is preserved high should not be baked at all; but the crust should first be baked upon a tin the size the tart is to be; cut it with a marking-iron, or not, and when cold, take it off, and lay it on the fruit. Apples and pears intended to be put into tarts must be pared, cut into quarters, and cored; cut the quarters across again, set them on in a saucepan with as much water as will barely cover them, and let them simmer on a slow fire just till the fruit is tender; put a good piece of lemon peel into the water with the fruit, and then have your patties ready; lay fine sugar at bottom, then your fruit, and a little sugar at top; pour over each tart a tea-spoonful of the liquor they were boiled in; then put on your lid, and bake them in a slack oven. Apricot tarts may be made in the same manner, observing that you must not put in any lemon juice.
To make Rhubarb Tarts.
Take stalks of English rhubarb, that grow in the gardens, peel and cut it the size of gooseberries; sweeten it and make them as you do gooseberry tarts. These tarts may be thought singular, but they are very fine ones and have a pretty flavour; the leaves of rhubarb are a fine thing to eat for a pain in the stomach, the roots for tincture, and the stalks for tarts.
To make Angelica Tarts.
Take the stalks, peel them, cut them into little pieces, pare some golden pippins or nonpareils, of each an equal quantity; first take away the parings of the apples and the cores, boil them in as much water as will cover them, with a little lemon peel and fine sugar till it is like a very thin syrup, then strain it off, and set the syrup on the fire again with the angelica, let it boil about ten minutes, when the crust is ready, lay a sliced apple and a layer of angelica, so on till the pattipans are full, and bake them, filling them first with the syrup.
To make a Raspberry Tart with Cream.
Roll out some thin puff paste, and lay it in a pattipan; lay in some raspberries, and strew over them some very fine sugar; put on the lid and bake it; cut it open, and put in half a pint of cream, the yolks of two or three eggs well beat, and a little sugar; let it stand to be cold before it is sent to bake.
To make Orange or Lemons Tarts.
Take six large oranges or lemons, rub them well with salt, put them in water for two days, with a handful of salt in it; change them into fresh water every day (without salt) for a fortnight, put them into a saucepan of water, and boil them for two or three hours till they are tender, cut them into half quarters, and the three corner-ways, as thin as possible; pare, quarter, and core six pippins, put them into a saucepan with a pint of water, boil them till they are tender, break them smooth with a spoon, and put the liquor and pippins to your oranges or lemons, with a pound of fine sugar, and boil all together for a quarter of an hour; if for an orange tart, squeeze in the juice of an orange; if for lemon, the juice of lemon; put it int gallipots, and when cold tie paper over them; when you make the tarts, let your china or other pattipans be small and shallow, fill them nearly full, and put a thin puff paste over them, ice them, and bake them in a slow oven till the paste is done.
To make green Apricot Tarts.
Take green apricots, put some vine or cabbage leaves at the bottom of a preserving-pan, put them in, and cover them with spring water; put vine or cabbage leaves at the top, put a board or trencher on, to keep them under water, and scald them fill they are yellow; then take them out, put them into cold water a minute, and take them out of the water; put vine or cabbage leaves at the bottom of your preserving pan, put them in it, and cover them with cold spring water; put vine or cabbage leaves over them, set them at a good distance from the fire, and let them simmer up, but not boil; put them away all night in the pan and liquor, and the next morning they will be green; take them out, and put them into another pan, with as much of the liquor as will moisten them, sweeten them with fine sugar to your palate, give them a boil till the sugar is melted, and when they are cold make them into tarts, in china, earthen-ware, or tin pattipans, with what sort of paste you please, ice them, and bake them in a slow oven till the paste is done.
To make green Almond Tarts.
Gather the almonds off the tree before they begin to shell, and rub off the down with a coarse cloth; have a pan of spring water ready to put them in, as fast as they are done, put them into a skillet, cover them with spring water, and set them over the fire at a great distance till it simmers; change the water twice, and let them remain in till they begin to be tender; then take them out, and put them in a clean cloth, with another over them, and gently press them, to make them dry; then make a syrup with double refined sugar, put them in, and simmer them a few minutes; repeat it the next day; put them into a stone jar, and cover them very close for if the least air gets to them they will turn black; when you use them, put them into pattipans, and put either puff or tart paste over them; ice and bake them in a moderate oven.
To make Icing for Tarts.
Beat up the white of an egg to a high froth, with a paste brush put it on the top of the tarts, and sift on them fine powder sugar; before you put them in the oven sprinkle a little water over them. Or thus: beat up the white of an egg to a high froth, and put in two ounces of fine powder sugar; with a wooden spoon beat it well for a quarter of an hour, then with a knife lay it very thin over the tarts.
To make Apple or Pear Tarts.
Pare them first, then cut them in quarters, and take the cores out; cut each across again; throw them into a saucepan, with no more water in it than will just cover the fruit; let them simmer over a slow fire till they are tender; before you set your fruit on the fire, take care to put a large piece of lemon peel into the water; have the pattipans in readiness, and strew fine sugar at the bottom; then lay in the fruit, and cover them with as much of the same sugar as you think sufficient; over each tart pour a tea-spoonful of lemon juice, and three spoonfuls of the liquor in which they were boiled; then lay the lid over them, and put them into a slack oven. If the tarts be made of apricots, &c. you must neither pare, cut, nor stone them, nor use lemon juice,which is the only difference between these and other fruits. Observe, with respect to preserved tarts, only lay in the preserved fruits, and put a very thin crust over them, and bake them as short a time as possible.
To make a Cream Tart.
Put into a stew-pan two spoonfuls of fine flour, with the yolks of six eggs, reserving the whites of them. Mix your flour in a quart of milk, and season it with sugar and a stick of cinnamon, keep it stirring with a ladle, and put in a good lump of butter; the cream being half done, put in some green lemon grated, some preserved lemon peel shred small, with some bitter almond biscuits, let the whole be thoroughtly done; when ready, it be cold, then put an abbess of puff paste in a baking pan, with a border of paste, and put your cream over it, mix with some orange flower water and the whites of eggs beat up to a froth; take care not to over-fill your custard, and let it be done either in the oven or under the cover of a baking pan, with fire under and over; when ready and glazed with sugar, by means of a red-hot fire-shovel, serve it up hot.
To make a Pistachio Tart.
Get a pound of pistachio scalded, pound them and do them as been before directed; take three or four Savoy biscuits, moisten them a little with cream or milk, let them be handled like paste; then mix them, and proceed in the same manner as with almond tarts.
Another Way.
The pistachios being scalded and pounded, mix them with some pastry cream; strew over them sugar, rasped green lemon peel, and preserved lemon peel cut small; add the whites of six eggs beat up to a froth; do the rest as before.
- Note.—The above two compositions with pistachios, are to be made use of with tarts, and in the following pastry.
To make a Chocolate Tart.
Put two spoonfuls of fine flour in a stew-pan, with the yolks of six eggs, reserve their whites, mix these with some milk, add a quarter of a pound of rasped chocolate, with a stick of cinnamon, some sugar, a little salt, and some rasped green lemon peel; let them be a little time over the fire, after which put in a little preserved lemon peel cut small, and having tasted whether it has a fine flavour, let it cool; when cold, mix this with the reserved whites of eggs beat up to a froth, doing the rest as before directed.
Another Way.
Put a spoonful of rice flower and a little salt into a pan, with the yolks of five eggs, a little milk, and mix them well together; then add a pint of cream, and as much sugar as is necessary; set it all to boil over a stove, taking care that it does not curdle; then grate some chocolate into a plate, dry it a little before the fire, and when your cream is boiled, take it off the fire, mix your chocolate well with it, and set it by to cool; sheet a tart-pan, put in your cream and bake it; when it is baked, glazed it with powdered sugar and a red-hot shovel; to serve it up.
To make a Cowslip Tart.
Take the blossoms of a gallon of cowslips, mince them very small, and beat them in a mortar; put to them a handful or two of grated Naples biscuit, and about a pint and an half of cream, boil them a little over the fire, then take them off, and beat them in eight eggs, with a little cream; if it does not thicken, put it over again till it does; take care that it does not curdle; season it with sugar, rose water, and a little salt; bake it in a dish or little open tartest: it is best to let your cream be cold before you stir in the eggs.
To make green Gooseberry Tarts.
You may either use them whole, or make a marmalade of them, with a good syrup; this last is the best method, for by this means you can easily judge how sweet they are; for the marmalade they ought to be stoned when they are pretty large.
To make Minced Pies.
Pare and core two pounds of golden pippins, two pounds of suet clean picked, and two pounds of raisins of the sun stoned; chop these separately very fine, add two pounds of currants washed, dried, and rubbed very clean in a cloth; put these ingredients together into a large pan, strew in half an ounce of cinnamon beaten fine, a pound of lump sugar pounded, the peel of a lemon cut fine, the juice of a Seville orange, a gill of sack, and a gill of brandy; mix all well together, then put it close down in a pot, and lay over it writing paper dipped in brandy; when you make pies, add sweetmeats to them, if you chuse; but they are exceeding good without.
To make Minced Pies for Lent.
Boil six eggs hard, a dozen of golden pippins pared and cored, a pound of raisins of the sun stoned; chop these separately very fine; a pound of currants washed, cleaned, and rubbed in a cloth, two ounces of sugar pounded, an ounce of citron, and an ounce of candied orange, both cut small, a quarter of an ounce of beaten cinnamon, two cloves beat fine, and half a nutmeg grated, a gill of canary, and half a gill of brandy; squeeze in the juice of a Seville orange; mix these all well together, and press them close down into a pot for use.
To make Almond Custard.
Take half a pound of sweet Jordan almonds and three bitter almonds, blanch and beat them very fine with orange flower water, and the yolks of six eggs well beat and strained, with a quart of sweet cream; mix all together, and sweeten it to your palate; set it over a slow fire, and keep it stirring one way till it be thick, then pour it into your cups, and if you would have it richly perfumed, put in a grain of ambergris.
To make Lemon Custard.
Beat the yolks of ten eggs, strain them, beat them with a pint of cream; sweeten the juice of two lemons, boil it with the peel of one; strain it; when cold, stir it to the cream and eggs till it nearly boils; or put it into a dish, grate over the rind of a lemon, and brown with a salamander.
To make Rice Custard.
Put a blade of mace and a quartered nutmeg into a quart of cream; boil it, then strain it, and add to it some whole rice boiled, and a little brandy; sweeten it, stir it over the fire till it thickens, and serve it up in cups or a dish: it may be eaten either hot or cold.
To make baked Custard
Boil a pint of cream with mace and cinnamon; when cold take four eggs, leaving out two of the whites, a little rose and orange flower water and sack, nutmeg and sugar to your palate; mix them well together, and bake them in china cups.
To make Orange Custard.
Take the juice of ten oranges, strain and sweeten them to your taste, dissolve your sugar in the juice over the fire; when cold, take six and twenty yolks of eggs, beat them well, and mingle them with a quart of cream; put the juice of ten oranges more in, and strain all together, stirring them all the time they are over the fire, one way, for fear of curding; when it is of a good thickness pour it into your cups.
Another Way.
Take half the rind of a Seville orange, and boil it tender; beat it very fine in a mortar, and put to it a spoonful of brandy, a quarter of a pound of a loaf sugar, the juice of a Seville orange, and the yolks of four eggs; beat them all well together for ten minutes, and then pour in by degrees a pint of boiling cream; keep beating them till they are cold, then put them in custard cups, and set them in an earthen dish of hot water; let them stand till they are set, then take them out, and stick preserved orange on the top: they may be served up either hot or cold.
To make Cream Custard.
Grate the crumb of a penny loaf extremely fine, and put it into a quart of cream, with half a pound of fresh butter, and the yolks of a dozen eggs; put to them as much sugar as you chuse, then let it thicken over the fire, make the custard shallow, and when they have stood half an hour in a slow oven, grate some loaf sugar over them, and serve them up.
To make a plain Custard.
Take a quart of cream or new milk, a stick of cinnamon, four laurel leaves, and some large mace, boil them all together; take twelve eggs, beat them well together, sweeten them, and put them in your pan; bake them, or boil them, stirring them all one way, till they are of a proper thickness: boil your spice and leaves first, and when the milk is cold, mix your eggs and boil it: you may leave out the spice, and only use the laurel leaves, or, in the room of that, four or five bitter almonds.
Another Way.
Take a quart of new milk, the yolks of six eggs, beat fine and strained, and half a small nutmeg grated; sweeten all to your palate, and either bake or boil them.
Another Way.
Boil a quart of cream, then sweeten it with fine powder sugar, and beat up the yolks of eight eggs, with two spoonfuls of orange flower water; stir all together, strain it through a sieve, set them on the fire, and keep them stirring all one way till they are of a proper thickness; then pour them into your cups, and put them soon after in a stew-pan, with as much water as will rise half up the cups, set the stew-pan over a charcoal fire, and let it simmer so as to have them of a proper thickness.
To make a Cream Posset.
Take twelve eggs, leave out two or three whites, take out all the treads, and beat them well into the bason you make your posset in; add half a pound of sugar, a pint of sack, and a nutmeg grated; stir it and set it on a chafing-dish of coals til it is more than blood warm; take a quart of sweet cream, when it boils pour it into a bason, cover it with a warm plate and a cloth, then set it on a chafing-dish of embers till it be as thick as you wish, and strew on some fine cinnamon.
To make Cheesecakes.
Take a gallon of new milk, set it as for a cheese, and gently whey it; break it into a mortar, put to it the yolks of six eggs, and flour of the whites; sweeten it to your taste, put in a nutmeg, some rose water, and sack; mix these together, set over the fire a quart of cream, and make it into a hasty-pudding; mix all together well, and fill you pattipans just as they are going into the oven, which must be ready immediately to receive them; when they rise well up, they are enough; make you paste; take about a pound of flour, and strew three spoonfuls of loaf sugar, beat and sifted, into it; rub in a pound of butter, one egg, and a spoonful of rose water, the rest cold fair water; make it into a paste, roll it very thin, put it into your pans, and fill them almost full.
Another Way.
Take tender curds, two gallons of milk, a quart of cream, and force the curd through a canvas strainer; add to this half a pound of good butter; a pint of cream, the yolks of twelve eggs, and two whites, put nutmeg, rose water, and salt to your own taste; mingle these well together and add to this a pound of currants washed, plumped, and dried; mix them all together, put them into coffins, and bake them in an oven or hot stove.
Another Way.
Take the curd of a gallon of milk, three quarters of a pound of fresh butter, two grated biscuits, two ounces of blanched almonds pounded, with a little sack and orange flower, half a pound of currants and seven eggs, some spice and sugar, beat them up in a little cream, till they are very light, and then make your cheesecakes.
To make Potatoe or Lemon Cheesecakes.
Take six ounces of potatoes, four ounces of lemon peel, four ounces of sugar, and four ounces of butter; boil the lemon peel till tender, pare and scrape the potatoes, boil them tender and bruise them; beat the lemon peel with the sugar then beat them all together well, and let it lie till cold; put crust in your pattipans and fill them a little more than half; bake them in a quick oven half an hour, and sift some double refined sugar on them as they go in; this quantity will make a dozen small pattipans.
To make Mrs. Harrison's Cheesecakes.
For the paste use a quart of fine flour, or more, a pound of butter rubbed into the flour, with a quarter of a pound of sugar beat fine, two spoonfuls of orange flower water; make it into a paste and lay it in pattipans for the curd; take the yolks of twelve eggs beat in a pint of very thick cream; when the cream boils up put in the eggs, then take if off and put it in a cloth over a culender; whey some new milk with runnet for the other curd, when you temper them together, take a pound of currants, three quarters of a pound of butter, half a pound of sugar, a quarter of an ounce of nutmegs, four spoonfuls of rose water, and bake them quick.
To make Orange Cheesecakes.
Take half a pound of Jordan almonds, beat them very fine, and put to them a little sack or orange flower water, lest they turn to oil; the yolks of eight eggs, and three whites, three quarters of a pound of melted butter, and the rinds of two Seville oranges, grated and well beaten; mix these all together and sweeten it to your taste; the oven must be as quick as can be without burning them; and a very little time will bake them.
To make Rice Cheesecakes.
Take a pound of ground rice, and boil it in a gallon of milk, with a little whole cinnamon, till it be of a good thickness; pour it into a pan, and put about three quarters of a pound of fresh butter in it; let it stand covered till it is cold; then put in twelve eggs, and leave half the whites out, and a pound of currants, grate in a small nutmeg, and sweeten it to your own palate.
To make Bread Cheesecakes.
Having sliced a penny loaf as thin as possible, pour on it a pint of a boiling cream, and let it stand two hours; take eight eggs, half a pound of butter, and a nutmeg grated; beat them well together, and put in half a pound of currants well washed and dried before the fire, and a spoonful of white wine or brandy; then bake them in pattipans or raised crust.
To make Cheesecakes the French Way, called Ramequins.
Take good Parmesan, or Cheshire cheese, melt it in a stew-pan with a bit of butter, and one or two spoonfuls of water; add as much flour as will make it pretty thick, and quit the sides of the pan, put it into another pan, and add eggs to it, one by one, mixing it well with a wooden spoon till it becomes pretty light and clear; add one or two pounded anchovies, and a little pepper; bake the cases singly upon a baking-plate, or in paper cases, of what shape you please; they require but a short time, and a soft oven, and must be served quite hot.
To make Citron Cheesecakes.
Boil a quart of cream, and when cold, mix it with the yolks of four eggs well beaten; set it on the fire and let it boil till it curds; blanch some almonds, beat them with orange flower water, put them into the cream, with a few Naples biscuits and green citron shred fine; sweeten it to your taste, and bake them in tea-cups.
To make Court Cheesecakes.
Boil a bit of butter in a little water and a little salt; thicken it with as much flour as it will take, stirring it on the fire constantly until it becomes quite a paste; then mix the eggs with it one by one, to make it almost as liquid as a thick batter; and mix some good cream cheese with it; bake it in good puff paste, coloured with yolks of eggs; serve it up either hot or cold.
To make Apple Fritters.
Take four yolks of eggs and two whites, beat them well together, and strain them; then take a pint of cream, make it hot, put to it half a quarter of a pint of sack, and half a pint of ale; when cool, put it to the eggs, and beat it well together; put in ginger, nutmeg, salt, and flour to your liking; pare some pippins, slice them in, and fry them; they are proper for a side dish for supper.
To make Clary Fritters.
Beat two eggs well with one spoonful of cream, ratifia water, loaf sugar, and two spoonfuls of flour; grate in half a nutmeg; have ready washed and dried clary leaves, dip them in the batter, and fry them a nice brown; serve them up with quarters of Seville oranges laid round them, and good melted butter in a boat.
To make Raspberry Fritters.
Grate two Naples biscuits, pour over them half a gill of boiling cream, when it is almost cold, beat the yolks of four eggs to a strong froth, beat the biscuits a little, then beat both well together; put to it two ounces of sugar, and as much juice of raspberry as will make it a fine pink colour, and give it a proper sharpness, drop them into a pan of boiling lard, the size of a walnut; when you dish them up, stick bits of citron in some, and blanched almonds cut length-ways in others; lay round them green and yellow sweetmeats, and serve them up; they are a pretty corner dish for either dinner or supper.
To make Plumb Fritters with Rice.
Grate the crumb of a penny loaf, pour over it a pint of boiling cream, or good milk, let it stand four or five hours, then beat it very fine, put to it the yolks of five eggs, four ounces of sugar, and a nutmeg grated, beat them well together, and fry them in hog's lard; drain them on a sieve, and serve them up with white wine sauce under them. You may put currants in if you please.
To make Strawberry Fritters.
Make a paste with flour, a spoonful of fine oil, chopped lemon peel, half whites of eggs beat up, and white wine sufficient to make it pretty soft, and just ready to drop with a spoon; mix some large strawberries with it; and rop the size of a nutmeg in the hot fritter, for as many as you propose to make; be careful to take them out, in the same manner, as they are draining, and glaze them with sugar.
To make Rice Fritters.
Take some rice, wash it in five or six different waters, and dry it well before the fire; then beat it in a mortar, and sift it through a lawn sieve, that it may be very fine; you must have at least an ounce of it, then put it into a saucepan, wet it, with milk and when it is well incorporated with it, add to it another pint of milk; set the whole over a stove or a very slow fire, and keep it always moving; put in a little sugar, and some candied lemon peel grated, keep it over the fire till it is almost the thickness of a fine paste, flour a peel, pour it on, and spread it about with a rolling pin; when it is quite cold, cut it into little pieces, taking care that they do not stick one to the other; flour your hands, and roll up your fritters handsomely, and fry them. When you serve them up pour a little orange flower water and sugar over them. These are very handsome to garnish or make a side dish with.
To make Orange Fritters.
Take one or two preserved oranges, which cut into as many pieces as you think proper; make a good thick batter, with sweet wine, and finish these as all others; the same may be done with lemon, bergamotte, or any other fruits.
To make Curd Fritters.
Take about a handful of curds, the same quantity of flour, ten eggs well beaten and strained, some sugar, cloves, mace and nutmeg beat, and a little saffron; stir all well together, and fry them quick, and of a fine brown.
To make Olive Fritters.
Make a thin puff paste, and cut it into small bits, in each put a little boiled cream, and mix a few pistachio nuts bruised; wet the borders with water or yolks of eggs, to pinch them close; fry them of a good colour; you may glaze them brown or white; these are also done with apples, marmalade, &c. either baked or fried.
To make Fritters in the Italian Fashion.
Boil a quarter of a pound of rice, very tender, in milk; when it is pretty thick, put in a little salt some fine sugar, orange flowers preserved, and chopped green lemon peel, a handful of flour, and three whole eggs; mix it all well, add some currants, or a couple of good apples, peeled and cut in small bits; butter a sheet of paper, and put this preparation upon it singly, with a spoon, each about the size of a large nutmeg; put this sheet of paper into your pan, observing to have butter enough to prevent them burning when they quit the paper, take it out and continue frying them till they are of a good colour; take them out to drain upon a sieve; strew upon them a little powder sugar; and serve them as hot as possible.
To make Fritters in the English Fashion.
Beat up six whole eggs, with a good handful of flour, salt, fine sugar, green lemon peel chopped, orange flower water, macaroni-drops bruised, half a pint of good rich cream; rub the inside of a stew-pan with butter: boil this preparation slowly, between two fires, without stirring it; when it is simmered thick enough, turn it over upon a dish, and let it cool to harden; when you mean to use it, cut it in small pieces, and fry it of a good colour; finish as the last.
To make Almond Fritters.
Take half a pound of sweet almonds, and six or eight bitter ones, orange flowers, chopped lemon peel, sugar in proportion, a handful of flour, two or three whites of eggs; pound all together some time, with a few drops of water, or more white of eggs, to make it of a proper suppleness, to roll it in little balls; roll them in flour, to fry as force-meat bullets; stew a little fine powder sugar upon them; when they are ready to serve.