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Introduction: Of Well-To-Do Women; Lady Catherine’s Recipe Book
Introduction: Of Well-To-Do Women; Lady Catherine’s Recipe Book
Lady Catherine Fitzgerald was an upper-class woman in England during the 18th century whose recipe book comprises various medical, domestic, and cookery receipts written between 1703 and 1707. Within the book, two distinctly different hands are present; in the beginning of the book, the hand of who is presumed to be of Lady Catherine is present, while the latter half of the book is composed by a William Kirbey. [1] Furthermore, the receipts in the book, especially those dealing with cookery, offer what benefits such recipes have for an individual; for example, in Lady Catherine’s Angells Bread recipe, she remarks the bread’s benefits for ailments of consumption and for gaining weight. Besides the receipts and authors, the book also contains a thorough index in the back of the back that offers an alphabetical list of the receipts and the corresponding page numbers. The book also speaks to the social and economic framework Lady Catherine existed in. On the one hand, page eighty-seven of her book offers a receipt entitled “How to Make My Sister Fitzgerald’s Meade” which highlights the importance of the inner-familial network of shared knowledge production. In Elaine Leong’s work “Collecting Knowledge for the Family: Recipes, Gender and Practical Knowledge in the Early Modern English Household,” Leong speaks of the early-modern household as a space in which collaboration extended through both family members and the recipe book’s home, rather than being private to a sole individual. [2] Moreso, as the book contains the hand of someone other than Lady Catherine, presumed to be somewhat illiterate, the book most certainly was shared among who can presumed to be Lady Catherine’s servants. On the other hand, the rather large scale of the book-- standing eight inches tall-- along with the impressive handwriting speaks to Lady Catherine’s high social status in 18th century England. Unlike lower class women who, if able to write at all, would not have had access to a well bound and extensive collection of their receipts, Lady Catherine’s book speaks to her social standing. Likewise, Lady Catherine’s collection of receipts speaks to the growing importance of empire, as many recipes calling for copious amounts of goods produced in tandem to England’s colonial outposts. As Bouchard and Herbert states in their article, “One British Thing: A Manuscript Recipe Book, ca. 1690–1730,” the inclusion of goods like sugar show an alarming, growing acceptance of enslavement and exploitation through the quickly expanding British Empire. As such, Lady Catherine’s recipe book speaks to the experiences and understandings of a well-established woman in England during the early-modern period.
[1] “Fitzgerald, Lady Catherine.” Wellcome Library n.d. https://search.wellcomelibrary.org/iii/encore/record/C__Rb1929459__S2367__P0,4__Orightresult__U__X3?lang=eng&suite=cobalt.
[2] Leong, Elaine. “Collecting Knowledge for the Family: Recipes, Gender and Practical Knowledge in the Early Modern English Household.” In Collecting Knowledge for the Family. John Wiley and Sons Pte Ltd., 2013., p. 96.
F. 1
To Make Angells Bread
Take a pound of tho finest flour of pearle Barley, a pound of white sugar Candy beaton and searched an ounce of pearle powdred then stuew a strener of flower, & one of sugar & one of pearle into a Gelly pott and soedoe till the pott be full --- then paste it up or tye it downe with a paper and sett it into the oven with a batch of browne bread, then take itt out, and if it will not slip out of the pott, breaks the pott, & keep it for your use, make it into a powder and take a spoonfull of it in any spoon made for your breakfast, or you may eate it dry ; It is very goode for consumptions or to make one fatt.
To Make Suger of Rosses
Take 1 pound of the powder of read Roses and mixe it with a little Juice of Lemon till it be very stiffe, then take 2 ounces more, then halfe a pound of very fine Loafe sugar & wett it in water, and boyle it till it come to sugar, then putt in the power of Roses, warm it upon the fire, but let it not boyle, stirring it with a knife or spoone, then take a plye pleate and Rub it with butter very thin, & lett it stand till it be Could, then putt out into what fashion you please, & keep it for your use ; it good for a Cold.
To make Sirrop of Woodsorroll
Take the Leaves and Shootes of woodsoroll cleere picks stamp and straine them then let it stand until it settle, then take the cleere and put to a pint of it a pound and little more of sugar double refind, being all melted sett it one the fire and lett itt have a good boyle, then putt it into glasses and keep it for your use.
F. 2
To make Consearno of woodsorrell
Take a pound of woodsorell cleane picked & a pint of more of woodsorell water, and boyle the woodsorrell in y^e water until it be soft and all the liquor dryed away, the put it to 2 pd of sugar, and soe boyle it till it begin to Jelly than putt to it y^e Juyce and halfe a Lemon and stir it, then boyle it a little while after, & keep stiring of itt till it be almost Cold, then putt it into potts.
To make Almond Biscuite
Take halfe a pound of almonds blachd in cold water, let them with Rose water till they do not glisten if you think fitt, lay 7 or 8 musk confitts dissolved in Rose water which must not be above 6 or 7 spoonfuls for feare of spoyling the ___, when they are thus beaten, put in halfe a pound of sugar finely sifted, beat that and the almonds together till they are well mixt, then take the whites of two eggs and 2 spoonfulls of fine flour that hath been dryed in an ovuen, beat these well together and pour it to the almonds then cuter your pleats and dust your Cakes with flouer and sugar and when they are a little browne, draw them, and then the oveun is cold, set them in again on one browne paper and they will beake whiter.
To make Hartshorn Gelly
Take a cleane earthen botle put into 3 handfulls of harts horne, fill it with water, stop it close, sett it in a panne of boyling water, lett it boyle 2 hours, then put it up and soafen it with sugar and lemon peels, or as you please.
F. 3
To make Orange chips
Pare your oranges very thin, boyle them in ___ waters then weigh a pound of them, take a pound of fine Soafesugar -- make a candy, then put in your peeles and lett them boyle a good while, the putt them and the syrop up into a glass, leave them a day and a night in the glass, then lay them upon white paper, sett them in a warm stond and let y^m dry.
To make Oreng Marmalett
Take 3 pound of orniges, lay them in steepe 2 nights and 2 dayes shifting them 3 times, them boyle y^m in three or 4 ____ lett all the waters boyle before you put them in ____ y^m first, be very careful they break not, then weigh them, take the weight in powdersugar, except one pound, take to a pint of sugar a pint of water, make a clarifie of it with the white of an egge, the straine it through a sine, cutt your oringes, take the meate out and kernolls, slipp halfe your kernolls, cutt them small, & putt them to the meate, cutt the peales into small diamonds, putt them and the meate into the Clarifier, and lett them have a seate upon the fire, putt them up close covered till next day then boyle them up with a pond of double refind sugar, stirr y^m very well, least they burne to the bottom, when it is pretty stiff Gelly, put in the Juice of 2 Lemons let have only a warme one y^m fire, take it off putt in some Amborgeroff lett it stand a little, then put into up into you glass.
F. 4
To make Sugar Cakes
Take 5 pd of fine flower well dryed 1 ½ of sugar, 5 yolks of eggs 3 pounds of butter, then put in a handfull of [inkblot over text] of Coriander seeds, then kneathe it all up together, and so make it into cakes, cover your past(e) w^th a warme cloth till it is made, cutt your past(e) with a glass, when you sett your cakes into the ovuen you must sift fine sugar upon them, if it be double refined it will make them look much better, you must make the oven noe hotter then for ordinary cakes --- remember to steeps your Coriander seeds in sack and to warme your butter
To make Almond Cakes
Take a pound of double refind sugar, beat it and search it all through a fine search, keep a little of the last to shen upon the Cakes when you sett them into the oven; take a pd. of Almonds. Put them into water over night, the next day blanch them and cutt out all the specks, and dry them very well in a cloth, then beat them with as much Rose water as will keep them your oyling, and as you beat y^m lay them into your searched sugar; you must take two spoonfuls of greated bread, & mingle it with your searched sugar then take the white of 5 Eggs and beat them up to froth, and soe stirr them together, then take the paper & whafer bottom, and soe lay them one it just when y^e oveun is ready but show a little flower betwixt the Paper & the whafer.
F. 5
To make a very good Confett Cake
Take 4 pd of the finest white flower & 1 ½ pd of the best sweete butter, break it in bitts into the flower then rub it in a bowle y^e hands, till [inkblot] go all like fine greated break, that noe butter be seene, then take a pint of very sweet cream and as much milk, if the cream be thinn putt in the more and the less milk, heat it as you may well hold your finger into itt.
To make Gumballs
Take a pd of flowr ¾ of sugar well beaten 2 Eggs, but 2 whites-- well beaten 4 spoonfulls of cream, 1 spoonfull of Rose water, kneade all together & rolle it and tye it in knottes as you please, keep a hott Cloth over it will it be done, then take rosewater and sugar thickned together, and doe it over them. Just when you sett them into the oven upon a buttred plate
To make Goosburrÿ Cakes
Putt your goosberyes into a pott, & sett it into a kettle of water lett them boyle till they be very tender, then stranie them gently by a little at once, that you may none but thin syrup, take fine Loafe sugar weight for weight, boyle your sugar to a Candy height, then putt in your syrup, boyle it a little, and put in into papers, and store it with a gentle ___.
To Make Apricock Cakes
Take Apricocks drest and quartered, to 5 pd of Apricock take ⅗ pd of loafe sugar beaten small, put it into y^r apricocks in a skellitt, set them ene a soft fire, until the sugar be melted then boyle it quick and when the Apricocks begin to be tender, take out 8 or 9 spoonfulls of thin syrup, then bray your Apricocks and boyle them up quick until it begin to rife from the sids, & then it is enough, put it in papers.
F. 6
To Make Cowslip Wine
Take 5 gallons of running water and a bushell of Cowslip flowers picked, 20 lb of malaga Reasins washed, rubd and shred, put all this into a good highe tubb, cover it with a clean linen cloth and a blankett and sett it in a roome where some breath of fire may come to it, soe lett it stand 9 dayes, but stirr it with a stick 3 or 4 times a day; for it will work upwards, soe straine it through a hair sine, and putt it into little runletts, when it hath stood 2 or 3 dayes, bottle it in little glass bottle, and putt into every bottle a little lump of sugar; soe you may doe with Jelly flowers & Elderflowers.
To Make Leeches
Take halfe milk and halfe creame and take [illegible] and lay it in water, then boyle it in the milk with a stick of sinimon in it, and lett it boyle till it be stiffe anough to cutt, then season it with rosewater or & sugar.
F. 7
To Make a Bakd Puding
Take 3 [illegible] and cut them in thin slices, then boyle it soft, then take 8 egs, the yolks of 7 & one white and beate them very well, boyle the bread in a quart of creame, then stirre in the egs and a handfull of fine flower and a sliced nutmeg & some greene Citron & orenge, then putt it all in a dish, and lett it stand ¾ of an hour heate the oven as hott as for white breade, when the bread and cream is boyld, lett it stand a while covered close to soften the bread, then bruise all the little lumpts of the bread, then putt the egges in, & wett the flowr in 3 spoonfulls of rosewater and stirre it in very well. If there be any lumps in it runne it through a cullender, and then put in the sliced nutmeg and a little salt and a spoonfull of sack and sweeten it with sugar to your taste, then put in the citron and orenge well mixte together & a little melted butter.
To Collur Beefe
Take the thinn end of a flanke of beefe take all the skin and strings out, then put to it as much pump water as will cover it, put it into a wooden or earthen vessell, then put in as much salt peter and stirre it in till it is soe stronge as to beare an ege, then put it in 6 or more cloves of garlicke 6 onions quartered, let it stand 3 dayes together, but the onions must be taken out at the 2 dayes end, then hang it one a hooks to draine 2 or 3 houres, then take sage savary, Marjoran.
F. 8
[cont.] & Taragon of each what quantity you think fitt, drye the herbs and rub them or mince them very small, take also peper, cloves, mace, ginger and nutmegs what quantity you think fitt, beat them very small mixt them together, and season the inside of the beefe with it, then fould it and bind it very close with a pack thred and lay it in an Earthen pott, putt to it a quart of water and as much Clarett, or what quantity the Beefe requires, then take the skins of the Beefe and lay upon it, then putt it in an oven and bake it, when it is holf baked take it out and turne it againe, and sett it in againe, and lett it stand till it be baked, then take it out and hange it up, and soe use it, you may doe veale the same way.
To Make Rasberry Wine
Take 3 gallons of spring water and boyle it in a pann halfe an hour, then take 4 pd of reasins of the sunne, wash them, and stone them and dry, th[e]n put them into the water as soone as it comes of the fire, take 5 quarts of fresh Rasberyes, bruise them, and put them into the water, and also a pd of Loafe sugar, stirr it all very well together, and put it in another pott, and lett it stand 2 days in a cellar close stopt, then runne it through a haire sive into another pott, and putt in halfe a pd of sugar more
F. 9
[cont.] more, soe lett it stand a night and a day to settle, then drane it into bottles, and putt into every bottle halfe an ounce of sugar, soe keep it close it will be fitt to drink in a fortnight, and will keep 6 weeks.
Another Rasberry Wine
Take a galon of sack or Rhenish or white wine, put into it 3 qts of Rasberyes bruised, and halfe a pound of sugar, let it stand in a cellar, 2 or 3 dayes, then straine it and let it stand anight to settle, bottle it and stop it very close, and put into every bottle a lump of sugar.
To Make Cherry Wine
Take of the right English Cherryes, crush them with your hands very [illegible] small, and soe lett them stand 3 nights in a vesell of stone in a cellar or cold roome, then runne them through a strainer, to every gallon of Juyce put in ¾ lb of loafe sugar, let it stand a day to cleare, and soe bottle it, put into every bottle halfe an ounce of sugar.
To Make Paste of Plumes Peares or Quinces
To Printe
Take any sorte of plumes of fruite and boyle it to make up to marmelett hight, and when its cold, with fine searcht sugar beate it in a morter to a perfect past , then print it and stone itt.
To Make White Marmalett of Quinces
Boyle your quinces whole unpard, and being very well boyld, take sume out & peare and coare them, and neigh them, and to a pd of quinces take a pd of sugar or more, and put in sume water and lett it boyle to a very thick syrup, then take it of and let it coole, and being a
F. 10
[cont.] a manar coold, put in your quinces, set it one the fire againe, and let it boyle, stiring it continually, till it be thick anough to be putt into the boxes.
To Presearve Cherryes
Take to a pound of Cherryes ¾ lb sugar and wett the sugar with the juice of goosberryes stone the Cherryes, and put them into the sugar, and boyle them up quickly till they are a gelly, then skinne them-- you may doe soe with Curance.
To Make Syrup of Jelly Flowres
Take to a pound of fine sugar a little more then halfe a pint of water, and boyle it to a syrup, have your flowers ready out and bruised, then put them into the syrup boyling, cover them up close till next day, then lett them have one boyle and straine them through a panne strainer, put it up, the more flowers you put in the thicker the syrup will bee, this way you may make syrup of violetts or Cowslips or damaske Roses; you may when it is done put a glass of sack into the syrup of Jelly flowrs.
To Presearve Apricockes
Take to a pound of Apricocks ¾ lb of sugar, stone the Apricocks and peare them hansomly, and beate the sugar very fine, and strew some in the bottom of the presarveing panne
F. 11
[cont.] And lay in the Apricokes as you pare them, and strew sugar on, and soe lay a row of Apricockes and then lay sugar one them and cover them up, and let them stand all night in the sugar the next day boyle them pretty quick, till they be pretty tender then cover them up 2 or 3 dayes, and then boyle them up pretty quick till they be anough.
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