All the King's Cooks (26 page)

1
 
Cut off the head and draw the innards from the trout.

2
 
Simmer the salt and parsley in sufficient water to cover the trout for 5 minutes, and strain into a clean pan.

 
Add the trout, simmer for 10–15 minutes until just tender, then drain, dish and serve with Greensauce (see
here
)

CRAB
⁴⁸

1
 
Soak the pickled crab meat in the vinegar and wine for 20 minutes, chop it finely and rub it through a sieve.

Stir in a little more wine and vinegar if necessary to produce a smooth paste.

Stir in the spices and sugar, return to the shell, place over a gentle heat, stir until it boils then serve sprinkled with a little ground cinnamon and sugar.

BUTTERED POT-HERBS
⁴⁹

1
 
Wash and coarsely chop the greens, put into a pan, barely cover them with water and boil for 15–20 minutes until just tender.

2
 
Drain off most of the water, stir in the butter and salt, and dish on a layer of cubed white bread.

RYSMOLE
⁵⁰

1.
 
Blend the almonds with 275ml (½ pt) water. Add the rice flour, blend again, and put the mixture into a pan with a further 275ml (½ pt) water, and the remaining ingredients.

2.
 
Cook gently, stirring continuously, until the mixture has thickened and boiled. Then pour into a dish and serve either hot or cold.

A TART OF SPINACH
⁵¹

1.
 
Wash the fresh spinach, shake off the surplus water, and cook in a covered pan for 10–15 minutes until tender.

2.
 
Rub the cooked (or tinned) spinach through a sieve, or blend until smooth. Mix in the warmed but unmelted butter, sugar, spices and eggs, and pour into the prepared tart case.

3.
 
Bake at 180°C (3S0°F, gas mark 4) for 45 minutes until set. Serve cold.

Fish Day Second Course Pottages

BALLOC BROTH
⁵²

1
 
Skin the eel, cut in 2 – 2 cm (1 inch) lengths, place in a pan with 1.2 litre (2 pints) of water and all except the cod, saffron, salt and vinegar and simmer for 15 minutes.

2
 
Add the remaining ingredients, simmer for a further 15 minutes, then dish and serve.

SERGEANT OF THE KING’S SALMON ROASTED IN SAUCE
⁵³

1.
 
Finely chop the onion, place in a saucepan with the wine and cinnamon, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.

2.
 
Place the salmon on a grid and cook over charcoal or beneath a gas or electric grill for 4–7 minutes each side, depending on the thickness of the steaks.

3.
 
When the onions and salmon are both cooked, place the salmon on a hot dish. Then stir the vinegar, ginger and salt into the onions, and pour this sauce over the salmon just before serving.

SERGEANT OF THE KING’S MORTRESS OF FISH
⁵⁴

1.
 
Put the fish in a shallow pan, just cover with water, and simmer for about 10 minutes, until tender.

2.
 
Lift the fish on to a plate and remove all the skin and bones.

3.
 
Blend the almonds with 425ml (¾ pt) of the fish stock from the pan (together with the cooked liver of the fish, if available), then blend in the fish, breadcrumbs and sugar.

4.
 
Pour the mixture into a pan and cook for a few minutes, stirring continuously until it has thickened. Then pour it into serving dishes, leave it to cool, and sprinkle with the mixed ginger and icing sugar just before serving.

TO BAKE STOCKFISH
⁵⁵

1.
 
Mix together the onion, parsley, salt and pepper.

2.
 
Rub the lard into the flour, mix in just enough water to make a stiff shortcrust pastry, and knead lightly.

3.
 
Roll the pastry out to form a large rectangle.

 
Put a layer of the onion mixture across one half of the pastry, and arrange some of the fish on top. Add the remaining onion
mixture and fish in alternate layers, dotting them with butter, to form a shallow rectangular mound.

4.
 
Moisten the edges of the pastry with a little milk, fold the empty half of the pastry over the fish mixture, and seal and roll the edges all round. Then pierce a hole in the top and pour in the vinegar.

5.
 
Glaze the pastry with milk, and bake at 220°C (400°F, gas mark 6) for 45 minutes.

SHRIMPS
⁵⁶

1
 
Plunge the shrimps into boiling water with the salt, simmer for 3–4 minutes, cool, drain and pull of the heads, legs and shells.

2
 
Arrange the tails around the brim of a saucer, pour the vinegar into the centre and serve.

PEAS ROYAL
⁵⁷

1
 
Simmer the peas in the stock for 5 minutes, remove half of them, grind them to a smooth paste with the almond milk, parsley and breadcrumbs.

2
 
Return the paste to the whole peas, add the saffron, sugar or honey, and simmer for a further 5 minutes.

3
 
Remove from the heat, stir in the salt and yolk, pour into a dish, sprinkle with the sugar and serve.

A TART OF GOOSEBERRIES
⁵⁸
,

1.
 
Simmer the gooseberries in the wine, or the damsons in the claret, until tender, then add the breadcrumbs, stirring continuously to form a soft mixture.

2.
 
Using the back of a wooden spoon, rub the mixture through a sieve into a bowl, then beat in the butter, sugar, and finally the eggs.

3.
 
Pour the mixture into the prepared tart case and bake at 180°C (350°F, gas mark 4) for 45 minutes until set. Serve cold.

ROAST APPLES
⁵⁹

1
 
Place the apples in a baking dish (having scored them around their circumference) and bake at 200º C (400ºF, gas mark 6) for about 50–60 minutes until tender.

2
 
Transfer the apples to a dish and sprinkle with the fennel and caraway comfits.

Confectionery for Sweetened Banquet

PRUNES IN SYRUP
⁶⁰

1.
 
Soak the prunes overnight in the claret.

2.
 
Gently cook the prunes, claret and sugar together until the prunes are swollen and tender. Either eat them within the next few days or seal them down in sterilised jars and store in a cool place.

TO CONSERVE CHERRIES
⁶¹

1.
 
Put the sugar and spices into 575ml (1 pt) rosewater in a pan and stir with a wooden spatula over a gentle heat until the sugar has dissolved.

2.
 
Add the cherries with enough additional water to cover them, bring them to a gentle simmer and, continue cooking until they are soft and begin to split.

3.
 
To preserve them, pour the hot cherries, spices and syrup into sterilised jars and seal down; for immediate vise, allow to cool and serve within the next 2–3 days.

SUCCADE OF LEMON PEELS
⁶²

1.
 
Halve the lemons, squeeze out the juice (use for any other purpose – it freezes well) and scrape out the coarser membranes from within the peels.

2.
 
Boil the peels in 575ml (1 pt) of water for 30 minutes, replacing the water twice to remove the bitterness.

3.
 
Add the rosewater and sugar to the lemon peels with ¾ of the water they were cooked in, and simmer gently until they are translucent and the syrup is like thin honey.

4.
 
Either preserve them by pouring them into sterilised jars with their syrup and sealing them down, or use within the next 2–3 days.

MARMALADE OF LEMONS OR ORANGES
⁶³

1.
 
Quarter the lemons or oranges and remove the pips and stalk while holding them over a stainless steel pan to catch the juice. Peel, core and quarter the apples.

2.
 
Simmer the fruit in the water for about 30 minutes, until tender. Then remove from the heat, and either rub it all through a sieve or blend to form a very smooth paste.