Recipes from A Gentleman's Plot to Tie the Knot

For your convenience, each recipe has been printed on a separate page.

Artichoke Pudding

(which Ellen enjoys at the Ashcrofts' London town house)
Take 8 artichokes boyle ym tell ye be tender yn take of all ye leves of & core & strings out yn beat ym well in a bole & forse ym through a hare sive yn have redy 6 eggs lave out 3 whits beat ym yn beat ym with ye artichoks very well yn mix ym with a pint of crame a litle salt rose water & sugar too yr tast buter yr pan well halfe an oure will bake it serve it with sack or white wine butter & suger.
—Penelope Pemberton's Manuscript Cookery book, 1712

Preheat oven to 375° F. Heat water on the stove and boil artichoke hearts until soft. Puree in a blender or food processor and set aside. In a bowl, mix eggs, cream, salt, rose water, and sugar, and beat well. Fold mixture into pureed artichoke hearts and pour into a buttered casserole dish. Bake for one hour, or until pudding is set.

Sauce (optional)

Heat sherry in a saucepan. Mix in butter until melted; add sugar to taste. Pour sauce over pudding or serve on the side.

Lauren's notes: This pudding is not pretty (it's sort of an icky dull green color!) but it's absolutely delicious. My family prefers it without the sauce.

Excellent Small Cakes (Currant Cookies)

(Which Kit eats at Trentingham Manor)
Take three pound of very fine flower well dryed by the fire, and put to it a pound and half of loaf Sugar sifted in a very fine sieve and dryed; Three pounds of Currants well washed and dryed in a cloth and set by the fire; When your flower is well mixed with the Sugar and Currants, you must put in it a pound and half of unmelted butter, ten spoonfuls of Cream, with the yolks of three new-lad Eggs beat with it, one Nutmeg; and if you please, three spoonfuls of Sack. When you have wrought your paste well, you must put it in a cloth, and set it in a dish before the fire till it be through warm. Then make them up in little Cakes, and prick them full of holes; you must bake them in a quick oven unclosed. Afterwards Ice them over with Sugar. The Cakes should be about the bigness of a hand-breadth and thin; of the cise of the Sugar Cakes sold at Barnet.
—The Closet of Sir Kenelme Digby Opened, 1669

Preheat oven to 375° F. In one bowl, mix the flour, sugar, and currants. In a second bowl, mix the cream, egg yolk, nutmeg, and sherry. Combine the two mixtures, then add butter and knead together. Batter will be very crumbly because there are so many currants; carefully form into small (2″) flattish disks using about two tablespoons each. Place on cookie sheets greased with butter and bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve alone or with Snow (recipe below).

Lauren's notes: It's difficult to form the cakes without losing some of the many currants, but well worth the bother! These cakes (or cookies, or whatever you wish to call them) are full of fruit and yummy indeed.

A Dyschefull of Snowe

(Which Kit eats at Trentingham Manor)
To make a Dyschefull of Snowe take a pottell of swete thycke creame and the whytes of eyghte egges, and beate them altogether wyth a spone. Then putte them in youre creme and a saucerfull of Rosewater, and a dyshe full of Suger wyth all. Then take a stycke and make it cleane, and than cutte it in the ende foure square, and therwith beate all the aforesayed thynges together, and ever as it ryseth take it of and fyll your platter therwith. And yf you have wafers caste some in wyth all and thus serve them forthe.
—A Proper Newe Booke of Cokerye, 1560

Whip the cream and sugar until stiff. Add the rose water and mix. In another bowl, beat the egg white until it forms stiff peaks, then fold into the whipped cream. Use as a dip served with fritters, Excellent Small Cakes, or other cookies.

Lauren's notes: Unlike most 17th century recipes, this one isn't terribly sweet! To serve it the most authentic way, set an apple on a platter, stick some large sprigs of rosemary into it, then cast the snowe upon and around it to make a winter scene. It's pretty that way…but my family is happy enough scooping it from a bowl <grin>.

Apple Fritters

(Which Ellen learns to make at the Ashcrofts' London town house)
Take 11 eggs and 9 of ye yolks, beat them well and putt to them a pint of Cream. Mix it with ye finest flower about ye thickness of a pudding and put to it salt, Nutmeg, Mace, and Cinnamond a pretty deal and beat it well together and let it stand 3 or 4 hours before you fry them, cover'd up before the fire. Then pare 18 small pipins and slice them as thin as a Wafer. When you are ready to fry them add to your butter, sack brandy, strong Ale or beer, not bitter, of each 5 spoonfulls mixt together and made scalding hot. Then put it into ye stif bater and beat it well together. Let there be in ye stew pan 2 pound of beef dripping and 2 pound of hogs Lard. When it boyles well up dip your slices into ye batter and put them quick into ye fat and another must stand to turn and take them out, laying them on a hot coarse Cloth before ye fire till you have nough to send up. You will scarse complain of this quantity being too small, but 'is just as it was given me.
—The Receipt Book of Mrs. Ann Blencowe, 1694

In a blender, mix the eggs with the spices, then add flour and cream slowly and blend until batter is smooth. Pour into a bowl and set aside for at least half an hour. When you're ready to make the fritters, peel and core the apples, then cut into straight, thin slices, not wedges. Add the sherry to the batter and mix well. Heat the oil in a frying pan until very hot, then dip the apple slices into the batter and fry, turning if necessary, until nicely browned. Drain on paper towels and keep warm until ready to serve. Serve alone, or with whipped cream or 17th century Snow (recipe above).

Lauren's notes: These fritters taste great fresh and hot, but are not very good reheated. Try not to overcook—the apple's better if it's not mushy. If you have leftover batter, thin it a little with water, and you'll find it make pretty good pancakes!

Beef in Claret

(Which Rose has for dinner at Kit's house in Windsor)
Take a rawe fillet of beefe and cut it in thin slices halfe as broad as your hand and fry them till they bee halfe fried in a frying-panne with sweete butter uppon each side with a soaft fire, then powre them into a dish or pipkin putting in a pint of claret-wine, a faggot of sweete hearbes, and two or three blades of whole mace, and a little salt, the meate of a Lemon cut in slices, then stewe these all together very softly for the space of two or three houres till it be halfe boyled away, then dish it upon sippets and throwe salt upon it, and serve it to the table hot.
—A Delightful Daily Exercise for Ladies by John Murrel, 1621

Trim beef and cut into bite-sized slices or cubes. Fry in butter until lightly browned. Add wine, herbs, and lemon, bring to a boil, then simmer, uncovered, about half an hour. Optional: Mix cornstarch in water, then stir into simmering sauce to thicken. Dish each serving over a slice of toasted bread, sprinkle with salt, and serve.

Lauren's notes: This is strongly flavored and delicious!

Carrot Pudding

(Which Rose has for dinner at Kit's house in Windsor)
Take halfe a pint of cream & put to it 3 eggs weall beaten with a little rose Water a grated nutmegg & as much raw Carrots grated as you have bread mix all these weall to gether & mealt a quarter of a pound of butter & stir it well with ye rest of ye things & soe bake it in a dish you may put some orange or lemon pill in it.
—Alice Fleming's Manuscript Cookery Book, 1702

Season chicken with salt, then brown in a pan in 4 tablespoons butter. Drain on paper towels. In the same pan, mix wine, nutmeg, onion, thyme, and extra butter. Bring to a boil, add chicken, return to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for half an hour or more, until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from sauce, place on serving platter, and keep warm. Beat the egg yolk and cream together, then mix with the sauce left in the pan. Without bringing to a boil (because sauce will curdle), stir over low heat until sauce thickens (this won't take long). Add salt and pepper to taste, pour sauce over chicken, and serve.

Lauren's notes: I would describe this as buttery carrot bread pudding. It's quite unusual, but a fun way to eat carrots!

Chicken Fricassee

(Which Kit eats at the Ashcrofts' London town house)
Take four Chickens or Rabbits: take ye skin of & cut them in small pieces, crack the bones very well, season them with salt and frey ym prety brown in Fresh Butter. Then take them out of the pan & ly them whear the butter may drayn from them: then take a pint of white wine or a pinte of alle & half as much watter. Let them stue till thay be allmost stud away, then take three egges yolks & beat them very well; then put a pint of Cream to them, a grated Nutmeg & a little shred onyon, salt, & a littel shred time a Lump of butter as beg as a wall nut. Put it in the stew to your meat & when enough shake them very well together & go send them up.
—The Receipt Book of a Lady of the Reign of Queen Anne by Elizabeth Wainwright

Season chicken with salt, then brown in a pan in 4 tbsp melted butter. Drain on paper towels. In the same pan, mix wine, nutmeg, onion, thyme, and extra butter. Bring to a boil, add chicken, return to boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for half an hour or more, until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from sauce, place on serving platter, and keep warm. Beat the egg yolk and cream together, then mix with the sauce left in the pan. Without bringing to a boil (because sauce will curdle), stir over low heat until sauce thickens (this won't take long). Add salt and pepper to taste, pour sauce over chicken, and serve.

Lauren's notes: This cream sauce is very light! (By that I mean light in flavor, not light in calories. <grin>) I've also made this with boneless, skinless chicken breasts, which saves time. This dish is good served over rice—brown rice, if you wish to stay true to the era.

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