Recipes from The Viscount's Wallflower Bride

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

Tanzie of Spinnage

(Which Ford eats at Trentingham Manor)
Take a pint of Cream, a handful of grated bread, fourteen eggs, cast away the whites of six, season it with a grated Nutmeg, and sugar, and green it with the juice of Spinnage; so bring it into a body, in a skillet, and fry it. This will be a very tender Tanzie; but if you intent to cut it according to the vulgar way, you must add the other whites of eggs, else deminish in your Cream.
—The Whole Body of Cookery Dissected by William Rabisha, 1661

Cook the spinach in the water and drain. Add 4 T butter and cook for five minutes. Mix together the eggs, breadcrumbs, seasonings, and cream. Add the spinach. Heat the remaining butter 'til sizzling in a frying pan, pour the mixture in, and cook on medium heat until cooked through. Then put the pan under the broiler to brown the top.

Lauren's notes: This is very like a modern spinach soufflé!

Boyled Rice

(Which is served at Trentingham Manor)
The manner of boiling rice to eat with Butter is this. In a pipkin pour upon it as much water as will swim a good finger's breadth over it. Boil it gently till it be tender, and all the water drunk into the rice; which may be a quarter of an hour or less. Stir it often with a wooden spoon or spatule that it burn not to the bottom, but break it not. When it is enough pour it in a dish and stew it with some butter and season it with sugar and cinnamon. This rice is to appear dry excepting for the butter which is melted in it.
—The Closet of the eminently learned Sir Kenelme Digby Kt., opened 1669

Put the rice in a pot and just cover it with water. Bring to a boil and simmer gently until the rice is cooked and the water absorbed; if necessary, add more water along the way. Add the butter, cinnamon, and dark brown sugar, and stir until rice is well-coated.

Lauren's notes: This is not too terribly sweet, but if you don't like rice sweet at all, you could eliminate the sugar and add salt to taste.

A Good Potato Pudding, Ye Best

(Which Violet and Ford eat on the barge)
Take one pound of potatoes, boyl'd and peeled and cold mash them through a strainer. Then add one pound fresh butter, melted, 10 eggs, half a pound of sugar, half a nutmeg, slic't; mix these together and put it in a quick over. One hour will bake it.
—The Receipt Book of Mrs. Ann Blencowe, 1694

Mix the butter, nutmeg, sugar, salt, and pepper into the potatoes and blend well. Beat eggs and add to the mixture. Spoon into an ovenproof dish and bake uncovered in a 400° F oven for about 30 minutes, until it has slightly risen and browned on top.

Lauren's notes: The original recipe called for 10 eggs and whole pound of butter, but that was way too rich for my family! We decided it was better made this way.

Stewed Prawns

(Which Violet eats when Ford comes for supper)
To stew prawns, shrimp or crayfish, being boiled and picked, stew them in white wine, sweet butter, nutmeg and salt, dish them in scallop shells and run them over with beaten butter and juyce of orange or lemon.
—The Accomplisht Cook by Robert May, 1660

Melt the butter in a pan with the wine, nutmeg, and salt. Add the shellfish and simmer gently until pink through and cooked. Add the orange or lemon juice, stir, and serve.

Lauren's notes: My family really likes this served with rice.

Cream Toasts

(Which Violet and Ford eat at a riverside inn)
Take two French rolls or more according to the bigness of your dish, and cut them in thick slices, as thick as your finger, crumb and crust, lay them on a silver or brass dish, put to them a pint of cream, ½ pint of milk, strew over them beaten cinnamon and sugar, turn them frequently till they are tender soaked, so as you can turn them without breaking; so take them with a slice or skimmer for your cream; break 4 or 5 raw eggs, turn your slices of bread in the eggs and fry them in clarified butter; make them of a good brown colour, not black; take care of burning them in frying; scrape a little sugar round them, have a care you make them not too sweet. You may well serve them hot for a 2nd course, being well drained from your butter in which you fryed them; but they are most proper for a plate of a little dish for supper.
—Royal Cookery by Patrick Lamb, 1710

Arrange the slices of bread flat in a glass baking dish. Mix the cream, milk, sugar, and cinnamon and pour it over the bread, distributing evenly. Leave to soak for ten minutes. Beat the eggs in a dish. Melt half the butter in a frying pan. Take two slices of bread from the cream, dip both sides in the egg, then fry in the butter until well browned on each side. Repeat with remaining butter and bread. Sprinkle with brown sugar and serve.

Lauren's notes: We call this French toast now, and this recipe is the yummiest ever!

Eggs and Cheese

(Which Violet and Ford eat the morning after their wedding)
Beat a dozen egg with half a pound of Milan cheese grated, season it with pepper and bake in a patty pan, with clarified butter, over a soft Fire and when it is baked serve it away without anything in it.
—A Perfect School of Instruction for the Officers of the Mouth by Giles Rose, 1682

Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl, then add the grated cheese and pepper and mix well. Melt ½ T butter in each of 4 small individual soufflé dishes, then spoon in egg mixture. Bake in a 350° F oven for about 20 minutes, or until the eggs have slightly risen and browned. Serve immediately.

Lauren's notes: This makes a small amount per person, but it is so rich, it's enough. Absolutely delicious!

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