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The closet of Sir Kenelm Digby Knight opened

1910

Page 105 · 2 recipe records on this page

Presented as published in 1910. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
I made also good Pyes of Red-Deer, larding well the lean, then laying under it a thick Plastron (or Cake of a Finger thick) of Beef-suet, first chapped small, and seasoned well with Pepper and Salt, then beaten into a Cake fit for the meat. And another such Cake upon the Deers-flesh, and so well baked in strong crust, and soaked two or three hours in the oven after it was baked enough, which required six good hours. If you use no Suet, put in Butter enough ; as also, put in enough to fill the paste, after it is baked and half cold, by a hole made in the top, when it is near half baked. BAKED VENISON My Lady of Newport bakes her Venison in a dish thus; A side or a hanch serves for two dishes. Sea- son it as for a Pasty. Line the dish with athin crust, of goodpure Past, but make it pretty thick upwards towards the brim, that it may be there Pudding crust. Lay then the Venison in a round piece upon the Paste in the dish, that must not fill it up to touch the Pudding, but lie at ease ; put over it a cover, and let it over-reach upon the brim with some carved Pasty work to grace it, which must go up with a border like a lace growing a little way up- wards upon the Cover, which is a little arched up, and hath a little hole in the top to pour in unto the meat the strong well seasoned broth that is made of the broken bones, and remaining lean flesh of the Venison. Put a little pure Butter or Beef-suetBaked Venison to the Venison, before you put the cover on, unless it be exceeding fat. This must bake five or six hours or more as an ordinary Pasty. An hour, or an hour I70 SIR KENELMS DIGBIE and half before you take it out to serve it up, open the Oven,and draw out the dish far enough to pour in at the little hole of the cover the strong decoc- tion (in stead of decoction in water, you may boil it by it self in Balneo in duplici vase ; or bake it in a pot with broth and Gravyof Mutton) of the broken bones and flesh. Then set it in again, to make an end of his baking and soaking. The meat within (even the lean) will be exceeding tender and like a gelly ; so that you may cut all of it with a spoon. If you bake a side at once in two dishes, the one will be very good to keep cold ; and when it is so, you may, if you please,bake it again, to have it hot; not so long as at first, but enough to have it all per- fectly heated through. She bakes thus in Pewter- dishes of a large cise. Mutton or Veal may be thus baked with their due seasoning; as with Onions, or Onions and Ap- ples, or Larding, or a Cawdle, &c. Sweetbreads, Beatilles, Champignons, Treuffles, &c. AN EXCELLENT WAY OF MAKING MUTTON STEAKS Cut a Rack of Mutton into tender Steaks, Rib by Rib, and beat the flesh well with the back of a Knife. Then have a composition ready, made of Crumbs of stale Manchet grated small, and a little Salt (a fit proportion to Salt the meat) and a less quantity of White-pepperMutton Steaks. Cover over on both sides all the flesh with this, pretty thick, pressing it on with your fingers and flat Knife, to make it lie on. Then lay the Steaks upon a Gridiron over a very quick fire (for herein consisteth the well doing) THE CLOSET OPE^NjED 171