FoodNet

The closet of Sir Kenelm Digby Knight opened

1910

Page 62 · 3 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.
be cold, cover them. This being done, you will find it worked enough by the black that cometh up by thesides of the Tubs ; then take a sieve and take off the yest and bread. Afterwards draw it off at a tap in the Tub into the cask you intend to keep it in ; then take a quantity of spiceas before, well-bruised, and put it into a bag, and make it fast at the bung, withastring,and if itbeginstowork,afterit is in the cask, be sure to give it vent, or else you will loose all. TO MAKE MEATH To every quart of honey put four quarts of Spring- water ; temper the honey in the water, being a little warmed ; then put it on the fire again, with Fennel, Rose-mary, Thyme, Agrimony, Parsley or the like. Let them boil half an hour, and upwards ; and as it boileth, scum the froth ; Then take it off, and strain it, and let it cool as you do your wort. Then put a little barm into it, then take off the froath again, and stir it well together. Then take two quarts of Ale, boiled with Cloves. Mace, Cinnamon, Ginger and Liquorice ; and put it to the Meath and Tun it up. A RECEIPT TO MAKE WHITE MEATH Take Rose-mary, Thyme, Sweet-bryar, Peny-royal, Bays, Water-cresses, Agrimony, Marsh-mallow- leaves and flowers. Liver-wort, Maiden-hair, Be- tony. Eye-bright, Scabious, the bark of an Ash-tree, young Eringo- roots. Wild- Angelica, Ribwort, Sinacle, Roman -worm -wood. Tamarisk, Mother- thyme, Saxafrage, Philipendula, of each of these herbs a like proportion ; orof as manyas you please to put in. You must put in all but four handfuls of herbs, which you must steep a night and a day, in a THE CLOSET OPEJ\(ED 83 little bowl of water, being close covered. The next day take another fresh quantity of water, and boil the same herbs in it, till the colour be very high ; then take another quantity of water, and boil the same herbs in it, untill it look green ; and so let them boil three or four times in several waters, as long as the Liquor looketh anything green. Then let it stand with these herbs in it a day and a night. Remember the last water you boil it in, to this pro- portion of herbs, must be eighteen Gallons. And when ithath stood a day andanight with these herbs in it after the last boiling, then strain the Liquor from the herbs ; and put as much of the finest and best honey into the Liquor, as will bear an Egg ; you must work the honey and liquor together a whole day, until the honey be consumed ; then let it stand one whole night ; then let it be well laboured again, and set it a clearing ; and so boil it again with the whites of six New-laid-eggs with the shells ; skim it very clean ; and let it stand a day a cooling ; then put it into a barrel, and take Cloves, Mace, Cinna- mon and Nutmegsas much aswill please your taste, andbeatthemalltogether,and put them ina Linnen bag, and hang itwith athread into the barrel. Then take the whites of two or three New-laid- eggs, a spoonful of barm, a spoonful of Wheat-flower, and beat them all together, and put it into your Liquor in the barrel, and let it work before you stop it; then afterwards stop it well, and set itinacold place, and when it hath been settled some sixweeks : draw it into bottles, and stop it very close, and drink not of it in a month after. 84 SIR KENELMS DIGBIS TO MAKE METHEGLIN To Make Metheglin