Ambered-sugar is made by grinding very well,
four grains of Ambergreece,andoneof Musk, with
a little fine Sugar ; or grinding two or three Spanish
Pastils very small.
A PLAIN ORDINARY POSSET
Put a pint of good Milk to boil ; as soon as it doth
so, take it from the fire, to let the great heat of it cool
a little ; for doing so, the curd will be the tenderer,
and the whole of a more uniform consistence. When
it is prettily cooled, pour it into your pot, wherein
is about two spoonfuls of Sack, and about four of
Ale, with sufficient Sugar dissolved in them✪ A Plain Ordinary Posset. So let
it stand a while near the fire, till you eat it.
A SACK POSSET
Take three pintsof Cream ; boil in it a little Cinna-
mon, a Nutmeg quartered, and two spoonfuls of
grated bread ; then beat the yolks of twelve Eggs
very well with a little cold Cream, and a spoonful of
Sack. When your Cream hath boiled about a quar-
ter of an hour, thicken it up with the Eggs, and
sweeten it with Sugar ; and take half a pint of Sack
and six spoonfuls of Ale, and put into the basin or
THS CLOSET OPEDjED 113
dish, you intend to make it in, with a little Amber-
greece, if you please. Then pour your Cream and
Eggs into it, holding your hand as high as conveni-
ently you can, gently stirring in the basin with the
spoon as you pour it ; so serve it up. If you please
you may strew Sugar upon it.
You may strew Ambred sugar upon it, as you
eat it ; or Sugar-beaten with Cinnamon, if you like
it.
A BARLEY SACK POSSET
Take half a pound or more of French barley, (not
Perle-barley) and pour scalding water upon it, and
wash it well therein, and strain it from the water,
& put it into the Corner of a Linnen-cloth and tie
it up fast there, and strike it a dozen or twenty
blowsagainst afirm table or block, to make it tender
by such bruising it, as in the Countrey is used with
wheat to make frumenty. Then put it into a large
skillet with three pints of good milk. Boil this till
atleasthalf be consumed,and thatitbecome as thick
as hasty pudding, which will require at least two
hours ; and it must be carefully stirred all the while,
least it burn too : which if by some little inadvert-
ence it should do, and that some black burned sub-
stance sticketh to the bottom of the skillet, pour all
the good matter from it into a fresh skillet (or into
a basin whiles you scoure this) and renew boiling till
it be very thick ; All which is to make the barley
very tender and pulpy, and will at least require two
or near three hours. Then pour to it three pints of
good Cream, and boil them together a little while,
stirring them always. It will be sometime before
114 SIR KENELMS DIGBIS ✪ A Sack Posset
Page 77 · 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.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Ambered-sugar is made by grinding very well, four grains of Ambergreece,andoneof Musk, with a little fine Sugar ; or grinding two or three Spanish Pastils very small.
A PLAIN ORDINARY POSSET Put a pint of good Milk to boil ; as soon as it doth so, take it from the fire, to let the great heat of it cool a little ; for doing so, the curd will be the tenderer, and the whole of a more uniform consistence. When it is prettily cooled, pour it into your pot, wherein is about two spoonfuls of Sack, and about four of Ale, with sufficient Sugar dissolved in them. So let it stand a while near the fire, till you eat it. A SACK POSSET
Take three pintsof Cream ; boil in it a little Cinnamon, a Nutmeg quartered, and two spoonfuls of grated bread ; then beat the yolks of twelve Eggs very well with a little cold Cream, and a spoonful of Sack. When your Cream hath boiled about a quarter of an hour, thicken it up with the Eggs, and sweeten it with Sugar ; and take half a pint of Sack and six spoonfuls of Ale, and put into the basin or
dish, you intend to make it in, with a little Ambergreece, if you please. Then pour your Cream and Eggs into it, holding your hand as high as conveniently you can, gently stirring in the basin with the spoon as you pour it ; so serve it up. If you please you may strew Sugar upon it.
You may strew Ambred sugar upon it, as you eat it ; or Sugar-beaten with Cinnamon, if you like it.
A BARLEY SACK POSSET Take half a pound or more of French barley, (not Perle-barley) and pour scalding water upon it, and wash it well therein, and strain it from the water, & put it into the Corner of a Linnen-cloth and tie it up fast there, and strike it a dozen or twenty blows against afirm table or block, to make it tender by such bruising it, as in the Countrey is used with wheat to make frumenty. Then put it into a large skillet with three pints of good milk. Boil this till at least half be consumed,and thatitbecome as thick as hasty pudding, which will require at least two hours ; and it must be carefully stirred all the while, least it burn too : which if by some little inadvertence it should do, and that some black burned substance sticketh to the bottom of the skillet, pour all the good matter from it into a fresh skillet (or into a basin whiles you scoure this) and renew boiling till it be very thick ; All which is to make the barley very tender and pulpy, and will at least require two or near three hours. Then pour to it three pints of good Cream, and boil them together a little while, stirring them always. It will be sometime before
Records on this page
A Plain Ordinary PossetA Sack PossetA Barley Sack Posset