Steeple Creams.
Take five ounces hartshorn shavings, two ounces honey, and a small quantity of gum arabic and gum dragon; put them into a stone bottle, fill it up to the neck with water; tie up the bottle very close, set it into a pot of water upon some hay, to keep the bottle from touching the bottom; let it boil six hours, take it out, let it stand an hour before it be untied, as it would fly up when warm; strain it, blanch and beat a pound of almonds, and mix with a pint (mutchkin) of cream, strain it through a cloth and add to it a pound of the above jelly of hartshorn; set it over the fire till near boiling, sweeten and pour it into shapes, or jelly glasses, like sugar loaves, and when cold turn them out; garnish with whipt cream laid in heaps round them.
Spanish Cream.
Take three spoonfuls rice, ground and sifted, three yolks of eggs, and five spoonfuls of water, flavour it with orange flower water, if agreeable; add a pint (mutchkin) of cream, set it on the fire and keep stirring till a proper thickness, then pour it in cups.
Blanched Cream.
Take a quart (choppin) of cream, sweeten and add spiceries as you chuse to give it a flavour boil it a little beat up the whites of twenty eggs with some cold cream, set on the cream again, when just boiling pour in the eggs, and continue stirring until it becomes a thick curd, then strain it through a hair sieve, beating it constantly with a spoon till cold, then put it into dishes.
Orange Cream.
Pare the rhind of three bitter oranges, pour half a pint (half a mutchkin) of water on the rhind and let it remain until it has a rich flavour; then squeeze in the juice and add half a pound sugar and the whites of five eggs, cast light; set it on the fire, stir it until thick and white, strain it through a lawn sieve, or gauze, and keep stirring till cold; then beat up the yolks of the eggs very light, which put into the pan with some cream and spiceries, according to taste; mix them well together over a slow fire, and when near boiling pour it into a bason, stir it till cold and fill your cups, or glasses.
Clear Lemon Cream.
Take a little hartshorn jelly, put into it the peel of two lemons, set it over the fire; take the juice of four lemons and a little of the grate, let it soak some time; beat up the whites of six eggs, which add to the juice, sweeten, mix all together and let it boil fast fifteen minutes. Then strain it as you do jelly, through a bag, until clear; take out the lemon peel, boil and cut it in stripes; put a few into each glass, stir it till cold and fill them.
Yellow Lemon Cream.
Grate the peel of four lemons, squeeze the juice upon it and let it steep a few hours; strain and put to it the whites of eight eggs, well beaten and strained, a pound of sugar, half a gill of rose water, and a pint (mutchkin) of spring water; stir all well together, set it on a quick fire, but do not let it boil, when it thickens take it off and strain it; then beat up the yolks, which add to it, set it again on the fire, stirring constantly; when it creams take it off and stir till cold, then fill the cups.
Ratafia Cream.
Boil a few laurel leaves, or failing them bitter almonds, which blanch and beat with some cold cream, pass it through a sieve, then mix the eggs in a quart (choppin) of cream or milk; beat the yolks (keep out a little of the cream to mix with the eggs) then mix in the warm cream with the eggs by degrees; put it on the fire and keep stirring one way until just boiling; take out the leaves, sweeten to your taste, and stir till cold, then pour it in glasses, or cups.
Strawberry Cream.
If the fruit is new pulled take equal weight of sugar and berries, clarify the sugar, put in the fruit, and let it boil till the sugar has penetrated them. When cold, take two or three spoonfuls of this (or if not in season, take of the jam, which is the same, only it must be mixed with the cream and put through a hair sieve to keep back the seeds) whisk it up with a pint (mutchkin) of cream, and as the froth rises take it off, lay it on a hair [sieve], and when you have got as much froth as you want, pour the cream in a china dish, lay on the froth as high as you can, and stick a showy sprig, or flower, in the middle. If done with new fruit some whole ones may be put amongst it.
Raspberries and Currants
Are done in the same way. Or, Take the whites of seven eggs, seven spoonfuls of raspberry mash, or jam, put both in a dish and beat it with a spoon till it comes to a cream, or looks white enough, fill the glasses. This quantity will make a dozen.
Chocolate Cream.
Take four ounces of chocolate, scrape it down and put it in a mortar with as much water as dissolve it, work it fine, then add sugar to sweeten it and six gills cream; whisk it up, or put it in the mill, and as the froth rises take it off, fill the glasses, then heap up the froth. Or, Take a pint (mutchkin) of cream, with four ounces chocolate pounded, sweeten it to your taste, boil it until one half is wasted; beat up the yolks of eight eggs, and add to it; mix them well together, put it in shapes, and bake it betwixt two fires, or in the oven.
Coffee and Tea Cream.
If tea, boil a quarter of an ounce hyson with two gills milk, then strain it and add two gills cream and two spoonfuls runnet,* pour it into the dish it is to be served in, which place over a slow fire, or the embers of charcoal; cover it close up, and when thick it is ready. Coffee is done in the same manner. Or, Mix four cups strong, clear coffee, with six gils cream, sweeten it to your taste; boil it until two thirds are wasted, beat up the yolks of eight eggs very light and mix well all together, then bake it.
Sweetmeat Cream.
Slice peaches, preserved apricots, plumbs, or any fruit, into some good cream, with sugar to your taste; mix all well together and put it into basons.
Pistachio Cream.
Take the kernels of half a pound pistachio nuts, beat them in a mortar with a spoonful of brandy, put them in a pan with a pint (mutchkin) of good cream, and the yolks of two eggs beat light. If not green enough add some juice of spinage and sweeten it to your taste, stir it gently over the fire till it grows thick, then pour it into a china bason, when cold stick it all over with pieces of the nuts and send it to table.
Rice Cream.
Take three spoonfuls of ground rice, put it on the fire with a pint (mutchkin) of sweet cream, stir it until it boils; let it cool, cast the yolks of three eggs with sugar, mix a little cold milk with them, mix all together and keep stirring till thick, but do not let it boil. It may be flavoured with any spiceries by boiling it in the cream; serve it cold.
Pompadour Cream.
Beat five whites of eggs to a froth, put them into a pan with two spoonfuls orange flower water and two ounces sugar; stir it gently for a few minutes over the fire, pour melted butter over it and serve it hot, for a corner dish, in a second course at dinner.
Clouted Cream.
Take a quantity of sweet milk from the cow, set it on the fire and scald it, stirring all the time; when at the boil take it off and pour it into broad dishes, stir some time in the dishes, and let it stand. Divide the cream with a knife and lift it with a skimmer, that the milk may run off; lay it on a dish until as full as you want it, one piece above another, pour sweet cream over it, with cinnamon and sugar. Or, Take the brats as above and beat them with sugar and rose water until very thick; dish it with sweet cream. If plenty of brats, lay a row of them and a layer of the same beaten as above, which is called Spanish cream. Dish it with cream, &c.
Almond Cream.
Take a quart (choppin) of cream, boil it with cinnamon and lemon peel to flavour it; blanch and beat half a pound sweet almonds with rose water, beat up four eggs, mix it with the almonds into the cream, and put it on the fire; let it simmer, but not boil, till thick, sweeten it to your taste, and pour it in cups, or dishes.
Velvet Cream.
Take syrup of oranges, lemons, or any other syrup you please, put a few spoonfuls of it in the bottom of a dish, warm some new milk to the natural heat, pour the milk on the syrup, put as much runnet as will fasten it, cover up with a plate, and when cold serve it.
Loaf Sugar Cream.
Take a pint (mutchkin) of jelly of hartshorn, put in a little isinglass to strengthen it, and make it thick with almonds blanched and pounded, or with cream; sweeten and put it into shapes, and when cold dip them in warm water to make them turn out.
Gooseberry, or Apple Cream.
Take twenty apples, pare, core, and beat them in a mortar, with a pint (mutchkin) of cream, strain it into a dish and put into it some brown bread crumbs, with a little sack, and dish it.
Gooseberries. – Boil them until soft, and with a spoon work them through a hair sieve; take the pulps, free of the seeds, sweeten it, mix with thick cream and serve it up.
Imperial Cream.
Take a quart (choppin) of water, six ounces hartshorn shavings, put them in a stone bottle tied firmly up and set it into a pot of boiling water for four hours, or in an oven; strain it through a jelly bag, pound six ounces almonds very fine, which mix with as much cream as jelly; then strain it into the jelly, set all over the fire until near boiling, strain and pour it into shapes, or long narrow glasses; let it stand a day and turn them out. Garnish them with blanched almonds, or pine apple seeds, (laid into water the day before, when peeled they will come out like a flower) then stick them on the cream.
Stone Cream.
Take a pint and a half, or three gills, cream, boil it with mace, or cinnamon, to flavour it, or with six spoonfuls orange flower water, sweeten it, boil it till thick, pour it out, and keep stirring till near cold, then put in a spoonful of runnet and pour it in glasses; make it four hours before it is used.
Almond Cream,
Is almonds blanched and beaten with water in a mortar, strained, and well mixed with milk; they are then strained into water, set on the fire to boil and stirred well, more water and sugar added and run through a cloth.
Whipt Cream.
Take the whites of six eggs, two pints (mutchkins) of cream, and a gill of wine, sweeten it to taste, whip it with a whisk; take the froth as it rises, and lay it on glasses, or basons. When put over tarts it has a fine appearance.
There are a great many more creams, according to the different articles they are composed of, but these are the most common; the other kinds are all made after the same manner.
Bandstring Curd.
Make curds of new milk; or warm the milk and add as much runnet as will turn it; press the whey from it, put the curd in a squirt with a star full of small holes, and squirt it on the dish, it looks like bandstrings, sift some sugar over and pour sweet cream round it.
Fairy Butter.
Take the yolks of nine hard boiled eggs, four ounces sugar, six ounces of fresh butter, two spoonfuls orange flower, or rose water, work and beat all together to a paste, then squirt it upon the dish.
Lech.
Take a quart (choppin) of cream, boil it with some isinglass previously dissolved in a little water, stir it until thick; blanch and beat with cream three ounces sweet and one ounce bitter almonds, stir them into the cream, pour it into a dish; when it is cold slice it into long stripes and serve it.
–
* Rennet, for an alternative to the animal-stomach-based type see Thistle Rennet.
