Maison rustique, or The countrey farme· Compyled in the French tongue by Charles Steuens, and Iohn Liebault, Doctors of Physicke. And translated into English by Richard Surflet, practitioner in physicke. Now newly reuiewed, corrected, and augmented, with diuers large additions, out of the works of Serres his Agriculture, Vinet his Maison champestre, French. Albyterio in Spanish, Grilli in Italian; and other authors. And the husbandrie of France, Italie, and Spaine, reconciled and made to agree with ours here in England: by Geruase Markham. The whole contents are in the page following

CHAP. XXII.

Of Pastrie or baked meates.

WEe haue spoken of the making, differences, and profite of bread, which may be made of any manner of graine, corne, or pulse: now vve will say somewhat of the skill to make Cakes, Cheese-cakes, Flawnes, 〈◊〉〈◊〉, and other baked meats, the which we desire to be in our housewife, that now and then she may take occasion at sometimes of the yeare, to present her Master and Mistresse with one dish or other, as also be able to serue and set before her family som∣what extraordinarie at feast times to cheere them vp withall. Such baked meates are of diuers sorts, according to the matter whereof they are made, the manner of their baking, their shape and fashion, the time when they are to be in vse, and the countrie wherein they are made. The matter is as it were the ground-worke of all sorts of ba∣ked meates, and that is, the flower of Wheate meale forced through a Bolter or fine Searce, whereunto many other things being added, doe cause a varietie of baked meates. That it is so, some make Wafers of the flower of Wheate meale verie well soked in water, and tempered a long time therwith, vntill it come to a certaine thick∣nesse, mixing therewith a little salt finely powdred, and after causing the same to bee baked betwixt two irons made hote, first with a reasonable gentle fire, and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 an∣nointed with the oile of Nuts: these kindes of Wafers a man may see made in many places openly, and abroad vpon festiuall and solemne feast dayes. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 may bee made a tenderer and more delicate kinde of Wafers, in soaking the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of the Wheate meale in white wine and water mixt together, and throughly laboured and wrought, putting thereto afterward the yolkes of Egges, a little Sugar and 〈…〉〈…〉

so baking all together betweene two irons, hauing within them many raced & ch••••∣kered draughts after the manner of small squares, after that the said irons haue beene annointed with fresh Butter or Oile oliue. This sort of Wafers is wont to bee set on Tables at the second courses in solemne banquets. That which the Parisians do call Mest••er, is made of the same flower of Wheat meale, tempered vvith vvater and vvhite vvine, putting thereto a little sugar, and boiling it all betwixt two irons, after the manner vvhich you vsed in making of Wa••ers, but that it must not be altogether so thicke. The kinde of Wafers called Oublies, are made vvith Honey in stead of Sugar. Singing breads are made after the manner of Oublies, sane only that the meale whereof they are kneaden is not mingled vvith Honey, Sugar, or any manner of Lea∣uen whatsoeuer. Estriez and Bridaueaux, and such other daintie baked things, are made of the same stuffe, and after the same manner that fine Wafers are, before descri∣bed. Marchpanes are made of verie little flower, but with addition of greater quanti∣tie of Filberds, Pine Nuts, Pistaces, Almonds, and rosed Sugar; and they are the most vvholsome, delicate, and pleasant tarts, of all the rest. The Poplins are made of the same flower, kneaden with milke, yolkes of egges, fresh butter. The leaued cakes take not so much flower, and they are made vvithout milke. Tarts are made after diuers fashions, and according to the time: some with fruits, that is to say, Apples, Peares, Cherries and Plumbs, especially in Sommer: others with Gooseberries, kernels of Crabs and Straw-berries in the beginning of Sommer. The Italians do make Tarts of hearbes, as Scariole, Lettuse, Blites, Sorrell, B••glosse, and other hearbs chopt small, and finely tempered together. The greatest part doe make them with Cheese or Creame, and many of all these things mixt together. I•• so be that the Tarts be of di∣uers matter and colour, that is to say, of Plums, Cherries, Gooseberries, Cheese, or Creame. Some make with Butter, Cheese, and yolkes of Egges, diuers sorts of Cakes, Flammickes, Cheese-cakes, Talmouses and little Lenten loaues. Wigges are made with paste of flower of meale and fresh butter. Fritters and other such sweet conceits accustomed to be in request vpon great daies and before Lent, are made of the flower of meale, kneaden with the yolkes of Egges and Milke, and fried in a Skillet with fresh Butter. To conclude, looke how many countries, so many fashions of paste workes: in all which notwithstanding this is for the most part common, namely, that they vse not any Leauen in any of them all, but onely the rising of Beere, and that be∣cause Leauen made of paste would make them too sowre, or in••ect them vvich some other taste too vnpleasant and vnbeseeming baked meate, and hinder the whole and intire incorporating of things mingled amongst the meale whereof it is made.

Yet all this formerly spoken of, doth not so truely belong to the Pastrie as to the Confectionarie or Closet of sweet meats, tarts only excepted: yet in as much as they are principall ornaments to the housewife, they are not meet here to be omitted. To come then to the true Pastrie, which is the making of those pastes vvhich are meet for the lapping in or containing of all manner of baked meates, whether it be flesh, fish, rootes, hearbes, fruits, or other composition whatsoeuer; you shall vnderstand that they are of foure kinds: the first for the preseruation or long keeping of meats, whose proper and true-natures are to be eaten colde, as Venison of all kindes, Kiddes, Beefe, Veale, Mutton, Lambe, Turkeyes, Gamons of Bakon, or any great or daintie fowle: the second for the containing of loose bodies, at Dousets, Custards, Tarts, Cheese-cakes and such like: the third for the receiuing of fine, daintie, and tender bodies, as Chuets, Vmbles, Chickens, Calues feete, or any other good thing which is to be eaten hote: and the last is that vvhich is called pu••t paste, being of all other the most dain∣t••est and pleasantest in taste, and may be imployed to any vse that any of the former vvill serue for, according to the fancie and skill of the Cooke, or the taste of him that is Master of the Familie. To speake then first of that paste vvhich is for the preserua∣tion of mea••s, or to keepe them longest cold in good and vvholsome temper, it is euer best to be made of Rie flower, finely boulted and kneaden vvith hote vvater, and barrelled butter, yet in such sort that the paste may be somewhat stiffe and ••ough; and thereby verie apt to rise vvithout cracking or breaking, vvhich is the greatest dan∣ger

belonging to this kind of past, and the coffins raised hereof must be very thicke and substantiall, for thereby they preserue their inmeats a great deale the better, and they must also aboue all things be exceedingly well bakt, because any doughinesse or rawnesse in the crust soone putrifyeth that which is baked within it: these pa••••es may also for shew or feasts (though worse in regard of continuance) be made of wheat meale finely boulted, and then it would haue much more butter than the rie paste, and be knodden as stiffe as is possible, so it rise without cracks or breaking: as for the l••∣king it asketh much lesse than the rie paste, in as much as it is a drier graine and not so moist in the working. The second paste which is for loose bodies, or any thing that is liquid, would be made of the finest wheat meale that can be gotten, and of the fi∣nest boulting: it must be knodden with hot water, a little butter, and many egges, both to make it light and strong in the rising, as also to make it hold from cracking, least thereby the moisture runne forth and so you loose both cost and labour: This paste is commonly halfe bakt before you put the moisture into it; for thereby it is made to hold much the stronger and better. The third past, which is for all maner of daintie things which are to be eaten hot, must be the tenderest, shortest, and pleasan∣test of all ordinarie past, and therefore must be made of the finest wheat flower you can get, and also most finely boulted: and this flower if before you knead it, you put it into a cleane earthen pot, and bake it in an ouen and houre or two, it will bee much better: it must be knodden with two parts butter (either fresh or salt) or with sweet seame, and but one part hot water, together with an egge or two to make it hold ry∣sing, and this paste must be made reasonable stiffe, because the weake paste euer fal∣leth after the hand, and either riseth not at all, or else so little that it is not comely to looke on, which euerie good cooke must shunne, because that pie which is as much couer as crust is euer a signe of an vnskilfull workman. Lastly for the puffe past, you shall make it of fi••er flower (if it be possible) than any of the other, and you shall to two parts of the flower adde a third part of sugar finely beaten and ••earst: and this you shall knead with cold butter and no water at all; and euer as you fould, turne, and mould the paste about, so shall you put cold sweete butter betweene the foulds, and so worke it to a very stiffe and well tempered paste, and so ••oule it forth either for tart, florentine, pas••y, or any other thing that may lie flat in the baking; for by reason of the much brittlenes and tendernesse of the past, it will not abide my high∣er raising, but will fall one leafe of the paste from another, and so loose the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 or grauy which should be held in the same: which to preuent and to make the crust a great deale the more delicate, whensoeuer you intend to bake any pastie of fallow or red Deere, or any other flesh to be eaten hot, you shall first knead a sufficient quan∣titie of the second sort of paste which is for liquid bodies, and hauing rouled it forth as thin as conueniently you can, and of a sufficient largenesse to receiue that which you are to bake, you shall then knead another quantitie of the puffe paste and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 it likewise forth, (yet much thicker) and then lay it vpon your first tough paste, and then put in your meate, suet, spice, and other necessaries, and so in both those pastes fould it vp close and so bake it, and you shall find when it comes to eating that the in∣most of those two crusts will giue that admirable content which any curious tast can desire: and thus you may bake any other pie by making two coffins to passe one into another, and closing them vp and baking them with a moderate heat, for this paste of all other must by no meanes bee either burnt or ouer-dried, but by all artificiall meanes be kept in the strength of his moisture; and beleeue in all the art of cooke∣rie there is not any knowledge (except seasoning) which is more excellent or more worthie to be imbraced of euery good huswife: and yet all manner of baked 〈◊〉〈◊〉 are more for the pleasing of the taste than for the health of the bodie, in as ••uch as they are giuen to load the stomach very heauily, and not to digest verie 〈◊〉〈◊〉. It is true that being eaten at the end of meales after other meates, they may serue in steed of marmalade, to send the former vitailes downe into the bottome of the stomach, and to presse together the bellie.

Notes

• March-panes.
• Tarts.