The French cook.: Prescribing the way of making ready of all sorts of meats, fish and flesh, with the proper sauces, either to procure appetite, or to advance the power of digestion. Also the preparation of all herbs and fruits, so as their naturall crudities are by art opposed; with the whole skil of pastry-work. Together with a treatise of conserves, both dry and liquid, a la mode de France. With an alphabeticall table explaining the hard words, and other usefull tables. / Written in French by Monsieur De La Varenne, clerk of the kitchin to the Lord Marquesse of Uxelles, and now Englished by I.D.G.

14. A Method how to pickle all them for keeping.

1. Butter melted.

WHen it is cheap, you may buy a quan∣tity, and melt it for to use it upon oc∣casion; which for to doe, put it into a pan, let it melt leasurely, until the cream go to the bottom, and that it becomes clear at the top; put it into a pot, and when it is cold, keep it for your use.

2. Artichocks.

Cut off the choak, and what is too hard a∣bout them (that is called artichocks in bot∣toms) steep them in fresh water for to whiten them, drain and dry them; after this, put them into a pot with salt, peper, vinegar, melted butter, clove, and some bay leaf; cover them well, and keep them untill you have

use for them; and then unsalt them in luke∣warm water; after they are unsalted, seeth them with butter, or some peece of lard, or some fat; after they are sod, serve them with a white sauce or garnished.

3. Cowcombers.

Take them very small, whiten them in fresh water, and stick them with cloves, then put them in a pot with salt, peper, vinegar, and bay leafe; cover them so close that no aire may get in, and serve them in salat.

4. Purslaine.

It is pickled as the cowcomber, and you may serve them together.

5. Lettice.

Choose the hardest, and take off the great leaves, whiten them in fresh water, and drain them; when they are drained, stick them with cloaves, and season them with salt, pe∣per, vinegar, and bay leaf; cover them wel, and when you will serve them, unsalt them, then seeth them, and use them for garnish, or for salat.

6. Troufles.

Boyl them with the best strong wine you can get, salt, peper, and clove, then take them out, and put them in a pot with salt, peper, vinegar, cloves, and some bay leaves; cover them well; when you will use them, un∣salt them, and seeth them with wine, and serve them in a plated napkin.

7. Red beets, or red parsnips.

Wash them very clean, and seeth them; when they are sod, peel them, and put them in a pot with salt, peper, and vinegar, for to use them when you will.

8. Sparagus.

Put them in a pot with melted butter, vi∣negar, salt, peper, and cloves; cover them well, and for to use them, unsalt them; when they are unsalted, seeth them in hot water; when they are sod, serve them with a white sauce, either for to garnish potages, or for salat, or for pastry work.

9. Green pease.

Take them as they come out of the cod, fry them with butter, and season them well, as if you would eat them then, but do not fry them so much; then put them into an earthen pot, season them again, and cover them well; put them in a cool place, and when you will use them, unsalt them, and pass them in the panne, as before.

10. Succery.

Tie it, and whiten it in sand; when you think that it may be kept, cleanse it well, and put it in a pot with salt, peper, a little vinegar, and rosemarie; when you will use it, unsalt it, to serve it for salat, or for to seeth it for to garnish, or for to farce.

11. Mushrums.

Take the hardest and the reddest you can get, fry them whole with butter, as for to eat presently; after they are fryed and well sea∣soned,

put them in a pot with more seasoning of butter, and a drop of vinegar, untill they steep; cover them so that no air may get in; for to use them, steep them in severall waters lukewarm, then fry them, as if they were but newly gathered.

Another way.

Take the biggest and largest, whiten them in their water between two dishes, and draine them; after that, pickle them with vinegar, salt, peper, and lemon, or orange peel; after they are pickled a while, take them out and fry them with refined butter, and a little flowre; after they are fryed, put them into another pickle, if you will keep them long.

You may use them for garnish, or for frit∣ters, or for to farce.

12. Cabidge.

Take the hardest, and slit them into four on the side of the stalk, then whiten them in fresh water, and dry them; put them into a salting tub, or into a pot, with salt, peper, vinegar and bay leaves, or a little rosemary▪ You may stick them with cloves, and when you will use them, unsalt them in lukewarm water, for to put them in the potage, and not for salat; when they are sod, serve.

13. Soales.

Take them very new, and cleanse them; if they are big, slit them on the top, and flowre them after you have dryed them, then fry them halfe with butter or oyle, and put

them neatly into a pot, with salt, peper, beaten clove, lemon, or orange peele, and vinegar; cover them well, and for to use them, take them out of the pot, and steep them in water; when they are unsalted, fry them with butter, or oyl for them that love it; forget not to flowre them well; and serve them with orange or lemon, or, if you will, after you have passed them in the panne, open the bone, and put them with ragoust; which for to doe, put in some capers, anchovies, mushrums, troufles, and all what you can get; then stove or soak them, and serve with a sauce thickned, and the juice of lemon or of orange.

14. Oysters,

Take them our of the shell, and whiten them, or as they are, put them into a pot, and season them with salt, peper, beaten cloves, and some bay leaves, cover them well, or if you will you may put them into a barrell; when you will use them, unsalt them; you may garnish with them, or make fritters, or fry them.

15. Combes salted.

Let the blood be well taken out, and put them in a pot with melted salt, peper, cloves, a drop of vinegar, and some bay leaves, co∣ver them well, and set them in a place which is neither cool nor warme; when you will use them, take what you have need of, unsalt them in lukewarme water; and change them

very often, when they are well unsalted, boyl some water, and scald them; when they are very clean, seeth them with broth, or with water; when they are almost enough, put a bundle of herbs with butter or lard, and a slice of lemon: After they are well sod, use them for to garnish what you will with them.