Bouillans

Another way to disguise leftovers, Bouillans would make great finger food at your next get-together and are made thus: Take the Breasts of roasted Pullets or Capons, with a little Marrow, about the thickness of an Egg, some Calves-udder parboil’d, as much Bacon and a few fine Herbs, and put the whole Mixture will minc’d and season’d upon a Plate: Make some fine Paste and roll out two pieces, as thin as Paper: wet one of them lightly with a litter Water, and lay your farced Meat upon it in small heaps, at a convenient distance one from another: Cover them with the other piece of rolled Paste, and with the tips of your Fingers, close up every Parcel between the two Pastes; then with an Instrument proper for that purpose, cut them off one by one, and set the uppermost underneath; dressing them neatly, as if they were so many little Pies. Thus they are to be bak’d, and may be used for Out-works or to garnish Side-dishes; but they must be serv’d up hot to Table.

The court & country cook, faithfully translated out of French into English by J. K. A. J. Churchill, London, 1702, p. 70.

Potage, with Spinage

Take only the Heart or soundest part of the Spinage, which must be chopt small and stew'd in a little Pot with Pease-soop, a Carret, an Onion stuck with Cloves, and the other seasoning Ingredients. As the Crusts are soaking, scrape in some Parmesan, and dress your Potage; garnishing it with sticks of Cinnamon, round about, and one in the middle; or else with Onions, or fried Bread.

The court & country cook, faithfully translated out of French into English by J. K. A. J. Churchill, London, 1702, p. 216.

Sauce à la Czarienne - Russian Sauce

You have a purposely made a reduction of a beautiful color [from whatever meat or fish you have cooked, i.e., brown sauce made by deglazing pan with liquid] in which you make a liaison a little before serving, with two rolls of butter of Vamvre [Vanvres-fresh sweet butter], minced grapes of Corinth [small grapes], long pepper[s] which are in gherkins [entire long pepper fruit included in pickling of cornichons—these have a sweet, hot taste], green gherkins [cornichons—small whole pickled cucumbers] & two Lemon slices, heat through [& strain if desired] & spoon upon your entrée and serve. You can make it the same with white sauce, without binding with reduction, by adding a little butter, long pepper, & gherkins.* * * * *Sauce à la Czarienne.

Vous avez une essence faite exprès de belle couleur dans laquelle vous mettez, un peu avant de servir, deux pains de beurre de Vamvre, raisin de Corinthe, poivre long qui se trouve dans les cornichons, & cornichons verds, deux tranches de Citron, faire chauffer & dressez sur votre entrée à ce que vous voulez. Vous pouvez la faire au blanc de même, sans lier avec de la réduction, mais y mettre peu de beurre, poivre long, cornichons bien blanchis.

Le Cuisinier Gascon. A Amsterdam. 1740, p. 82.

Beurre de Vanvres[Vamvres] - Fresh, Sweet Butter

A favorite of the Bourbon court, was the good fresh butter [sweet, not salted], brought to Paris every Thursday by the women, the children or the domestiques of the plowmen & farmers of those villages surroundings Paris, & the butter of the village of Vanvre[Vamvres--Southwestern outskirts of Paris] was the most excellent; it was usually sold in rolls of three or four ounces for eating on bread, & was much more expensive than other butter, in that it could not be kept for long. Even today, the finest pastries, custards and sauces are made with sweet, not salted, butter.

“The fresh butter most in request for the table in Paris, was that made at Vanvres [Vanves], which in the month of May the people ate every morning mixed with garlic.”

Manners, Customs, and Dress During the Middle Ages and During the Renaissance Period, Paul LaCroix. D. Appleton and Co, New York, 1874, p. 135.

And here is Madame de Pompadour's Asparagus with butter sauce.

Gâteau à la Jacobine

It is the same mixture as the cake of Savoye [this same batter is used to make lady fingers, savoiardi and other biscuits cuiller]; make paper moulds of the same form as an éclair, six inches long; butter the moulds of paper well [I used a cast iron financier pan], fill the moulds with batter half way; & put them in a soft furnace [350◦F for about 15 to 20 minutes]; remove from the oven when light golden brown, cool slightly and remove from mould or peel paper away and allow to cool thoroughly; cover them with Royale icing, and then drizzle with red currant jelly.

The tartness of the currant jelly is just the right foil for the sweetness of the icing. The cake itself is rather bland, but lends itself as a blank canvas for experimenting with tastes and textures of soaking syrups, icings or fruit compotes.

The original recipe goes on to suggest using these in conjunction with caramel--that was too much sweetness for me.
* * * * *
Gâteau à la Jacobine.
C'est le même appareil que le gâteau de Savoye; vous faites des moules de papier de la mêrne forme d'un rouleau à pâte longs de six pouces; vous les beurrez bien, ensuite vous les dreffez tout de bout sur une tourtiere bien collés; Vous y mettez de cet appareil à moitié; & les mettez au four doux; étant cuits, Vous les ôtez du moule, & les glacez d'une glace Royale, & au bout de la gelée de groiseilles; Vous les dressez toutes de bout dans le plat qu'il les faut server, & les faites tenir avec du caramele, & servez.

Le Cuisinier Gascon. A Amsterdam. 1740, p. 156.

Cheese Ramakins

Pastry Ramakins To Serve With The Cheese Course Using Leftover Very Good Puff Paste Cheshire, Parmesan or Stilton Cheese.

Use the remains or odd pieces of paste left from large tarts, etc.
Gather up the pieces of paste, roll out evenly. Sprinkle with grated cheese of a nice flavour. Fold the paste in three, roll it out again and sprinkle more cheese over. Fold the paste, roll it out and shape with a paste cutter in any way that may be desired.
Bake the ramakins in a brisk oven for 10 to 15 minutes. Dish them on a hot napkin and serve quickly. The appearance of this dish may be very much improved by brushing the ramakins over with egg yolk before they are placed in the oven. Where expense is not objected to, Parmesan is the best kind of cheese to use for making this dish. Sufficient for 6 or 7 persons. Seasonable at any time.

Time: 10 to 15 minutes. (Brisk oven: 400F. Recipe: Mrs. Beetons

Absolutely delicious hot out of the oven with a glass of ale or port.

Aîlerons à la Chipolata - Wings and Sausages

Scald, flame [singe] and bone your wings; trim them [I cut the little tips off to use in making broth]; crisp some bacon [I use turkey] in butter in a skillet; brown your sausages [I made homemade sausage using this recipe and ground turkey] in this butter in the pan; remove and reserve sausages and bacon and brown your wings in the flavored butter; sprinkle a spoonful of flour over the wings, add two ladles full of broth, a bay leaf, and a good pinch of pepper; braise your wings in this ragout; when your ragout is three quarters cooked, add twenty-four small onions peeled and your reserved sausages. When your wings are done, degrease your ragout, and pile your wings in the middle of a serving dish, surround with sausages and onions and a ladle of ragout. Serve hot with more ragout on the side.* * * * *Aîlerons à la Chipolata.
Vous avez des aîlerons de Poulardes échaudés bien propres; étant blanchis, vous coupez du petit lard comme pour des atelets, que vous mettez dans une casserolle, le passez à demi, y mettez les aîlerons passés, ensuite mouillez de bon bouillon; vous avez des petits oignons blanchis, & des petites saucisses à qui vous avez fait suer la graisse, que vous mettez dedans selon leur cuisson, & liez le tout d'une essence bien dégraissée & de bon gout; dressez les aîlerons le ragoût dessus, & servez.

Le Cuisinier Gascon. A Amsterdam. 1740, p. 59.

Quince Liqueur - Ratafia de Coigns

Mash some very ripe quinces and take care to remove the pips and cores; macerate pulp for three days in a jar; then squeeze out all the juice; measure it, and mix it with an equal quantity of brandy; add six ounces of sugar to each quart of the mixture, some cinnamon and cloves; leave it to infuse two months; then filter it and bottle it. This liqueur becomes more excellent the longer it's kept.

Bits of Sugar

Relaxing with a cup of tea is a time-honored tradition. Settling in a cozy chair before the fire, sipping a strong brew sweetened by little bits of sugar actually required some strong-armed preparation.
Sugar came in hard cones in the 18thC, and pieces small enough to serve with tea meant nipping off small chunks with specially made nippers. Our modern sugar cubes approximate the size of the nips, but because of their odd shapes, special tongs were created to grasp the nips. The extra spring in the handle of the nipper kept the ends from overlapping and insured a smooth [s]nip off the cone.

Jean-Étienne Liotard, Still Life: Tea Set
Swiss, Geneva, about 1781 - 1783

Anise Comfits

In honor of Think Spice, a monthly event hosted by Baking History and whose theme is anise, I submit anise comfits, a Medieval sweet made of anise seed coated in sugar, still made today in France and known as Anise Pastilles.

The Old Foodie has posted a 17thC recipe for anise confits and Historic Food offers instructions and illustrations for its process.

Continuing to add sugar syrup and continuing to roll around will smooth the surface, but it adds more sugar, which today's taste may think is excess. Use as a breath sweetener, an additive to tea, or just to munch--a unique taste in candy.

Crème à l’Angloise frite - Fried Crème Anglaise

In honor of Sugar High Friday, hosted this month by The Well Seasoned Cook, and whose theme is all that glitters, I offer a fried crème Anglaise sprinkled with sugar. Here is Mario Batali’s modern recipe for Fried Cream or Crema fritta.

Fried Crème Anglaise
Make an ordinary crème Anglaise, with extra egg yolks in a double boiler; cool; cut in diamonds, flour them well, & fry until a beautiful color; sugar, & serve.
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Crème à l’Angloise frite.
Vous faites une crême à l'Angloise ordinaire , à la reserve que vous la faites plus forte d'oeufs; étant prise au bain-mari, & froide, vous la coupez par losanges , la farinez bien, & la faites frire de belle couleur, glacée, & serve.

Le Cuisinier Gascon. A Amsterdam. 1740, p. 137-138.

November and December for the Confectioner

Forasmuch as the Fruits of the Earth now cease, recourse must be had to the Provisions that have been made during the preceding Months; as well with respect to dry and wet Sweetmeats, as to Jellies and Marmelades, which may be dried, in order to make Pastes that are wanting: A greater quantity of roasted Apples and Pears are likewise prepar'd, from time to time, with some Compotes of Chesnuts, which may also be iced and dried.

Lastly, The assistance of Oranges and Lemmons, which are brought over at this time, is considerable, more especially China-oranges; but the other are not preserv'd till the following Months.
* * * * *
The court & country cook, faithfully translated out of French into English by J. K. A. J. Churchill, London, 1702, p. 14 New Instructions for Confectioners.

Notice the wooden boxes--these were usually lined with white paper (see also paper coverings on the jugs) which folded over the sweetmeats inside.

Melendez, Still life with oranges and walnuts, 1772

food-o-graphie

Join me on November 8 as Zorra shows us how foodies learn to choose and use their cameras for the best food photography!

Julian

The Julian is a very considerable Potage, and may be made in this manner: Having roasted a Leg of Mutton, let the Fat and Skin be taken away, and let it be put into a Kettle or Pot, of a sufficient bigness to hold some Broth for the Potage. Then add a good piece of Beef; another of a Fillet of Veal; a fat Capon; Carrets, Turneps and Parsneps, two of each; Parsly-roots, Celery and an Onion Stuck with Cloves; and let all boil together a long while, to the end that your Broth may be sufficiently enrich'd. In the Mean time, another Pot must be provided, and therein three or four Bundles of Asparagus, as much Sorrel as my be cut with a Knife at two strokes and some Chervil. Let them be well boil'd with some Broth taken out of the great Pot, and when the Crusts are soak'd, let the Asparagus and Sorrel be laid in order upon them, but nothing round about.

Julian-Potages are also made of a Breast of Veal, Capons, fat Pullets, Pigeons and other sorts of Meat: When they are well prepar'd and scalded, let them be put into a Pot with good Broth and a Bunch of fine Herbs; afterwards adding the above-mentioned Roots and Pulse; which may also serve to garnish the Potage, with Heaps of Asparagus chopt into pieces, and nothing else, but what is green, such as green Pease, etc.
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The court & country cook, faithfully translated out of French into English by J. K. A. J. Churchill, London, 1702, p. 140.

Casseroles

Casseroles, take their Name from the Stew-pan in which they are dress'd, call'd Casserole by the French, and are generally used for Side-dishes and Potages: For the former, take a large Loaf wash'd over with Eggs, which must not be chipt on the upper side; bore a Hole therein underneath, and take away the Crum or Pith. Afterwards prepare a good Hash of roasted Chickens, fat Pullets, or some other sort of Roast-meat, and put this Meat well minc'd into a Stew-pan, with good Gravy, as if it were to make a Hash. When it is dress'd, put some of it with a Spoon into the Loaf, that was roasted at the Fire; on the crummy side: After having thus pour'd in a little of this Hash, add some small Crusts of Bread, and proceed to fill up the Loaf alternately, with the Hash and small Pieces of Crust. Then take a Stew-pan that is no bigger than your Loaf; put a Sheet of Paper into it, or rather, some Bards or thin Slices of Bacon, and afterwards the Loaf on that side where it was farc'd; covering the bottom of it, with the same Loaf. Let it lye a soaking in this manner, with good Gravy; but it must not be too much press'd, nor too long steept, so that it may be kept altogether entire, and well cover'd. A little before 'tis serv'd up to Table, turn it out dextrously into a Dish, take away the Bacon-Bards, drain off the Fat, and cover your Loaf with a good Ragoo of Veal-sweet-breads, Artichoke-bottoms and Truffles; small tops of Asparagus being also spread round about the Dish, according to the Season.
* * * * *
The court & country cook, faithfully translated out of French into English by J. K. A. J. Churchill, London, 1702, p. 80-81.

See also: Stuffed Bread