Take a Quart of fine Flower and the yolks of 4 Eggs, a quarter of a pound of Sugar, and a little Rosewater, with some beaten Spice, and as much Cream as will work it into a Paste, work it very well and beat it, then rowl it as thin as possible, and cut them round with a Spur, such as the Pastry Cooks do use; then fill them with Currans first plumped a little in Rosewater and Sugar, so put another sheet of Paste over them and close them, prick them, and bake them but let not your Oven be too hot; you may colour some of them with Saffron if you please, and some of them you may ice over with Rosewater and Sugar, and the White of an Egg beaten together.
148. To make a Paste to wash your hands withal.
Take a Pound of bitter Almonds, blanch them and beat them very fine in a Mortar with four Ounces of Figgs, when it is come to a paste, put it into a Gallipot and keep it for your use; a little at a time will serve.
149. To keep Flowers all the Year.
Take any sort of pretty Flowers you can get, and have
in readiness some
Rosewater made very slippery by laying Gum Arabick
therein.
Dip your Flowers very well, and swing it out again, and stick them in a sieve to dry in the Sun, some other of them you may dust over with fine Flower, and some with searced Sugar, after you have wetted them, and so dry them.
Either of them will be very fine, but those with Sugar will not keep so well as the other; they are good to set forth Banquets, and to garnish Dishes, and will look very fresh, and have their right smell.
150. Conserve of Barberries.
Take Barberries, infuse them in a pot as other Fruits spoken of before, then strain them, and to every pound of liquor take two pounds of Sugar, boil them together over the fire till it will come from the bottom of the Posnet, and then put it into Gally-pots and keep it with fine Sugar strewed over it.
151. To preserve Barberries without Fire.
Take your fairest bunches and lay a Lay of fine Sugar into the bottom of the pot, and then a Lay of Barberries, and then Sugar again, till all be in, and be sure to cover them deep with Sugar last of all, and cover your pot with a bladder wet and tyed on, that no Air get in, and they will keep and be good, and much better to garnish dishes with than pickled Barberries, and are very pleasant to eat.
152. To Candy Almonds to look as though they had their Shells on.
Take Jordan Almonds and blanch them, then take fine Sugar, wet it with water, and boil it to a Candy height, colour it with Cochineal, and put in a grain of Ambergreece; when you see it at a Candy height, put in your Almonds well dried from the Water, and shake them over the fire till you see they are enough, then lay them in a Stove or some other warm place.
153. To Candy Carrot Roots.