There is also a tendency to not explain much in the way of weights and measures - some recipes just call for 'sugar' and '2 or 3 eggs'. These receipts were well known to these women, as was cooking. They new the proportions needed and so they need not spell things out in their own handwritten books. There is also a complete lack of temperature and cooking times - well that's fairly obvious. The first closed stoves were not really in use until the early nineteenth century anyway. To measure temperature was futile, just as a cook would time it according to what she knew.

A Caudle for Sweet Pyes
Take sack & white wine alike in quantity a little verjuice (Ed's note - Verjuice is very sour fruit juice, usually that of unripe grapes. It has been suggested that a modern substitute might be vinegar; Verjuice is available in some gourmet catalogs including here in New Zealand where it is made at a vineyard near Napier.) & sugar boyle it & brew with 2 or 3 eggs as buttered ale when the pyes are bakd pour it in at the funnell and shake it together

A Lear for Savoury Pyes
Take clarret gravy savoury spice oyster liquor 2 or 3 anchovys a faggot of sweet herbs & an onion boyle it up & thicken it with brown butter then pour it into your savoury pyes when called for.

A Lumber Pye
Take a pd & 1/2 of a fillet of veal & mince it with ye same quantity of beef suet - season it with sweet spice 5 pippens an handfull of spinnage & an hard lettuce thyme & parsley mix it with a penny grated white loaf ye yolks of 2 or 3 eggs sack & orange flower water a pd & 1/2 of currants with preserves as ye lamb pye & a caudle - An humble pye; is made ye the same way

A Quaking Pudding
Take a qt. of cream & beat 3 or 4 spoonfulls with 2 or 3 spoonfulls of flower of rice a penny grated white loaf and 4 eggs put to it orange flower water sugar & sweet spice butter ye cloth & tye it up but not too close when ye pott Boyles put it in boyle it an hour then put it in dish stick it with sliced citron let ye the sauce be sack and orange flower water with lemon juice sugar and drawn butter

A Rice Florendine
Boyle 1/2 a pd. of rice tender in fair water then put to it a qt of milk boyle it thick & season it with sweet spice & sugar mix it with 8 eggs well beat 1/2 a pd of currants ye marrow of 2 bones put to it 3 grated biskets sack & orange flower water put it in a dish being covered with puff past & garnish ye brim

A Marrow Pudding
Boyle a qt of cream or milk with a stick of cinnamon a quartered nutmeg & large mace then mix it with 8 eggs well beat a little salt sugar sack & orange flower water strain it then put to it 3 grated biskets an handfull of currants as many raissons of ye sun ye marrow of 2 bones all to 4 large pieces then gather it to a body over the fier & put it in a dish having ye brim thereof garnished with puff past & raisd in ye oven then lay on ye pieces of marrow colourd knots & pasts slicd citron & lemon piele 1/2 an hour will bake

Potugall Cakes
Put a pd of fine sugar a pd of fresh butter 5 eggs a little beaten mace into a flatt pan beat it up with your hands till tis very leight & looks curdling then put thereto a pd of flower 1/2 a pd of currants very clean pickt & dryd beat them together fill your hart pans & bake them in a slack oven - You may make seed cakes ;the same say only put carraway seeds instead of currants

Ginger bread Cakes
Take 3 pd of flower a pd of sugar & a pd of butter rubbd very fine an ounce of ginger & a grated nutmeg mix it with a pd of treacle & a quarter of a pt of cream warmed together to make up your bread stiff roul them out cut them in little cakes bake them in a slack oven

Shrewsberry Cakes
Take a pd of fresh butter a pd of double refind sugar sifted fine a little beaten mace & 4 eggs beat them all together with your hands till tis very leight & looks curdling then put thereto a pd & 1/2 of flower roul them out into little cakes

Wiggs
Take a quatern of flower 1/2 a pd of sugar an handfull of carraway seeds then put into ye midle of the flower 1/2 a pt of yest with a pd & 1/2 of butter melted in a pt of milk & pour to the yest stirring it with your hands strew flower let it lye to rise then make up your wiggs.

To Boyle Rabbits
Truss them for boyling & lard them with bacon then boyle them quick & white for ye sauce take ye boyld liver shred it with fatt bacon toss these up together in strong broth white wine & vineger mace salt nutmeg set parsely mincd; barberries Drawn butter lay your rabbits in a dish pour ye Lear all over them & garnish them with slicd lemon & barberries

To Boyle Pidgeons
Stuff your pidgeons with sweetherbs chopt bacon a little grated bread butter & spice ye yolk of an egg then boyle them as aforesaid & garnish it with slicd lemon & barberries

Ollives of Veal
Take 8 or 10 scotch collops wash them over with ye batter of eggs then season & lay over them a little forcd meat roul them up & roast them then make for them a ragooe as ye collops & garnish them with slicd orange

Pidgeon Peares
Bone your pidgeons all but one leg & put that thro ye side out at ye vent(?) cut off ye toes & fill them with forcd meat made of ye hart of liver & cover them with a tender forced meat being washed over with ye batter of eggs & shape them like peares then wash them over & roul them in scalded chopt slices of bacon & put them in bladders boyle them an hour & 1/2 then take them out of ye bladders lay them before ye fier 1/2 an hour then make for them a ragooe & garnish them with slicd lemon.

A Calves Head Hasht
Your calves head being slitt & cleansed half boyled & cold cut one side into thin slices & fry it in a pan of brown butter then having a toss pan on the stove with a pt of gravy as much strong broth a quarter of a pt of clarret as much white wine & a handfull of savoury balls 2 or 3 shiverd pallats a pt of oysters cocks combs lambstones & sweet breads boyled blanched & sliced with mushroom truffells & murrells 2 or 3 anchovys as many shallots & faggot of sweetherbs tossed up & stewd together season it with savory spice then scotch ye other side cross & cross flower bast & broyle it.
The Hash being thickened with brown butter put it in ye dish lay over & about it fryd balls of ye tongue slicd & larded with bacon lemon piele & beetroot then fry in ye batter of eggs slicd sweetbreads sippets & oysters lay in ye head & place these on & about ye dish & garnish it with sliced orange & lemon

Bombarded Veal
Take a fillet of veal & cut out of it 5 lean pieces as thick as your hand round them up a little then lard them very thick on ye round side lard 5 sheeps tongues being boyld & blanchd make a well seasond forcd meat with veal lean bacon beef suet & anchovy roul it up into a ball being well beat then make another tender forcd meat with veal fatt bacon beef suet mushrooms spinnage parsley thyme sweet - marjoram winter savory and green onions season & beat it then put your forcd meat ball into part of this forcd meat put it in a veal caul & bake it in a little pott then roul up that which is left in another veal wett with ye batter of eggs roul it up like a polonia sausage tye it at both ends & slightly round & boyle it.
Your forcd ball being bakd put it in ye midle of ye dish lay over & about it fryd balls & tongues fryd brown between each then pour on them a ragooe lay about it ye other forcd meat cut as thin as an half crown & fryd in ye batter of eggs & squeese on it an orange & garnish it with slicd orange & lemon

To Butter Lobsters
Take out ye meat & put it in a saucepan with a little seasoned gravy a nutmeg a little vineger & drawn butter fill ye shells & set ye rest in plates

To Collar a Pigg
Slitt your pigg down ye back take out ye bones wash out ye blood in 3 or 4 water wipe it dry & season it with savory spice thyme parsley & salt roul it in an hard collar in a cloth tye it close & put it in a pott & boyle it in 3 pts of water an handfull of salt a qt of vineger a faggot of sweetherbs whole spice a penny worth of iceing glass when they are tender take them off when they are fold take it out of ye cloth & keep it in this pickle

To Collar Eeles
Scower your large silver eele with salt slitt them down ye back take out all ye bones wash & dry them season them with savory spice mincd parsley thyme sage & an onion then roul it in an hard collar in a cloth tye them close & boyle them in water & salt with ye heads & bone & 1/2 a pt of vineger a faggot of sweetherbs ginger a penny worth of iceing glass when they are tender take them up tye them close again strain ye pickle & keep eeles in it