Felbrigg Hall pie-making

To make Marchpain[1]

Take 1 pound of sweet Almonds, blanch & beat ym fine with orenge flower water, as stiffe as you can to keep ym from oyling, add to ym 1 pound of Loafe Suger sifted, rub ym well together, yn add ye Whites of 5 eggs, well beat to a froth, mix ym well in & set ym in a pewter dish on a slow fire, not to boyle till they are a litle stiffe, set it bye till it is cold yn role ym up 2 Inches long & turn ym a litle round C C S [shapes drawn here by KW] bake ym on paper & Tins, after yr bisket comes out
make yr Ratifie [2] Biskets ye same way, only if you have no Kernels take 1⁄2 bitter Almonds & 1⁄2 sweet, make ym in litle round drop

To Candy fruit for ye table to last a weeke

Take yr Corants[3] in bunches plums or Cherys, or any small fruit, ye must be dry, yn beat a litle white of egge & water together, & lightly dip your fruit all over in it, yn have some loafe suger finly sifted & put in a deep bason, tosse ye fruit well in it till ye are all over sugared, but not cloded[4] together, lay ym on sives[5] or china plates, & set ym in ye Sun or hot stove

To make a Rich Cake

Take 5 po[6] of flower & 6 po of Corants, drye yr flower very well, rub into it 3 po of butter yn take a po of Jordan Almonds beaten fine with a litle orenge flower water, & 12 eggs 1⁄2 ye whites, beat yr eggs with a wiske to a froth, 3 qu of a po of loafe suger beaten & sifted, a quart of new Ale yeast & a qu of cream & a qu of a pint of Sacke[7], Cloves mace cinnamon a qu[8] of an ounce of each, muske[9] & ambergreece[10] a grain of each citron & Lemon peel 1⁄2 of po of each cut small, raisons & dates strow’d[11] & shread small of each 1⁄2 a pound

mix yr Almonds & spice with ye flower & ye raisons & suger, make yr cream more yn milke warm, & put yr eggs & yeast to yr cream
grind ye perfume[12] & make yr Sacke hot & put in it, yn put it to yr cream

yn make a hole in yr flower & pour in yr cream & mingle all well together, let it stand an hower before ye fire to rise
get yr Hoop[13] ready buterd & paperd, yn mix yr Corants & sweet meats, & let it stand in ye oven 2 howers[14]

To make Mince[15] pyes

Neats Toung[16] or ye Inside of a Surloin of Beefe makes ye Best veal tripe of Bulockes heart makes ym bast very good. parboyle your meat & chop it very small, (if too much don yr pyes will eat dry) shread Beefe Suet small & put in double the quantety of your meat,

wash your corants & picke ym Clean, & to 3 po of meat & suet put 2 pound of Corants

pare some Aples & Chop ym small put 2 to a pound of meat, shred some Lemon peel very fine & put in Season it all with salt nutmeg mace & Cloves beat fine, to your taste, put in a pint or more of verjuice[17]to 3 pound of meat, trye it in a porenger, & add what is wanting, slice candied Orenge citrin & Lemon peel thin & lay on ye Top. but litle of ye first