Georgian and Regency Recipes (1) - A Fine Syllabub

After browsing recently through a collection of 18th and 19th century recipes, I thought I'd share a few of them on here.  Hannah Glasse and Eliza Acton were two of the greatest English cookery writers from this period and most of the recipes come from their famous publications:  Hannah Glasse's The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy and Eliza Acton's Modern Cookery for Private Families.    Below is Hannah's recipe for 'A Fine Syllabub'.

Traditionally, syllabub was made by milking a cow into a bowl of ale or cider.  This gave a frothy top to the liquor and so it was partly eaten, partly drunk.  Gradually in the 17th century, milk and ale were replaced by cream and wine, whipped together, which produced a creamy froth on a liquor base.  During the 18th century, the proportion of cream was increased so that no separation took place and the resulting 'everlasting syllabub' existed alongside the separated version throughout the 1700s.

To make a fine syllabub from the cow: Make your syllabub of either Cyder or Wine, sweeten it pretty sweet, and grate nutmeg in, then milk the Milk into the Liquor; when this is done, pour over the Top half a pint or pint of Cream, according to the Quantity of Syllabub you make.  You may make this syllabub at Home, only have new milk; make it as hot as milk from the Cow, and out of a tea pot or any such thing, pour it in, holding your Hand very high.

- Hannah Glasse The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy.

Most of us haven't got a cow readily available to milk *g* so here's the recipe I use for an Everlasting Syllabub - and extremely delicious it is too!

1/2 pint double cream
finely grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon brandy
1 tablespoon sherry
2 oz. caster sugar

Place all the ingredients into a mixing bowl.  Whisk until light but not too thick.  Place the mixture into small glasses and refrigerate until required.  Serve with almond biscuits.

High Life by Thomas Rowlandson (1764)