The Ladies' Assistant for Regulating and Supplying the Table, Being a Complete System of Cookery, &c. containing The most Select Bills of Fare, properly disposed, For Family Dinners of Five Dishes To Two Courses of Eleven and Fifteen; With Bills of

from the several Bills of Fare. Likewise Directions for Brewing, Making English Wines, Rasberry, Orange, and Lemon-Brandies, &c. Also Remarks on Kitchen-Poisons, and necessary Cautions thereon. London: Printed for J. Walter:1786, New edition, Enlarged, Corrected, and Improved, to the Present Time, thick 8vo, [xx], 484pp + 19pp index + ad leaf, half-title present, neat near contemp. manuscript recipe for mince pies on blank rear endpaper, bound in twentieth century patterned polished full calf, gilt-ruled spine with contrasting morocco title label. A VG+ unusally clean copy. Oxford writes "It seems an excellent and well-arranged book, but few people would care for 'Viper Broth'." (Oxford: 'English Cookery Books to the Year 1850', pages 107-108). This is a must-have resource for anyone interested in 18th-century English cooking or historical foodways. Mason explores several topics seldom seen in contemporary works. For instance, she dedicates over 100 pages to menu ideas ranging from family suppers of 4 dishes to multi-course banquets featuring nearly twenty dishes. Numerous fine receipts are included for meat, fish, savory pies, breads, and vegetable dishes. She offers insight and instructions for sauces, cullises, gravies, vinegars, and catchups. She also includes a lengthy discourse on spices and seasonings, as well as their uses. There is a section on boiled and baked puddings, dumplings, fritters, and pancakes. And let's not forget dessert: sweet pies, tarts, cheesecakes, cakes, creams, blancmanges, and syllabubs are just a few! Keep an eye for the surprises as well, such as a simple recipe that was unusual for its time for roast beef sandwiches, as well as a very early reference to soy sauce. She wraps up her work with seasonal considerations as well as a very thorough index.…