To Boyle The Large Mushrooms
From the treasured pages of The Lady Cravens Receipt Book
Written by Elizabeth Craven, Baroness Craven
To Boyle The Large Mushrooms
"Take & wash them clean, then take ye stalks & chope them small with Sweet hearts, & a litle oynion cut small all the butterr & grated bread take & fill your larg Mushrooms with this postmeat then Broyle them on a grid-Iron, or in an Oven in a stew-pan Lord Cravens"
Note on the Original Text
The recipe is written in the characteristic loose and conversational style of early 18th-century English cookery. Spelling reflects period conventions ('oyle' for 'oil,' 'postmeat' likely intended as 'forcemeat' or 'filling') and punctuation is sparse. Directions are brief, assuming significant kitchen knowledge from the reader. Amounts are seldom specified, as most cooks of the era worked by eye and experience rather than strict measurement. Ingredients such as 'Sweet hearts' actually refer to sweet herbs, not animal organs—a common confusion from old texts.
Title
The Lady Cravens Receipt Book (1703)
You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome
Writer
Elizabeth Craven, Baroness Craven
Era
1703
Publisher
Coome Abbey
Background
A delectable manuscript brimming with 18th-century English delights, Lady Craven's receipt book whisks readers from luscious cakes and puddings to savory feasts and creamy cheeses. Elegantly organized and sprinkled with recipes from an illustrious social circle, this culinary collection offers a sumptuous taste of aristocratic home economics.
Kindly made available by
Penn State University
This recipe hails from 'The Lady Cravens receipt-booke', a manuscript collection of culinary receipts (recipes) attributed to Lady Elizabeth Craven and her circle, created in England between 1702 and 1704. The manuscript offers rare insights into upper-class English cooking at the dawn of the 18th century, capturing both the flavors and the social exchanges of the time. The format shows an era where recipes were often attributed to well-known persons—here, to Lord Craven—reflecting the intertwining of culinary knowledge and elite social circles. Mushrooms were a fashionable and intriguing ingredient, considered both wholesome and a bit exotic, perfect for a genteel English table.
In the early 1700s, these stuffed mushrooms would be prepared with basic kitchen knives for chopping and a mortar and pestle for blending herbs. The primary cooking tools were a grid-iron—a metal grill placed over open coals—or a stew-pan, a lidded pan suitable for roasting or baking in the hearth or oven. Cooks relied on wood or charcoal fires, managing the heat by skill and experience.
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Servings
6
We've done our best to adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, but some details may still need refinement. We warmly welcome feedback from fellow cooks and culinary historians — your insights support the entire community!
Ingredients
- 4–6 large mushrooms (such as portobello, approx. 4–4.5 inches across)
- 1/3 cup fresh breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh marjoram (or substitute a little oregano)
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Begin by washing large, mature mushrooms (such as portobellos) thoroughly.
- Remove the stalks and chop them finely.
- Also chop a small amount of fresh sweet herbs—such as parsley, thyme, and marjoram—and a little onion.
- In a bowl, mix the chopped mushroom stalks, herbs, diced onion, a generous knob of softened butter (about 2 tablespoons), and about 1/3 cup of fresh breadcrumbs until it becomes a soft filling.
- Stuff this mixturre back into the mushroom caps.
- Place the stuffed mushrooms on a grill pan (or a tray) and broil under a hot oven grill for 10–15 minutes, or bake in a preheated oven (about 400°F) for 15–20 minutes, until golden and bubbling.
- The mushrooms can also be cooked in a skillet or ovenproof pan to mimick the old stew-pan or grid-iron method.
Estimated Calories
120 per serving
Cooking Estimates
It takes about 10 minutes to prepare the filling and the mushrooms. Cooking them in the oven or under the grill takes about 15–20 minutes. Each stuffed mushroom is a serving, and each serving has roughly 120 calories.
As noted above, we have made our best effort to translate and adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, taking into account ingredients nowadays, cooking techniques, measurements, and so on. However, historical recipes often contain assumptions that require interpretation.
We'd love for anyone to help improve these adaptations. Community contributions are highly welcome. If you have suggestions, corrections, or cooking tips based on your experience with this recipe, please share them below.
Join the Discussion
Rate This Recipe
Dietary Preference
Main Ingredients
Occasions
Den Bockfisch In Einer Fleisch Suppen Zu Kochen
This recipe hails from a German manuscript cookbook compiled in 1696, a time whe...
Die Grieß Nudlen Zumachen
This recipe comes from a rather mysterious manuscript cookbook, penned anonymous...
Ein Boudain
This recipe comes from an anonymous German-language manuscript cookbook from 169...
Ein Gesaltzen Citroni
This recipe, dating from 1696, comes from an extensive anonymous German cookbook...
Browse our complete collection of time-honored recipes