Recipe Manuscript

To Make Jelly

Name: To Make Jelly
Prep time: PTPT20M
Cook time: PTPT2H40M
Yield: 6
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: 1 veal knuckle (about 500-700 grams); 2 calves’ feet, skinned and cleaned (about 300 grams each); 3 liters cold water; 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, sliced or bruised; 1/2 teaspoon white peppercorns; 4 whole cloves; 1/4 whole nutmeg, quartered or cracked; Tiny pinch musk (substitute: small piece vanilla pod or omit); 115 grams rock sugar (or granulated sugar); 3 tablespoons rosewater

1675

From the treasured pages of Medicinal and cookery recipes by John King

Written by John King

Renaissance (1400 - 1700)European Intermediate Dessert Other

Original Recipe • 1675

Original Manuscript(circa Renaissance, 1400 - 1700)

As inscribed by the original author's hand, transcribed with care by Lost Kitchen Scrolls

To Make Jelly

"Take a knuckle of veale, two calves feete flayed and scalded boile them in spring water and when they are boiled ready to eate saue the flesh for your broth, if you boile it to peeces the Jelly will be thicke, then take a quart of the best and clearest broath and then take ginger, white pepper, whole cloves, one nutmegg quartered a graine of muske, put these spices in a little bagg and boile then your Jelly season it wth 4 ounces of sugar candy and 3 spoonefulls of rosewater so let it runne through the Jelly bagg :"

Note on the Original Text

The recipe is written in the plain, abbreviated prose standard to seventeenth- and eighteenth-century English cookery manuscripts. Spelling varies—‘veale’ for veal, ‘broath’ for broth, ‘sugar candy’ for rock sugar, and punctuation is minimal. Quantities are sometimes vague, assuming the cook’s experience and judgment. Instructions are a continuous narrative, with steps implied rather than explicitly listed, fitting the oral traditions of passing down cookery. Modern readers should note that methods and taste preferences (stronger spice, floral notes) reflect period aesthetics, and that modern substitutions or omissions (such as musk and, sometimes, calves’ feet) may be necessary.

Modern Kitchen Interpretation

Recipe's Origin

Medicinal and cookery recipes by John King - Click to view recipe in book

Title

Medicinal and cookery recipes by John King (1675)

You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome

Writer

John King

Era

1675

Publisher

Unknown

Background

A delightful journey into the kitchens of the 17th and early 18th centuries, this collection, attributed to John King, brims with time-honored recipes, culinary wisdom, and flavors that once graced historic tables.

Kindly made available by

Folger Shakespeare Library

Historical Background of the Recipe

Learn about old traditions

This recipe hails from the rich culinary tradition of early modern England, between 1625 and 1725, as found in a manuscript associated with John King. Jelly made from calves’ feet was a prized delicacy, emblematic of high-status banquets and festive feasts. Its shimmering, spiced transparency was considered both a culinary skill and a mark of refinement. The use of veal and perfumed rosewater hints at the luxury of the dish, as these were costly and fashionable ingredients of their time. This recipe is a fascinating precursor to gelatin-based desserts and even savory aspics, reflecting changing tastes and the blossoming love for showpiece foods in English elite households.

Culinary Tools when the Recipe was Crafted

Tools and techniques from kitchens of old

Cooks in the period would have used large iron or copper pots to simmer the meats, long-handled spoons to skim the broth, and simple cloth bags (muslin, linen, or purpose-made ‘jelly bags’) to clarify the jelly. Spices were tied in linen or muslin before being immersed in the broth. A large hearth or open fire provided the heat. Jelly molds, often made of ceramic or pewter, shaped the final product for display at table.

Modern Kitchen Adaptation

Ingredients and techniques for today's cooks

ounces, cups, Fahrenheit

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

2 hrs 40 mins

Servings

Ingredients

1 veal knuckle (about 1.1–1.5 lbs)
2 calves’ feet, skinned and cleaned (about 10 oz each)
3 quarts cold water
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, sliced or bruised
1/2 teaspoon white peppercorns
4 whole cloves
1/4 whole nutmeg, quartered or cracked
Tiny pinch musk (substitute: small piece vanilla pod or omit)
4 ounces rock sugar (or granulated sugar)
3 tablespoons rosewater

Instructions

Begin by simmering one veal knuckle and two calves' feet (about 2.2 lbs total), cleaned and skinned, in approximately 3 quarts of fresh cold water.
Skim any impurities as they rise.
Cook over low heat until the meat is soft but not fully falling apart – around 2 to 2.5 hours.
Remove the meat for other culinary uses; it was often saved for broth or potted meats.
Take 1 quart of your clarified broth and strain well.
Prepare a small spice bag with 1 teaspoon crushed fresh ginger, 1/2 teaspoon white peppercorns, 4 whole cloves, and 1/4 of a whole nutmeg (cracked).
If desired, add a tiny pinch of musk (nowadays you might omit this or use a vanilla pod as a distant aromatic substitute).
Simmer the spices in the broth for 10 minutes.
Strain again, dissolve in 4 ounces sugar candy (rock sugar or normal sugar), and swirl in 3 tablespoons rosewater.
Finally, filter the mixture through several layers of fine muslin or a jelly bag until clear.
Pour into molds and refrigerate to set into a shimmering, delicately perfumed aspic.

Estimated Calories

90 per serving

Cooking Estimates

This recipe takes some time as you simmer the meat for a couple of hours, then prepare the broth with spices and chill it to set. Most of the time is spent waiting while the broth cooks and later as it chills. You get about 6 servings of a delicately flavored aspic, each with around 90 calories, since it's mostly broth with a touch of sugar.