Approach The book consists entirely of recipes, with no structured introduction. There are no
illustrations. There is an alphabetical index at the end. Digby makes use of ingredients including flowers, vegetables, meats, herbs, spices, alcohol, fruits and berries, eggs, milk, grains, and honey. Foreign influence can be seen in recipes such as "Pan Cotto, as the Cardinals use in Rome", and "A savoury and nourishing boiled
Capon, Del Conte di Trino, a Milano," which calls for costly
ambergris, dates, raisins, currants and sugar; the bird is boiled inside an ox
bladder. Advice is given that diverges from the recipe headings onto related topics. In "Tea with Eggs", it is advised not to let tea soak too long in hot water "which makes it extract into itself the earthy parts of the herb", but "The water is to remain upon it no longer then whiles you can say the
Miserere Psalm very leisurely... Thus you have only the spiritual parts of the Tea". Similarly under "Pan Cotto", the author gives general advice upon
breakfasting, recommending "juyce of Orange" (
orange juice), cream of
oatmeal or
barley, and ending "Two poched eggs with a few fine dry-fryed Collops of pure Bacon, are not bad for breakfast, or to begin a meal".
Recipes The Closet Opened begins with a section (pages 1 to 103) on brewing soft and alcoholic drinks. There are many recipes for
mead and
metheglin, and some for
ale,
cider, and wines from fruits including cherry and strawberry. It then provides recipes for "
sallets", eggs,
potage,
meat pie and meat and vegetable
pasties, cooked and prepared meats,
syllabub, cakes, pies, puddings and other desserts. The book ends with recipes for jellies,
marmalade,
quince paste, jams and syrups.
Editions The Closet Opened appeared in the following editions: • 1669, first edition, H. Brome • 1671, second edition, H. Brome • 1677, third edition, H. Brome • 1910, with an introduction by Anne Macdonell • 1967, Mallinckrodt collection of food classics, volume 6. • 1997, edited by
Jane Stevenson and Peter Davidson ==Review==