SAUCES
Roux for Sauces.
Roux is necessary to thicken and give body to sauces. Put one tablespoonful of flour and one of butter into a sauce-pan and cook till the flour has lost any raw taste. Then put the sauce-pan on the hob and add the stock, or milk slowly (one cupful for every tablespoonful of butter or flour), and stir till smooth. For white sauces take care the flour does not colour; for dark sauces let it brown, but take care it does not burn.
Agro Dolce Sauce.
Take two tablespoonfuls of sugar (brown or white), half a cupful of currants, a quarter of a bar of grated chocolate (about four ounces), one tablespoonful of chopped candied orange, one of lemon peel, one of capers, and one cupful of vinegar. Mix well together and let it soak for two hours. Pour it over the wild boar, venison, or veal, and simmer for ten minutes. Some add one tablespoonful of pinocchi (pine seeds), or a dozen almonds chopped up fine.
Bearnese Sauce.
Take five yolks of eggs, one ounce of butter, a pinch of salt, and one of pepper. Stir, and as soon as the eggs begin to consolidate take the sauce-pan off the fire and add one ounce of butter. Then put the sauce-pan on the fire again and stir in one ounce more butter; repeat this twice, then add one tablespoonful of chopped tarragon, and one teaspoonful of tarragon vinegar. This sauce must be stiff and have the consistency of Mayonnaise.
Béchamel Sauce. No. 1.
Put two ounces of butter and two tablespoonfuls of flour into a sauce-pan and stir for five minutes. Pour one and a half pints of boiling milk in gradually, beating well with a whisk. Add a bouquet, half a teaspoonful of grated nutmeg, twelve peppercorns, a pinch of salt, and three ounces of chopped mushrooms. Cook for a quarter of an hour, and rub through a fine sieve.
Béchamel Sauce. No. 2.
Mix three tablespoonfuls of butter and three of flour to a smooth paste, put ten peppercorns, half an onion, half a carrot sliced, a small piece of mace, two teacupfuls of white stock, a pinch of salt and of grated nutmeg, and a bouquet, in a stew-pan; simmer for half an hour, stirring often, then add one teacupful of cream, boil at once, strain and serve.
Béchamel Sauce. No. 3.
Cut a thick slice of veal or part of a knuckle into small cubes and put them into a sauce-pan with two ounces of butter, two medium-sized onions and two carrots sliced. Cook for ten minutes, taking care it should not brown, then put in five ounces of flour and stir for five minutes over the fire. Pour in three quarts of strong white stock and one of good cream. Add three and a half ounces of minced mushrooms, one bouquet, one saltspoonful of salt, and half a saltspoonful of pepper. Let it boil, and then stand the sauce-pan to simmer on the hob for one and a half hours, skimming often. Strain through a sieve into a large sauce-pan to jelly, add two wineglassfuls of cream and reduce till the sauce clings to the spoon. Then strain again. Stir occasionally while it is cooling, or a skin will form on the top of the sauce, in which case it must be strained again.
Béchamel Sauce (Maigre). No. 4.
Slice three onions and one carrot, and put them into a sauce-pan with two whole onions and seven ounces of butter. Cook for five minutes, then add seven ounces of flour, stir, and add three quarts of milk. Put in a bunch of parsley and half an ounce of salt. Reduce for a quarter of an hour stirring all the time, then strain through a sieve. Cover the sauce with a thin layer of melted butter, and it will keep some days. When wanted boil and stir in three and a half ounces of butter for every quart of sauce.
Broccoli (Sauce for).
Mix one tablespoonful of butter in a sauce-pan with one tumbler of water and a little salt. Stir until it boils. When the flour has quite lost its raw taste, stir in two yolks of eggs, the juice of half a lemon, and half a teaspoonful of chopped parsley.
Caper Sauce. No. 1.
Mince an anchovy and dissolve it in oil and butter over a slow fire, add four ounces of capers, three tablespoonfuls of vinegar, and some chopped parsley. This sauce can be served hot or cold.
Caper Sauce ‘alla Genovese.’ No. 2.
Mince up one small onion with two ounces of capers and three-quarters of an ounce of anchovies. Brown them in a sauce-pan with a little butter, then add one cupful of broth or good gravy, a little vinegar, and a pinch of sweet herbs. Boil up twice and serve with any boiled meat.
Caper Sauce ‘alla Milanese.’ No. 3.
Take four ounces of butter, one tablespoonful of flour, pepper and salt to taste, and mix well over the fire in a sauce-pan. Do not let it boil, and just before serving add two ounces of capers and one teaspoonful of white wine vinegar.
Cold Caper Sauce. No. 4.
Take pure olive oil, four ounces of capers and the juice of a lemon. Mix them well together and serve.
Butter Sauce. No. 1.
Put two ounces of flour into one quart of water, with one and a half ounces of butter, and a little salt and pepper. Cook for twenty minutes, stirring well, then strain into a covered bowl and put into a Bain-marie. Just before serving boil again, take off the fire, add twelve ounces of butter cut into pieces, and the juice of one fine lemon. The heat of the sauce must melt the butter as it must not be put on the fire again. If the sauce is too thick mix in half a wineglassful of hot water.
Butter Sauce. No. 2. (Melted Butter.)
Take eight ounces of butter, one tablespoonful of salt, one of pepper, and two tablespoonfuls of lemon juice. Stir with a wooden spoon over the fire until the butter is half melted, then take it off and continue to stir until it is quite liquid. By taking the butter off the fire before it is all melted, it will have a pleasant taste of fresh cream; this is lost when fully cooked.
Francese Sauce.
Stir six yolks of eggs, seventeen ounces of butter, salt and pepper to taste, well together. When they begin to consolidate mix in one wineglassful of purée of tomatoes passed through a fine sieve, one ounce of chicken jelly, one tablespoonful of chopped parsley, and one teaspoonful of capsicum vinegar.
Lombarda Sauce.
Put two tumblers of white roux and one of chicken jelly into a sauce-pan, reduce, and add three yolks of eggs mixed with two ounces of butter and the juice of half a lemon. Before it boils take the sauce-pan off the fire and add one tumbler of thick Tomato sauce (see Sauces, p. [126]) (or conserve), strain, and just before serving add one tablespoonful of sweet herbs minced fine.
Mayonnaise Sauce.
Put one yolk of egg (quite free from any white), half a teaspoonful of salt, and a pinch of cayenne, into a bowl standing in ice. Stir constantly, and add one cupful of pure olive oil, drop by drop. The goodness of the sauce depends upon adding the oil slowly. When it begins to get thick, alternate a few drops of tarragon vinegar with the oil till you have put in one and a half teaspoonfuls of vinegar (lemon juice may be used instead). In summer it is a good plan to mix the yolk of a hard-boiled egg with the raw one; the sauce is made more quickly and is less likely to curdle.
Mayonnaise Monte Bianco Sauce.
To the above Mayonnaise sauce add half a cupful of stiff whipped cream just before serving.
Mayonnaise Sauce ‘alla Ravigote.’
Take a few sprigs of tarragon, parsley, chervil, watercress, two or three chives, and a leaf of spinach or lettuce, and pound them in a mortar with some drops of lemon juice. Squeeze out the juice of the herbs, and mix it with mayonnaise sauce (as above). A few green peas will add to the colour and consistency of the sauce.
Olandese Sauce.
Rub four ounces of butter to a cream in a sauce-pan or a bowl, add four yolks of eggs, beat well together, then put in half a teaspoonful of salt, the juice of half a lemon, a pinch of cayenne, and one cupful of hot water poured in by degrees. Mix well and put into a Bain-marie. Stir until the sauce becomes of the consistency of thick cream, but be careful it does not boil. Take it off the fire and stir for some minutes. ‘Olandese’ sauce ought to be quite smooth and creamy.
‘Alla Panna’ Sauce.
Melt half a pound of butter, add a little flour, salt, pepper, and grated nutmeg. Stir until thick, then add one pint of cream, a little chopped parsley, and heat for five minutes.
Suprema Sauce. No. 1.
Put four quarts of good stock into a sauce-pan with two pounds of knuckle of veal and the body of a fowl. Boil well, skimming off the grease, add one teaspoonful of salt, two onions (one of them stuck with cloves), one bouquet, and a pinch of grated nutmeg. Simmer on the hob until the veal is quite cooked, then strain. Add three tablespoonfuls of white roux and stir over the fire until it boils. Skim, and put it into a Bain-marie to reduce. Just before serving boil it again and add one ounce of butter and three tablespoonfuls of milk of sweet almonds.
Suprema Sauce. No. 2.
Put the body of a fowl into a sauce-pan, cover it with water, and cook quickly. Take it out as soon as it boils, drain, and wash it well. Then put the fowl into a clean sauce-pan, with one quart of veal broth, one dessert-spoonful of salt, and a bouquet. Cook for forty-five minutes, then pour the broth through a strainer into another sauce-pan with two tablespoonfuls of white roux, and stir well.
Tartara Sauce. No. 1.
Take one shallot, one tablespoonful of capers, six sprigs of tarragon, six of chervil, and two gherkins; chop all up very fine and put them into an earthen bowl with two raw yolks of eggs, half a teaspoonful of ground mustard, a small pinch of salt, and one of pepper, then stir in (a drop at a time) one teaspoonful of good wine vinegar, and then a cupful of pure olive oil.
Tartara Sauce. No. 2.
Wash and mince two anchovies with the yolks of two hard-boiled eggs. Mince separately some parsley, tarragon, one shallot (or a small onion). Put them into a bowl with one tablespoonful of white wine vinegar, one and a half of olive oil, one of French mustard, and a little pepper and salt. Beat up well with a wooden spoon till quite smooth.
Tomato Sauce. No. 1.
Mince a quarter of an onion, half a stalk of celery, a few leaves of sweet basil, and a bunch of parsley, up fine. Add half a cupful of pure olive oil, a pinch of salt and one of pepper, and cut eight or nine tomatoes into slices. Boil until the sauce is as thick as cream, stirring occasionally, then strain through a sieve and serve. Eight or nine tablespoonfuls of conserve can be used instead of fresh tomatoes.
Tomato Sauce. No. 2.
Take four pounds of tomatoes, cut them in two and put them into a two-quart sauce-pan with two wineglassfuls of water, two saltspoonfuls of salt, one of pepper, and a bouquet. Cover the sauce-pan and boil for forty minutes, stirring often to prevent burning; then strain. Make a roux in another sauce-pan with one ounce of butter, and three-quarters of an ounce of flour. Cook for three minutes, mixing well. Take the roux off the fire and pour the tomatoes into it a little at a time, stirring to keep it smooth. Add two wineglassfuls of stock, put on the fire, and cook for twenty minutes, stirring all the time.
Vellutata Sauce.
Put one pound of knuckle of veal and any scraps you have of fowl into a well-buttered sauce-pan with two or three slices of ham, two carrots, one onion, and one tumbler of veal broth. When the broth is reduced add twelve mushrooms, two or three shallots, salt and pepper to taste, a bouquet, and enough veal broth to cover the meat. Boil, skim off the fat, and let it simmer for one and a half hours. It will keep some days if well corked in a cold place. Before using mix white roux with it.
Sorrel Purée.
Nip the stalks off a peck of sorrel, wash well, drain, and chop up fine with one head of well-washed lettuce and a small bunch of chervil. Put all into a sauce-pan and stir over a hot fire for three minutes, then place in the oven until well dissolved. Add one and a half ounces of fresh butter, stir until it bubbles, add half a pint of good stock or beef gravy, and cook for five minutes.
Sorrel Purée (Maigre).
Take sorrel as above, but instead of stock or gravy, add two yolks of eggs and half a cupful of cream.
Sorrel Stewed.
Wash clean the necessary quantity of sorrel, boil until tender, then rub through a sieve into a stew-pan. Add one or two tablespoonfuls of Béchamel sauce (see Sauces, p. [119]), a little salt and sugar, and two or three ounces of fresh butter. Stew for a few minutes and serve.