SAUCES FOR MEATS AND GAME
NO. 1.—DUCK SAUCE
Boil six large onions; change the water two or three times, while it is boiling, which takes away the strong taste. When soft, chop and put them in a saucepan with two large spoonfuls of butter, a little pepper and salt; now add either mushroom catsup, a cup of vinegar or a cup of wine, whichever is preferred.
NO. 2.—BROWN ONION SAUCE FOR POULTRY, ETC.
Slice three onions after peeling them; fry them a bright brown in a spoonful of butter; sprinkle a little flour in, and let it brown also; add salt, pepper, and also sage, if for goose or duck, and parsley and thyme if for chickens or roast meat; add a cup of the liquor in which the fowl was cooked, let it boil up and add a tablespoonful of catsup.
NO. 3.—MUSHROOM SAUCE
Peel and wash the mushrooms, cut them in small pieces, and put them in a saucepan; cover them with water, and let them boil soft; then stir in butter, mixed in flour, until it is thick enough to form a nice sauce; add pepper and salt.
NO. 4.—MINT SAUCE FOR SPRING LAMB
Wash carefully a cup of tender green spearmint, chop it fine, and mix with it half a cup of sugar and a cup of good vinegar.
NO. 5.—WHITE ONION SAUCE
Peel and boil six white onions, and when tender pour off the water; chop the onions small, and add to them a cup of hot milk, a large spoonful of butter, and pepper and salt to taste. Thicken with a little flour if preferred.
NO. 6.—TOMATO SAUCE, PLAIN
Peel and slice twelve tomatoes, pick out the seeds; add three pounded crackers, salt and pepper; stir twenty minutes and serve.
NO. 7.—CRANBERRY SAUCE
Stew cranberries till soft; when soft, stir in sugar; scald a few minutes and strain, or not, just as you please; it is good either way.
NO. 8.—SALAD SAUCE OR DRESSING FOR LETTUCE
Take the yolks of two hard-boiled eggs, rub them to a paste in a bowl with a tablespoonful of mustard and one of sweet cream; add gradually two tablespoonfuls of sweet oil; when well mixed add the yolk of a raw egg, to give the paste a delicate smoothness; a little salt, a spoonful of sugar, and one tablespoon and a half of fine vinegar.
NO. 9.—SAUCE PIQUANTE FOR COLD MEAT
Slice two onions, fry them in butter; put them in a stewpan with a carrot, some sweet herbs, such as dried thyme or marjoram, two eschalots, some parsley and a clove of garlic; dredge in a spoonful of flour. When the carrot is perfectly done, mash it in the stewpan with a wooden spoon, and when smooth add to it a cup of soup stock. When this boils up, throw in a cup of strong vinegar. Add salt and pepper, and strain.
NO. 10.—BUTTER AND FLOUR SAUCE OR WHITE SAUCE
Mix a tablespoonful of butter and one of flour; mix over the fire, with a cup of cold water, stirring all the time. When this boils, take a quarter of a pound of fresh butter, if for a number of guests, and stir in the butter quickly, adding a cup of cold water by degrees, to keep the butter from oiling; finish with the juice of a lemon, and strain. It must be served hot, and made only a few moments before it is wanted. It gets oily if kept long. Add a spoonful of chopped parsley.
NO. 11.—CAPER SAUCE FOR BOILED MUTTON, ETC., ETC.
Take half a pint of butter sauce and add two tablespoonfuls of capers and a little salt.
NO. 12.—PARSLEY AND BUTTER SAUCE
Take half a pint of butter sauce No. 10, and add half a cup of chopped parsley and the juice of one lemon. Pour hot water on the parsley before chopping.
NO. 13.—LEMON SAUCE FOR FISH
To half a pint of butter sauce No. 10, add the juice of a lemon and another lemon sliced; take out the seeds, and let all boil together. This is good with broiled Spanish mackerel or pompano, also with broiled fish.
NO. 14.—SAUCE A L’AURORE, FOR FISH
Pound the spawn of a lobster very smooth, with a small piece of fresh butter, and press it through a sieve in the white sauce and a large spoonful of lemon juice, and set it over a clear fire to simmer for a minute or two, taking care it does not boil.
NO. 15.—SAUCE FROIDE
Mince quite fine some parsley, chervil, tarragon, chives and burnet; mix them in five or six tablespoonfuls of oil, or three yolks of hard-boiled eggs rubbed down smooth; add two tablespoonfuls of vinegar, some made mustard, salt and pepper; beat all together until it is smooth and thick, and serve in a sauce-boat. A good sauce for fish.
NO. 16.—CHESTNUT SAUCE FOR TURKEY OR FOWLS
Take half a pint of veal stock; half a pound of chestnuts; peel of half a lemon; a cupful of cream or milk; a very little cayenne and salt.
Remove the dark shell of the chestnuts, and scald them until the inner skin can be taken off. Then put them into the saucepan with the stock, the lemon peel cut very thin, some cayenne and salt. Let it simmer till the chestnuts are quite soft. Rub it through a sieve; add the seasoning and cream, and let it simmer for a few minutes, taking care it does not boil, and stirring constantly.
NO. 17.—WHITE CELERY SAUCE FOR BOILED POULTRY
Take six heads of celery, cut off the green tops, slice the remainder into small bits and boil in half a pint of water until it is tender; mix three teaspoonfuls of flour smoothly, with a little milk. Add six spoonfuls more of milk, stir it in; add a little salt and a small piece of butter. On boiling take off.
NO. 17½.—CELERY PUREE FOR TURKEY
Chop up six or eight heads of celery, boil them a few minutes; drain and put them in a saucepan, with half a pound of butter, some white soup stock, a little sugar, pepper and salt; cook till soft, then strain it through a sieve, heat it again and add a cup of milk or cream.
NO. 18.—WHITE CUCUMBER SAUCE FOR MEATS
Take four or five cucumbers; three-quarters of a pint of veal stock; the yolks of three eggs; a little cayenne pepper and salt.
Peel and take out the seeds from the cucumbers, cut them into very small pieces and put them into a sauce-pan with the stock and seasoning, and simmer it slowly until they are tender. Then stir in the yolks of the eggs well beaten. Make it very hot, but do not let it boil; and serve it up quickly.
NO. 19.—EGGS AND BUTTER SAUCE
Boil six eggs hard; when cold, peel them and put them into a cup of butter, melted; mix with a little flour, make it hot, stir in pepper and salt. Some people like lemon, and many require walnut catsup. This is left to personal taste.
NO. 20.—WINE SAUCE FOR VENISON OR MUTTON
Take from the stock pot a pint of the soup; let it boil down to half a pint; season with a dozen cloves, a teaspoon of salt, and a little pepper; then stir in a cup of wine, or of currant jelly.
NO. 21.—SAVORY JELLY FOR COLD TURKEY OR MEAT
Put in the pot two pounds of beef; if you have veal or beef bones, break them and throw them in also, but they require longer boiling to dissolve the gelatine. Put in half a pound of sweet ham or bacon, add all the sweet herbs, such as thyme, basil, parsley and marjoram; last of all, salt and pepper to taste. Boil for three or four hours. When it is sufficiently boiled, take off, strain, and put away to cool. Take off all the fat and sediment, and clarify by throwing into it the whites and shells of three eggs; add three blades of mace and a cup of wine or lemon juice. Place it again on the fire, let it boil a few times, and strain it through a jelly-bag. When well made it is delicious with cold turkey, and under the name of “aspic jelly,” figures in the finest French cooking.
NO. 22.—TOMATO SAUCE, RICH AND VERY FINE
Take a dozen large ripe tomatoes, pick off the stalks; extract the seeds and watery juice by squeezing them in the hand. Place the pulp in a stewpan with four ounces, or a quarter of a pound, of raw ham, cut into cubes; a dozen small eschalots and a bunch of thyme or parsley. Throw in a little butter, and fry all gently until the tomatoes soften sufficiently to be passed through a strainer. Mix this puree with a cupful of good soup-stock or other soup; add the strained juice of the tomatoes, and let boil fifteen minutes, then set it by to clarify. Serve it hot. When canned tomatoes are used, omit the first directions.
NO. 23.—BROWN OYSTER SAUCE
Prepare this just as white oyster sauce (No. 24); only you use brown gravy instead of cream, as in white oyster sauce.
NO. 24.—WHITE OYSTER SAUCE
Put three dozen oysters in a stewpan, without their juice, which save; mix with the oysters, half a pound of butter, thickened with flour (work it well with a spoon); season with cayenne pepper and salt, and thin with a cup of milk or cream, and a cup of oyster juice. Boil altogether for ten minutes.
NO. 25.—OYSTER SAUCE FOR BOILED TURKEY
Put three dozen oysters in a stewpan; save their liquor in a bowl; mix with the oysters half a pound of butter and flour, worked together, and season with cayenne pepper and salt; thin this now with the liquor from the oysters and a cup of cream. Let it boil ten minutes and serve on the turkey.
NO. 26.—SAUCE PIQUANT
Put a large spoonful of sweet butter in a stewpan, slice into it two onions, two carrots, a little thyme, two cloves, two eschalots and a bunch of parsley; add, if liked, a clove of garlic. Let them cook until the carrot is soft, then shake in a little flour; let it cook five minutes more, and add a cup of beef or veal stock, and half a cup of strong vinegar; skim and strain through a sieve. Add salt and pepper when boiling. This is nice on cold meat.
NO. 27.—STOCK FOR SOUPS OR GRAVIES
Break the bones of a knuckle of veal, add to it a pound of lean beef and a half pound of lean ham; stew in two quarts of water until it is reduced to one. If for gravy, add to it two carrots, two turnips and two heads of celery. When the vegetables are soft, strain and keep for use. Water added to gravies spoils them.
NO. 28.—EGG SAUCE WITH LEMON
Boil six eggs; when cold, take off the shells, and slice them into a cup of melted butter; add pepper and salt, and stir constantly while heating. Add the juice of a lemon, or vinegar, or catsup as preferred. This sauce is equally good for boiled fish or poultry.
NO. 29.—HORSERADISH SAUCE
To a spoonful of mustard add three tablespoonfuls of vinegar and a little salt; if you have it, put in two spoonfuls of cream. Grate into this as much horseradish as will thicken it; then mash a clove of garlic and your sauce is ready.
NO. 30.—TO KEEP HORSERADISH
Grate the root, and pour strong vinegar over it, and bottle. This is fine for roast meat.
NO. 31.—SAUCE ROBERT
Cut into small pieces four large onions; brown them with three ounces of butter and a spoonful of flour. When yellow-brown, pour on them half a pint of veal, or beef gravy, or soup; let all simmer for half an hour; season with salt and pepper, and at the moment of serving, add a dessertspoonful of made mustard.
NO. 32.—PIQUANT TOMATO SAUCE
Mash half a dozen ripe tomatoes (pick out the seeds), put them in a stewpan with sliced onions, and a little meat gravy; let them simmer, till nearly dry, then add half a pint of brown gravy, left of cold meat, and let it cook twenty minutes. Strain and season with cayenne pepper, salt and lemon juice. Tarragon vinegar may be used instead of the lemon juice.
NO. 33.—CREAM SAUCE
Put a quarter of a pound of butter in a stew-pan, with a small tablespoonful of wheat flour, a teaspoonful of chopped parsley, and the same of young onions, or eschalots, chopped fine; add a saltspoonful of salt, and the same of pepper, and a grated nutmeg. Mix these well together, then add a glass of cream, or rich milk, set it over the fire, and stir it with a silver spoon until it is ready to boil; if it is too thick, add more milk. This sauce should be stirred for fifteen minutes. Extract of celery improves it. Serve with boiled rabbits, meat or poultry.
NO. 34.—APPLE SAUCE
Peel, quarter, and core some rich, tart apples; add a very little water, cover and set them over the fire; when tender, mash them smooth, and serve with roasted pork, goose, or any other gross meat.
NO. 35.—CRANBERRY SAUCE
Wash and pick a quart of cranberries; put them into a stew-pan, with a teacupful of water, and the same of brown sugar; cover the pan and let them stew gently for one hour; then mash them smooth with a silver spoon; dip a quart bowl in cold water, pour in the stewed cranberries, and leave till cold. Serve with roast pork, ham, turkey or goose.
NO. 36.—SAVORY SAUCE FOR A ROAST GOOSE
A tablespoonful of made mustard, half a teaspoonful of cayenne pepper, and three spoonfuls of port wine. When mixed, pour this (hot) into the body of the goose before sending it up. It wonderfully improves the sage and onions.
NO. 37.—FRIED PEACHES FOR SAUCE
Take peaches, not fully ripe, wash and wipe them; then cut them in slices a quarter of an inch thick, and fry in the pan, after pork. Serve with the meat. This is a South Carolina dish.
NO. 38.—FRIED APPLES AS A RELISH
Wash fine, fair apples without paring; cut them in slices an eighth of an inch thick, and fry in hot lard, or pork fat. Serve with fried pork.
NO. 39.—RICH LEMON SAUCE, FOR PUDDINGS
Boil a fresh lemon in plenty of water, until a straw will penetrate it, then cut it in slices, and each slice in quarters; add a teacupful of sugar, and the same of butter, with a large teaspoonful of wheat flour worked into it; put all together into a stew-pan, and stir in gradually half a pint of boiling water; keep it over the fire for ten minutes, stirring it all the time, then serve with half a nutmeg grated over.
NO. 40.—HARD SAUCE
Beat a quarter of a pound of butter to a cream, then stir into it half a pound of pulverized white sugar, and beat it until it is light. A wineglass of wine or brandy may be added. Grate nutmeg over it. Put it on ice if the weather is warm.
NO. 41.—TO KEEP HORSERADISH FOR SAUCE
Grate a quantity in season, and keep it in bottles filled with strong vinegar. A clove of garlic added to each bottle is an improvement.
NO. 42.—TO MAKE GOOD VINEGAR; NO. 1
Mix a quart of molasses in three gallons of rain water; add to this, one pint of sharp yeast. Let it ferment and stand four weeks; you will then have good vinegar.
NO. 43.—ANOTHER WAY TO MAKE VINEGAR; NO. 2
To make good pickles or sauces of several kinds, good vinegar is required. To a gallon of water put two pounds of coarse brown sugar; boil and skim it for half an hour. Put it in a tub or jar to ferment; add to it in the tub a slice of raised wheat-bread soaked in yeast. It can be bottled off or put in a cask in a week or two, but must be left unstopped, and the bung covered with muslin to keep out insects.
NO. 44.—TO MAKE GOOD VINEGAR FOR PICKLES
To a gallon of whisky add four pounds of brown sugar, a cup of yeast, and seven gallons of water. Put it into a demijohn or keg. If you set the vinegar in April, it will be good in November to pickle with. Cover the mouth of the vessel with muslin, to keep out flies or insects, which trouble and sometimes ruin vinegar while making. When sharp and clear, bottle it.
NO. 45.—TO MAKE GOOD AND CHEAP VINEGAR
Take three quarts of molasses, add to it eight gallons of rain water; turn the mixture into a clean cask, shake it well two or three times, throw in a few spoonfuls of good yeast, or two yeast cakes; place the cask in a warm place, and in ten days throw in it a sheet of common brown paper, smeared with molasses; it should be torn into narrow strips. This paper seems necessary to form mother, in making vinegar, unless you use whisky to commence the fermentation; then paper is not necessary.