150. Crawfish Butter.
—Pick the meat from the tails of twelve boiled crawfish; dry the shells, and pound them all together in a mortar, adding one ounce of good butter; then place it in a saucepan on a moderate fire, stirring, until it clarifies, for about five minutes; then strain through a napkin, letting it drop into cold water. When it is congealed, take it out, and place it in a warm basin, stirring until it assumes the desired color. The same method can be used for lobsters and shrimps.
151. Sauce Espagnole—for one gallon.
—Mix one pint of raw, strong mirepoix ([No. 138]) with two ounces of good fat (chicken’s fat is preferable). Mix with the compound four ounces of flour, and moisten with one gallon of white broth ([No. 99]). Stir well, and then add, if handy, some baked veal and ham bones. Boil for three hours, and then remove the fat very carefully; rub the sauce through a very fine sieve, and keep it for many purposes in cooking.
152. Sauce Velouté.
—Melt one ounce of good butter in a saucepan, adding two tablespoonfuls of flour, and stir well, not letting it get brown. Moisten with a pint and a half of good veal and chicken stock, the stronger the better. Throw in a garnished bouquet ([No. 254]), half a cupful of mushroom liquor, if at hand, six whole peppers, half a pinch of salt, and a very little nutmeg. Boil for twenty minutes, stirring continuously with a wooden spatula; then remove to the side of the fire, skim thoroughly, and let it continue simmering slowly for one hour. Then rub through a fine sieve. This sauce will make the foundation for any kind of good white stock.
153. Sauce Villeroi.
—Strain and place in a saucepan with one ounce of butter, two tablespoonfuls of raw mirepoix ([No. 138]), adding two tablespoonfuls of flour. Cook, and mix well together for five minutes; moisten with three pints of white broth ([No. 99]), and season with half a tablespoonful of salt. Boil for one hour; then strain through a fine sieve and use when needed.
154. Béchamel Sauce.
—Place in a saucepan two ounces of butter, add two tablespoonfuls of flour, and stir constantly for five minutes. Moisten with a pint and a half of boiling milk, being careful to pour it in gradually; then beat it well with a whisk. Add half a teaspoonful of grated nutmeg, a pinch of salt, a bouquet ([No. 254]), twelve whole peppers, and a little mushroom liquor, if at hand. Cook well for fifteen minutes, and when done rub through a fine sieve.