Meat, when put down to roast, should have about a pint of water in the dripping pan. A little while before the meat is done, stir up the drippings, put it in a skillet, and set it where it will boil. Mix two or three tea spoonsful of flour smoothly, with a little water, and stir it in the gravy when it boils. Lamb and veal require a little butter in the gravy. The gravy for pork and geese, should have a little of the dressing, and sage, mixed with it. If you wish to have your gravies look dark, scorch the flour that you thicken them with, which is easily done by putting it in a pan, setting it on a few coals, and stirring it constantly till it is a dark brown color, taking care that it does not burn. Enough can be burnt at once to last a long time.
44. Sauce for Cold Meat, Fish or Salad.
Boil a couple of eggs three minutes—then mix it with a mustard spoonful of made mustard, a little salt, pepper, half a tea cup of salad oil, or melted butter, and half a tea cup of vinegar. A table spoonful of catsup improves it.
45. Wine Sauce for Venison or Mutton.
Warm half a pint of the drippings, or liquor the meat was boiled in—mix a couple of tea spoonsful of scorched flour with a little water, and stir it in when the gravy boils. Season it with salt, pepper, and cloves—stir a table spoonful of currant jelly in, and just before you take it from the fire, half a tumbler of wine. Many people prefer melted currant jelly to any other sauce for venison or mutton.
Boil one onion and half a tea cup of rice with a blade of mace, till very soft, in just water enough to cover it—then stir in half a pint of milk, a little salt, and strain it. This is a nice accompaniment to game.
Take the juice of the oysters, and to a pint put a couple of sticks of mace, a little salt and pepper. Set it on the fire—when it boils, stir in a couple of tea spoonsful of flour, mixed with milk. When it has boiled several minutes, stir in half a pint of oysters, a piece of butter, of the size of a hen’s egg. Let them scald through, then take them up.