Thickened veal, or beef gravy, 1/2 pint; capers, 2 tablespoonsful; caper liquor or chili vinegar, 1 dessertspoonful.
CAPER SAUCE FOR FISH.
To nearly half a pint of very rich melted butter add six spoonsful of strong veal gravy or jelly, a tablespoonful of essence of anchovies, and some chili vinegar or cayenne, and from two to three tablespoonsful of capers. When there is no gravy at hand substitute a half wineglassful of mushroom catsup, or of Harvey’s sauce; though these deepen the colour more than is desirable.
COMMON CUCUMBER SAUCE.
Pare, slice, dust slightly with pepper and with flour, two or three young cucumbers, and fry them a fine brown in a little butter, or dissolve an ounce and a half in a small stewpan or iron saucepan, and shake them in it over a brisk fire from twelve to fifteen minutes; pour to them by degrees nearly half a pint of strong beef broth, or of brown gravy; add salt, and more pepper if required; stew the whole for five minutes, and send the sauce very hot to table. A minced onion may be browned with the cucumbers when it is liked, and a spoonful of vinegar added to them before they are served.
Cucumbers, 2 or 3; butter, 1-1/2 oz.; broth or gravy, nearly 1/2 pint; salt, pepper.
ANOTHER COMMON SAUCE OF CUCUMBERS.
Cucumbers which have the fewest seeds are best for this sauce. Pare and slice two or three, should they be small, and put them into a saucepan, in which two ounces, or rather more, of butter have been dissolved, and are beginning to boil; place them high over the fire, that they may stew as softly as possible, without taking colour, for three-quarters of an hour, or longer should they require it; add to them a good seasoning of white pepper and some salt, when they are half done; and just before they are served stir to them half a teaspoonful of flour, mixed with a morsel of butter; strew in some minced parsley, give it a boil, and finish with a spoonful of good vinegar.
WHITE CUCUMBER SAUCE.
Quarter some young quickly-grown cucumbers, without many seeds in them; empty them of these, and take off the rinds. Cut them into inch lengths, and boil them from fifteen to eighteen minutes in salt and water; press the water from them with the back of a spoon, and work them through a sieve; mix them with a few spoonsful of béchamel, or thick white sauce; do not let them boil again, but serve them very hot. A sauce of better flavour is made by boiling the cucumbers in veal gravy well seasoned, and stirring in the beaten yolks of two or three eggs, and a little chili vinegar or lemon-juice, at the instant of serving. Another also of cucumbers sliced, and stewed in butter, but without being at all browned, and then boiled in pale veal gravy, which must be thickened with rich cream, is excellent. A morsel of sugar improves this sauce.