CHAPTER XIV.
SAUCES AND GRAVIES.
Bignon's Sauce.—This is a delightful appetizer with meats cold or hot, or with fish. Chop fine equal parts, say one tablespoonful of each, capers, parsley, chives, gherkins, tarragon and green Chili peppers. Mix together; season with salt, pepper and cayenne and cover with tarragon vinegar; let it stand an hour and add three tablespoonfuls of oil and a teaspoonful of French mustard.
Bread Sauce.—Mince an onion and boil in milk until soft. Then strain the milk over one cupful of grated bread crumbs and stand aside, closely covered, for an hour. Add the minced onion, two tablespoonfuls of butter, pepper, salt and a bit of mace to season. Set over the fire, boil up and serve with roasted or broiled birds.
Brown Sauce.—The formula for this is the same as for the white sauce, except that the butter and fat are browned before the flour is added, or browned flour is used for thickening. Use a little more flour proportionately, in a brown sauce, as the browning destroys, in a measure, the thickening qualities of the flour. Reduce with brown stock or water.
With this as foundation, any number of palatable sauces can be invented which will be found useful in disposing of many odds and ends of vegetables, cold meats and left-over fish, that might otherwise "go begging."
Celery Sauce.—Prepare a smooth, white sauce by blending over the fire two tablespoonfuls each butter, and flour, then reducing with a pint of warm milk. Add a dozen stalks of celery that have been minced fine and cooked tender in just enough water to cover. Cook two minutes, season with salt and pepper and serve with boiled fowl.
Currant Jelly Sauce.—This makes a delicious addition to roast venison or mutton. Cook together in a saucepan one tablespoonful butter and a teaspoonful minced onion. When the onion is lightly colored, (not blackened) add a teaspoonful of flour and stir until smooth. Add gradually a half cupful stock, stirring all the time, and when it boils up add a bit of bay leaf, a teaspoonful vinegar, a half teaspoonful salt, and eighth teaspoonful pepper, one clove, and a tablespoonful of currant jelly. Simmer five minutes, strain and serve hot.