(c) And Olive.—Take equal parts anchovies (washed, boned, and pounded fine), French olives (stoned, washed, chopped up, and then pounded), and fresh butter. Mix these 3 ingredients well together, and pass them through a very clean sieve, shape the mixture into balls, ice, and serve with Oliver biscuits, or with little squares of crisp toast.
(d) Heat a dinner-plate until it will melt ½ oz. butter placed on it; take the yolk of a fresh egg, beat it with a fork into the butter, add 1 teaspoonful anchovy sauce, cayenne pepper and salt to taste. Have ready some freshly-browned squares of toast, dip them into the mixture, covering both sides, and serve at once. (Bessie Tremaine.)
Apple Sauce.—(a) Pare, carefully core, and cut up the fruit; put it into a preserving pot or jar, and stand it in a saucepan of water over the fire till cooked. When quite done pulp the fruit, sweeten to taste with a little brown sugar; add (if liked) a piece of butter about the size of a large bean, and flavour with a little ground cinnamon or a few cloves; if the latter, they must be put in while the apples are cooking, taking care not to break them during the pulping. (Bessie Tremaine.)
(b) Peel and core 6 large apples, add to them 1 gill water and 2 tablespoonfuls moist sugar—the apples must be cut in pieces. Place the saucepan containing these ingredients on the fire to boil until the apples are soft; a little more water may be added if necessary, but the less the better; rub through a colander or sieve, or if in a hurry, mash with a fork. This must be warmed up again before serving, and a little more sugar added if necessary.
Apricot Sauce.—(a) Halve the apricots and take out the stones; break these, crush the kernels, and stew them with the fruit in a little water. Add a glass of white wine (some light German or French wine is better than sherry); sugar to taste and a spoonful of arrowroot or flour, mixed with water, to thicken. Strain before serving.
(b) Put half a pot of apricot jam in a saucepan with ½ pint water and a glass of sherry; boil, strain, and serve.
Béchamel Sauce.—Time, 2 hours; put 1 pint white stock into a stewpan with a bunch of sweet herbs, a small sprig of parsley, a bay leaf, 2 cloves, and a little salt; set it over a gentle fire to draw out the flavour of the herbs, then boil it until reduced to nearly half the quantity; mix 1 tablespoonful arrowroot in 1 pint cream and let it simmer for a few minutes; then pour in very gradually the ½ pint stock, and simmer it all together for 10-12 minutes, or until it is of the proper consistency. Should it be too thick, add a little milk or white stock.
Black Butter (Beurre noir).—Put a large piece of butter into a saucepan, and leave it on the fire until the butter becomes of a dark brown colour, but do not let it burn; then throw in some parsley chopped fine, a wineglassful of tarragon vinegar, a little salt, and some powdered white pepper, and serve.
Bordelaise Sauce.—Mince finely 2 or 3 shallots, blanch them for a few minutes, press out the water from them, and put them into a saucepan with a cupful of white wine, let them boil 20 minutes, then add 2 cupfuls Spanish sauce, a dust of pepper, and some parsley finely minced; let the sauce give a boil or two, and it is ready. Well-flavoured gravy, thickened with browned flour and butter, may be used instead of Spanish sauce.
Brandy Butter.—(a) 6 oz. butter, 6 oz. powdered loaf sugar, a small glass of brandy, and the same quantity of sherry. Beat the butter and sugar to a cream; add the brandy and sherry very slowly, beating all the time. It is best iced.