A favourite relish for roast pork or geese, &c. is, two ounces of leaves of green sage, an ounce of fresh lemon-peel pared thin, same of salt, minced eschalot, and half a drachm of Cayenne pepper, ditto of citric acid, steeped for a fortnight in a pint of claret; shake it up well every day; let it stand a day to settle, and decant the clear liquor; bottle it, and cork it close; a table-spoonful or more in a quarter pint of gravy, or melted butter.
Robert Sauce for roast Pork, or Geese, &c.—(No. 342.)
Put an ounce of butter into a pint stew-pan: when it is melted, add to it half an ounce of onion minced very fine; turn it with a wooden spoon till it takes a light brown colour; then stir in a table-spoonful of flour, a table-spoonful of mushroom catchup (with or without the like quantity of port wine), half a pint of broth or water, and a quarter of a tea-spoonful of pepper, the same of salt; give them a boil; then add a tea-spoonful of mustard, and the juice of half a lemon, or one or two tea-spoonfuls of vinegar or basil ([No. 397]), or tarragon ([No. 396]), or burnet vinegar ([No. 399]).
Obs.—The French call this “Sauce Robert” (from the name of the cook who invented it), and are very fond of it with many things, which Mary Smith, in the “Complete Housekeeper,” 8vo. 1772, p. 105, translates ROE-BOAT-SAUCE. See [Obs.] to [No. 529].
Turtle Sauce.—(No. 343.)
Put into your stew-pan a pint of beef gravy thickened ([No. 329]); add to this some of the following—essence of turtle, ([No. 343*]), or a wine-glassful of Madeira, the juice and peel of half a lemon, a few leaves of basil,[252-*] an eschalot quartered, a few grains of Cayenne pepper, or curry powder, and a little essence of anchovy; let them simmer together for five minutes, and strain through a tamis: you may introduce a dozen turtle forcemeat balls. See receipt, [No. 380], &c.
Obs.—This is the sauce for boiled or hashed calf’s head, stewed veal, or any dish you dress turtle fashion.
The far-fetched and dear-bought turtle owes its high rank on the list of savoury bonne bouches to the relishing and piquante sauce that is made for it; without, it would be as insipid as any other fish is without sauce. See [Obs.] to [No. 493].