Hand-Book of Practical Cookery for Ladies and Professional Cooks Part 19

This sauce is excellent with any kind of boiled fish, but especially with trout, pike, and pickerel.

A trout served with a _genoise_ sauce is considered a _recherche_ dish.

_Hollandaise._--Set one ounce of b.u.t.ter on the fire in a saucepan, and when melted, add half a tablespoonful of flour, stir, and when turning rather yellow, add half a pint of broth, stir for one minute; add also four sprigs of parsley and four mushrooms chopped fine (one truffle sliced, if handy, would be excellent), a liquor-gla.s.s of Madeira, Port, or Sherry wine; boil gently ten minutes, stirring the while, and serve.

_Indian._--This sauce may be used with fish, in summer and in southern places.

Have a stewpan on a moderate fire, with two ounces of b.u.t.ter in it; when melted, add a teaspoonful of pimento, salt, a pinch of saffron, and one of grated nutmeg, also one and a half tablespoonfuls of flour--the latter you sprinkle in, little by little, stirring the while; cover with broth, boil twelve minutes and strain; afterward add two ounces of b.u.t.ter, stir a little, and use.

_Italian._--Tie together two sprigs of parsley, one of thyme, and a bay-leaf; put them in a stewpan with two or three mushrooms cut fine, one shallot, a small onion with a clove stuck in it, a piece of b.u.t.ter the size of a walnut, and half a pint of white wine; set on a gentle fire, and reduce it half; then add about one tablespoonful of olive-oil and half a pint of broth, simmer forty minutes, strain, and use.

_Lobster._--Chop very fine or pound some of the flesh of a boiled lobster. Take a white or blonde sauce, and instead of taking it from the fire when done, turn the chopped flesh into it with a little piece of b.u.t.ter; stir, give one boil, and it is ready for use.

_Craw-fish, prawn, shrimp,_ and _crab_ sauces are made the same as _lobster_ sauce.

_Madeira._--Mix cold in a saucepan two ounces of b.u.t.ter with a tablespoonful of flour, set on the fire and stir till it turns rather brown; when add nearly a pint of gravy, stir till it is becoming thick; then add half a pint of Madeira wine, little by little, stirring the while, give one boil only, salt to taste, and then strain and use.

_Champagne_ sauce is made in the same way, except that it must be poured in faster and used immediately.

All wine sauces may be made in the same way. We mean wine sauces for meat or fish.

_Maitre d'Hotel._--This sauce is sometimes called _b.u.t.ter_ _maitre d'hotel_. Mix and knead well together in a bowl, two ounces of b.u.t.ter, a tablespoonful of chopped parsley and the juice of a half lemon; salt to taste and use.

Pepper, grated nutmeg, and chopped chives, may be added if liked. Using vinegar instead of lemon-juice makes an inferior sauce.

_Mayonnaise._--In warm weather it is necessary to put the bowl on ice while making it. Put one or two yolks of fresh eggs in a bowl with a small pinch of salt; commence stirring with a box-wood spoon, or, what is still better, a stone or marble pestle. Stir without interruption, always in the same way and describing a circle. It is more easily done if the bowl is held steady. After having stirred about half a minute, commence pouring the oil in, drop by drop, and as soon as you see that it is thickening pretty well, add also a few drops of vinegar and same of lemon-juice; then continue with the oil in the same way. Every time that it becomes too thick, add a little vinegar, but continue stirring.

You put as much oil as you please; two bottles of oil might be used and it would still be thick. Spread it on chicken salad, etc.

_Tartar._--Chop some capers and shallots very fine, mix them well with a _mayonnaise_ when made, and you have a Tartar sauce.

_Mushroom._--Proceed exactly as for caper-sauce, using chopped mushrooms instead of capers.

_Piquante._--Take a small saucepan and set it on the fire with two ounces of b.u.t.ter in it, and when melted add a small onion chopped; stir, and when nearly fried add a tablespoonful of flour, stir, and when turning rather brown, add half a pint of broth, salt, pepper, a pickled cuc.u.mber chopped, four stalks of parsley, also chopped, and mustard; boil gently about ten minutes, add a teaspoonful of vinegar; give one boil, and serve.

_Another way._--Set the chopped onion on the fire with one gill of vinegar, and boil gently till the vinegar is entirely absorbed, or boiled away. Make the same sauce as above in another pan, omitting the onion and vinegar, and when done mix the two together, and it is ready for use.

_Another._--Add three shallots, chopped fine, to the chopped onion, and proceed as above for the rest.

_Parisienne._--Make a bunch of seasonings with six sprigs of parsley, one of thyme, a bay-leaf, and two cloves; put it in a saucepan with half a pint of chopped truffles, and about a pint of white wine; set on the fire and boil gently till about half reduced, strain, put back on the fire, turn into it, little by little, stirring the while, nearly a pint of gravy or _consomme_; continue stirring now and then till it begins to turn rather thick, add pepper to taste, strain, and use with fish and game.

_Poivrade._--Put a piece of b.u.t.ter the size of an egg in a stewpan, and set it on the fire; when melted, sprinkle in it, little by little, about a tablespoonful of flour, stirring the while; when of a proper thickness, and of a brownish color, take from the fire, add a tablespoonful of vinegar, a wine-gla.s.s of claret wine, a gla.s.s of broth, a shallot cut in two, a middling-sized onion, also cut in two, with a clove stuck in each piece, a sprig of thyme, one of parsley, a bay-leaf, a clove of garlic, a little salt, and two pepper-corns; boil about twenty minutes, strain and use.

The vinegar, shallot, and onion may be boiled separately as for a _piquante_ sauce.

_Polonaise._--Put four ounces of b.u.t.ter in a saucepan on the fire, and when melted add two or three tablespoonfuls of the soft part of bread, bruised in a coa.r.s.e towel; stir for about one minute, salt to taste, and use.

Like the _Parisienne_, it is used with game.

_Poulette._--Set a stewpan on the fire with a piece of b.u.t.ter the size of an egg in it; when melted, sprinkle in it a tablespoonful of flour, stirring the while; pour gently in it also, and little by little, a gla.s.s of warm water, and a wine-gla.s.s of white wine, or broth instead of both, salt, pepper, a sprig of parsley, one of thyme, a bay-leaf, a chopped shallot, a little nutmeg, four small white onions, and two or three mushrooms (the latter cut fine and fried in b.u.t.ter before using them); simmer till the whole is well cooked, strain and use.

In case it should be found too light, add when done, and before taking from the fire, two or three yolks of eggs, and the juice of a lemon.

_Princesse._--Make a cream-sauce with one pint of cream and set it on a moderate fire; immediately turn into it, stirring the while, about half a pint of reduced, good meat gravy; when thoroughly mixed, add two or three ounces of b.u.t.ter, stir for a couple of minutes longer, strain and use immediately.

It is a very rich sauce, used with boiled fish and roasted or baked meat.

_Provencale._--Chop fine two or three mushrooms, and two shallots; put the whole in a stewpan with a clove of garlic, and two tablespoonfuls of olive-oil; set on a moderate fire, and leave till half fried; then sprinkle in it half a teaspoonful of flour, stirring the while; add also half a pint of white wine, and as much broth, and two small onions, two sprigs of parsley, one of thyme, half a bay-leaf, salt, and pepper; simmer about half an hour, take from the fire, and a few minutes after skim off the fat; take out the garlic, onions, parsley, thyme, and bay-leaf, and it is then ready for immediate use.

_Ravigote._--Chop fine, and in equal proportion, two tablespoonfuls of chervil, tarragon, and pepper-gra.s.s, also, in equal proportion, one teaspoonful of burnet and table celery; place the whole in a stewpan with salt and pepper, cover with broth, set on the fire, and boil twenty minutes; after which take from the fire, and strain. Mix two ounces of b.u.t.ter with flour enough to make a paste, put it with the sauce on the fire, add a tablespoonful of cider vinegar; simmer till of a proper thickness, and use.

_Robert._--Put about four ounces of b.u.t.ter in a stewpan, set it on a moderate fire; when melted, sprinkle in it about a tablespoonful of flour, stirring the while; when of a brownish color, add three small onions chopped fine, salt, and pepper; stir, and leave on the fire till the whole is turning brown, then add a gla.s.s of broth, boil about thirty minutes, and strain; mix well in a cup one teaspoonful of vinegar, one of sugar, and one of mustard, which mix again with the sauce, and it is ready to be used.

_Remolade._--Chop very fine a small handful of chervil, tarragon, and burnet, in equal proportion, and put them in a saucer or boat; add salt, pepper, nutmeg grated, and mustard, to taste; also one or two hard-boiled eggs cut in dice; mix the whole gently and well; then add the vinegar, and lastly the oil. The two latter ones are put in little by little, stirring gently the while. Serve as it is.

_Another._--Proceed as for the above, except that you chop fine with the chervil, etc., some parsley, shallot, and garlic; the five spices in equal proportion.

When finished, add also a pinch of sugar.

_Roux._--Set a small saucepan on a moderate fire, with two ounces of b.u.t.ter in it; sprinkle into it, when melted, a tablespoonful of flour; stir, and when turning brown, use.

_Shallot._--Chop the shallots, and proceed as for caper-sauce, using them instead of capers.

_Soubise._--Put about half a pint of good meat gravy in a saucepan; set it on the fire, and when boiling add half a gill of Madeira wine; when well mixed, add also two or three tablespoonfuls of _puree_ of white onions, salt, and pepper; boil five minutes, stirring now and then, and it is made.

A _soubise_ is an excellent sauce for baked or boiled fish, also for roasted meat.

_Supreme._--This sauce is made in several ways. We will give here the three princ.i.p.al ones:

1. Make an _Allemande_ sauce; and when done, add to it two ounces of b.u.t.ter and half a gill of _consomme_; stir and mix, and place on a brisk fire to start it boiling at once; take it from the fire as soon as it becomes thick; then add a few drops of lemon-juice, and use.

2. Make a _roux_; add to it about half a pint of chicken gravy; stir or boil five or six minutes; then add two ounces of b.u.t.ter, the juice of a lemon, a pinch of parsley chopped fine; give one boil, and use.

3. This is made like No. 2, except that you use an _Allemande_ sauce instead of a _roux_, and besides the pint of chicken gravy, etc., you add also half a gill of white wine.

It is used especially with roasted chicken and game.

_Tomato._--If you use fresh tomatoes, blanch them first; if preserved, use them as they are in the can. Put one pint of tomatoes in a saucepan with a small onion and a clove of garlic sliced; also two stalks of parsley, one of thyme, a bay-leaf, one clove, six pepper-corns, and salt; boil gently till reduced about one-third, when mash gently through a strainer or sieve; all the tomato-seed and seasonings must remain in the strainer; put back on the fire, with a little piece of b.u.t.ter; give one boil, and it is done.

_Truffle._--This sauce is made like a caper-sauce, using chopped or sliced truffles instead of capers.

_Veloute._--This and gravy is nearly the same thing. It is gravy made as directed for gravy, with the addition of a dozen mushrooms chopped fine; and is used for sauces, like gravy, to make sauces richer than with broth.

_Vinaigrette._--Put salt and pepper in a saucer (and mustard, if it is to be used with butcher's meat; but with fish, chicken, or birds, it is really too strong; it neutralizes the delicate flavor of the object), and pour vinegar over, little by little, beating with a fork at the same time; then pour the oil, also little by little, and while beating; a little chopped parsley is also added; and serve with cold meat, fish, or vegetables.

It is quickly made, is good, and makes an excellent dish for breakfast, served as we said above.

_White._--Put two ounces of b.u.t.ter in a small saucepan and set it on the fire, stir a little, and as soon as melted, remove on a rather slow fire; add a tablespoonful of flour, stir continually till thoroughly mixed (two or three minutes); then add again about a pint of boiling water, pouring gently, and stirring the while, take off when it begins to turn thick; add a yolk of egg beaten with a teaspoonful of cold water, mix it well with the rest, and it is ready for use; after having mixed, also salt and white pepper to taste.

_Oyster._--Add to a white sauce some oysters blanched; then stir and mix with the whole the juice of half a lemon.