Sauces are often failures, chiefly because they are not made of a proper consistency; and because the flour in them is not sufficiently cooked. It should be remembered that the starch in flour wants to be well boiled, otherwise it will be indigestible, and the sauce will have a raw, pasty taste. A sauce is not ready when it thickens, but should be boiled for quite three minutes. Its consistency should depend on what it is to be used for. Ordinary sauces, served in a sauce tureen, should be fairly thick; the proportions taken should be 1oz. of butter; ¾oz. of flour; ½ pint of milk. If the sauce is to be used to coat anything very thinly (new potatoes, for example), ½oz. of flour, instead of ¾oz., would be sufficient. If a sauce is required to entirely mask a small piece of fish, or chicken, &c., 1oz. of flour should be used, with the proportions of milk and butter already given. Every ingredient should be properly weighed or measured. Carelessness in this respect is a mark of ignorance, and must occasion failures.

For making most of the ordinary sauces, the butter is melted first in a small stewpan, care being taken that it does not discolour; the flour is then mixed with it. If the mixing is not perfect, the sauce will be lumpy. The milk, stock, or water, is then poured in, and the sauce is stirred one way, until it has boiled three minutes. If cream is used, it is then added, and allowed just to boil in the sauce.

In making economical sauces, when less butter and flour are used (see Economical Family Sauce), the method employed is different. The flour is then mixed very smoothly with a little of the milk, water, or whatever is used, and then added to the remainder, which may be cold or boiling; but greater care is required to keep it smooth when the liquid is poured in boiling.

English Melted Butter.

• Ingredients—1oz. of butter.
• ¾oz. of flour.
• ½ pint of water.
• Pepper and salt.

Method.—Melt the butter in a small stewpan.

Mix in the flour smoothly.

Add the water; stir and cook well.

Then add pepper and salt, and it is ready to serve.

Plain White Sauce.

• Ingredients—1oz. of butter.
• ¾oz. of flour.
• ½ pint of milk.
• A few drops of lemon juice.
• Pepper and salt.

Method.—Melt the butter in a small stewpan.

Mix in the flour smoothly.

Add the milk.

Stir and cook well.

Then add the lemon juice and seasoning.

A little cream may also be added if desired.

MaÎtre d'HÔtel Sauce.

• Ingredients—¾oz. of butter.
• ½oz. of flour.
• ½ pint of milk.
• A few drops of lemon juice.
• Pepper and salt.
• A teaspoonful of finely-chopped parsley.

Method.—Melt the butter in a small stewpan.

Mix in the flour smoothly.

Add the milk; stir and cook well.

Then add the lemon juice, seasoning, and chopped parsley.

Mayonnaise Sauce.

• Ingredients—2 yolks of eggs.
• 1 gill of salad oil.
• 2 tablespoonfuls of taragon vinegar.
• Pepper and salt.

Method.—Put the yolks, which must be perfectly free from the whites, into a basin, which in summer time should be placed on ice.

Work them well with a whisk or wooden spoon, adding the oil drop by drop.

When the sauce is so thick that the whisk, or spoon, is moved with difficulty, the oil may be added more quickly, but still very gradually.

Lastly, add the taragon vinegar and seasoning.

Note.—Success in making this sauce depends on first dividing the yolks completely from the whites. Secondly, in keeping them and the oil quite cold. Thirdly, on adding the oil, drop by drop, until the sauce is perfectly thick. If the sauce is made in a warm place, or the oil mixed in too quickly, it is apt to curdle. Should this occur, put a yolk in another basin and very slowly add the sauce to it, stirring briskly; this will generally make it smooth again. Two yolks will be sufficient for any quantity of sauce, taragon vinegar being added in proportion to the oil used.

Tartare Sauce.

• Ingredients—2 yolks.
• ¼ pint of salad oil.
• 2 tablespoonfuls of taragon vinegar.
• 1 teaspoonful of finely-chopped parsley.
• A few capers, or a chopped gherkin.
• Pepper and salt.
• If liked, a teaspoonful of ready-made mustard.

Method.—Proceed as in making Mayonnaise Sauce; adding when the sauce is ready the parsley, capers, mustard, and seasoning.

Egg Sauce.

• Ingredients—1oz. of butter.
• ¾oz. of flour.
• ½ pint of milk.
• Lemon juice.
• Pepper and salt.
• 1 or 2 hard-boiled eggs.

Method.—Melt the butter in a small stewpan.

Mix in the flour smoothly.

Add the milk, and stir and cook well.

Then add the lemon juice, seasoning, and the chopped whites of the eggs.

If a very thick sauce is required, take 1oz. of flour. Cream may be added if desired.

Brown Sauce.

• Ingredients—2oz. of butter.
• 1½oz. of flour.
• A small piece of carrot, turnip, and onion.
• A few button mushrooms.
• 1 pint of good stock.
• A few drops of lemon juice.
• Seasoning to taste.

Method.—Put the butter into a stewpan and fry the vegetables in it.

Then mix in the flour and fry that.

Add the stock; stir and cook well. Squeeze in the lemon juice, and add the seasoning.

Strain through a tammy-cloth or fine strainer.

Genoise Sauce.

• Ingredients—1oz. of butter.
• ¾oz. of flour.
• 1½ gills of stock.
• ½ wineglass of port.
• A tiny piece of carrot, turnip, and onion.
• ½ teaspoonful of anchovy sauce.
• ½ teaspoonful of Harvey's sauce.
• Pepper and salt.

Method.—Melt the butter in a small stewpan, and fry the vegetables in it.

Then add the flour, and fry that.

Pour in the stock; stir and cook well.

Then add the wine and other ingredients,

Stir until it boils again, and then strain it.

BÉchamel Sauce.

• Ingredients—2oz. of butter.
• 1½oz. of flour.
• 1 pint of good white stock.
• ¼ pint of cream.
• A few drops of lemon juice.
• Pepper and salt.

Method.—Melt the butter in a stewpan.

Mix in the flour smoothly.

Add the stock.

Stir and cook well.

Then stir in the cream; let it boil in the sauce; and add lemon juice, pepper, and salt.

Strain through a tammy-cloth. Milk may be substituted for the white stock, if more convenient. To flavour it, a small piece of carrot, turnip, and onion, and 6 button mushrooms should be boiled in it.

Sauce Hollandaise.

• Ingredients—¼ pint of plain white sauce.
• The yolks of 4 eggs.
• A little cayenne pepper and salt.
• A few drops of lemon juice, or taragon vinegar.

Method.—Put the white sauce and eggs into a jug, which must be placed in a saucepan of boiling water.

Stir until the mixture thickens, being careful it does not curdle.

When quite ready, add the lemon juice or vinegar.

Lobster Sauce.

• Ingredients—1 small lobster.
• Some spawn.
• 1½oz. of butter.
• 1oz. of flour.
• ½ pint of milk.
• ½ gill of cream.
• A few drops of lemon juice.
• Pepper and salt.

Method.—Remove the flesh from the body and claws of the lobster, and cut it in small pieces.

Then boil the shell, broken small, in the milk.

Rub the spawn with ¼oz. butter through a hair sieve.

Melt the remaining butter in a small stewpan.

Mix in the flour smoothly, and then add the milk, strained.

Stir until it thickens.

Put in the spawn and butter, and continue stirring until the flour is well cooked. Then add the cream—let it boil in the sauce—and lastly, the lemon juice, pepper and salt, and lobster.

Lobster Sauce (a plainer Receipt).

• Ingredients—Part of a tin of lobster.
• 1oz. of butter.
• 1oz. of flour.
• ¾ pint of milk.
• A few drops of lemon juice, or ½ a teaspoonful of vinegar.
• Pepper and salt.

Method.—Cut up the lobster.

Melt the butter in a small stewpan.

Mix in the flour smoothly.

Add the milk; stir and cook well.

Then add the lemon juice, seasoning, and pieces of lobster.

Shrimp Sauce.

Remove the heads, tails, and skin from half a pint of shrimps; prepare some sauce as directed in the first or second recipe for lobster sauce, substituting the shrimps for the lobster.

Oyster Sauce.

• Ingredients—1oz. of butter.
• 1oz. of flour.
• ½ pint of milk.
• 1 dozen of oysters.
• ½ gill of cream.
• A few drops of lemon juice.
• Salt, pepper, and a little cayenne.

Method.—Remove the beard and white part of the oysters, and cut each one in two.

Strain the liquor through muslin, and scald the oysters in it (i.e. put the liquor, with the oysters in it, in a saucepan, and just bring it to the boil). Put the beards and hard white parts in the milk and simmer them to extract the flavour.

Then melt the butter in a small stewpan.

Mix in the flour smoothly.

Strain in the milk and oyster liquor, and stir and cook well.

Then add cream, and stir until the sauce again boils.

Lastly, add the oysters, pepper, salt, and lemon juice.

French Sauce.

• Ingredients—1oz. of butter.
• ½oz. of flour.
• 1 gill of milk.
• 1 gill of cream.
• The yolk of one egg.
• Pepper and salt.

Method.—Melt the butter in a small stewpan.

Mix the flour smoothly.

Add the milk, stir and cook well.

Pour in the cream and let it boil in the sauce. Then take it off the fire, and mix in the yolk of the egg.

Add pepper and salt to taste.

Celery Sauce.

• Ingredients—1oz. of butter.
• 1oz. of flour.
• 2 tablespoonfuls of cream.
• ¾ pint of white stock or milk.
• 1 head of celery.

Method.—Boil one head of celery in ¾ of a pint of white stock or milk.

When tender, strain it from the liquor and rub it through a hair sieve.

Melt the butter in a small stewpan.

Mix in the flour smoothly. Add the stock or milk; stir and cook well.

Pour in the cream, and stir until the sauce boils again.

Add pepper and salt to taste.

Tomato Sauce.

• Ingredients—6 ripe tomatoes.
• ¼lb. of bacon.
• 1oz. of flour.
• A piece of carrot, turnip, and onion.
• A sprig of parsley.
• Thyme, marjoram, and a bay leaf.
• A teaspoonful of vinegar.
• Pepper and salt.

Method.—Cut the bacon in slices and fry it.

Then put in the vegetables and fry them, dredge in the flour, and then add the tomatoes and fry them lightly.

Empty the contents of the frying-pan on a hair sieve, and rub the tomatoes through. The hair sieve will keep back the other vegetable, the flavour of which only is wanted.

Add the vinegar and seasoning, and make the sauce hot.

Onion Sauce.

• Ingredients—4 or 5 fair-sized onions.
• ½ pint of plain white sauce or melted butter (1st recipe).

Method.—First, blanch the onions by putting them in cold water and bringing it to the boil.

Throw the water away.

Put the onions in fresh water and boil for an hour, or an hour and a half, until tender.

Chop them finely and add them to the sauce or melted butter.

Soubise Sauce.

• Ingredients—½ pint of plain white sauce.
• 2 tablespoonfuls of cream.
• 4 or 5 onions.

Method.—Blanch the onions (as in preceding recipe) and boil until tender.

Then rub through a hair sieve.

Make some plain white sauce (see recipe), and add to it the cream and pulped onion.

Bread Sauce.

• Ingredients—2oz. of bread crumbs.
• ½ pint of milk.
• 6 peppercorns.
• 2 tablespoonfuls of cream, or ½oz. of butter.
• A small piece of onion.

Method.—Steep the onion and peppercorns in the milk, and put the milk on to boil.

Then remove the onions and peppercorns, and sprinkle in the crumbs.

Set the sauce by the side of the fire for six minutes, and then heat to boiling point, adding either the cream or butter.

Salt must be added to taste; also a little cayenne.

Economical Family Sauce.

• Ingredients—¼lb. of flour.
• 1 pint of milk.
• 1 pint of water.
• 1½oz. butter.

Method.—Mix the flour very smoothly with a little water.

Put the rest of the water, with the milk and butter, in a saucepan on the fire to boil. When it boils, put in the flour, stirring until the sauce is cooked.

Add pepper and salt to taste. If liked, a few drops of lemon juice or vinegar may be added.

This sauce will form the basis of many other plain sauces: To use with fish, put in a tablespoonful of anchovy. Onion sauce is made by adding cooked and chopped onions when the sauce is ready. Caper sauce, by adding capers; or, as a substitute, chopped gherkin.

This sauce may be made still more economically by using water only instead of milk.

Wine Sauce.

• Ingredients—1oz. of lump sugar.
• ¼ pint of water.
• A wineglass of sherry.
• A few drops of cochineal.
• A dessertspoonful of jam.

Method.—Boil the sugar and water together until reduced to one half.

Add the jam; let it melt.

Then add the sherry and cochineal, and strain.

Piquant Sauce.

• Ingredients—½ pint of brown sauce.
• 1 tablespoonful of capers.
• 1 tablespoonful of chopped gherkin.
• 1 tablespoonful of very finely chopped shalot.
• ¼ pint of vinegar.
• Pepper and salt.

Method.—Simmer the shalot, capers, and gherkin, in the vinegar until the shalot is quite soft.

Pour in the sauce, and let it boil up.

Season to taste.

Sauce RÉforme.

• Ingredients—1 pint of brown sauce.
• 1 wineglass of port wine.
• 1 teaspoonful of anchovy sauce.
• 1 teaspoonful of Harvey's sauce.
• 2 tablespoonfuls of red-currant jelly.

Method.—Boil all the ingredients together, and the sauce is ready.

Port-wine Sauce for Wild Duck.

• Ingredients—2 wineglasses of port.
• Juice of half a lemon.
• 1 finely chopped shalot.

Method.—Boil altogether and strain.

Sweet Sauce.

• Ingredients—1 teaspoonful of arrowroot.
• Juice of half a lemon and a little rind.
• 2 tablespoonfuls of castor sugar.
• ½ pint of water.

Method.—Put the water with the lemon-rind and sugar into a saucepan to boil.

Mix the arrowroot smoothly with a little cold water.

When the water in the saucepan boils, pour it in and stir it until it thickens; then strain it and add the lemon juice.

A glass of sherry may be added to this sauce if desired.

German Sauce.

• Ingredients—The yolks of 2 eggs.
• 1 wineglass of sherry.
• 1 dessertspoonful of castor sugar.

Method.—Put all the ingredients into a saucepan, and mill over the fire with a whisk until the sauce froths.

For a Christmas Pudding make the sauce with three yolks, and a wineglass of brandy.

A Nice Sweet Sauce.

• Ingredients—½ pint of plain white sauce or melted butter (omitting the seasoning).
• 1 wineglass of sherry or brandy.
• 2 dessertspoonfuls of castor sugar.

Method.—Add the wine and sugar to the sauce, and it is ready for use.

Jam Sauce.

• Ingredients—3 tablespoonfuls of red jam.
• ½ pint of water.
• 1oz. of lump sugar.
• Juice of half a lemon.

Method.—Boil the jam, sugar, and water together for three minutes.

Add the lemon juice, and strain.

The lemon may be omitted if the flavour is not liked.

Apple Sauce, No. 1.

• Ingredients—6 good-sized apples.
• 1oz. of butter.
• 1 tablespoonful of moist sugar, or more, according to taste.
• ½ gill of water.

Method.—Wash the apples and slice them, but do not peel or core them.

Put them in a stewpan with the water, butter, and sugar.

Stew gently for about thirty minutes, stirring occasionally. Rub them quickly through a hair sieve, and put the sauce in a hot tureen.

The hair sieve keeps back the rind and pips.

Apple Sauce, No. 2.

• Ingredients—6 large apples.
• 1oz. of butter.
• 1 tablespoonful or more of moist sugar.
• ½ gill of water.

Method.—Peel, core, and slice the apples.

Stew them with the water, sugar, and butter until tender.

Then beat to a pulp with a fork.

Mint Sauce.

• Ingredients—3 tablespoonfuls of finely-chopped fresh mint.
• 1 tablespoonful of sugar.
• ¼ pint of vinegar.

Method.—Mix all together, and let the sauce stand for an hour before serving.

Horse-radish Sauce.

• Ingredients—1 stick of horse-radish.
• ½ gill of cream.
• 1 tablespoonful of vinegar.
• ½ gill of milk.
• 1 teaspoonful of ready-made mustard.
• 1 teaspoonful of castor sugar.
• Pepper and salt.

Method.—Scrape the horse-radish finely, and mix with all the other ingredients.

If cream is not to be had, use milk thickened with a little cornflour. But it is not so good.

Gravy for Made Dishes.

• Ingredients—1lb. of gravy beef.
• 1 quart of water.
• A piece of onion, carrot, and turnip.
• 1 sprig of parsley.
• Thyme and marjoram.
• Pepper and salt to taste.

Method.—Cut the beef into small pieces.

Put it with the vegetables into a stewpan with the water, and simmer very gently for four hours; then strain.

If a thick gravy is required, thicken with one and a half ounces of flour; add pepper and salt to taste.

To this gravy may be added a little sauce, catsup, port or sherry wine, &c., according to the purpose for which it is required.

Scraps of cooked meat and bones may be substituted for the fresh meat where economy must be studied.

Glaze.

Boil down one or two quarts of second stock (which will jelly when cold) until it is quite thick, and coats a spoon. One quart may be boiled down to a quarter of a pint.

Pour it into a jar.

When wanted for use, put the jar to stand in a saucepan of boiling water until it is dissolved.

Glaze is used for enriching gravies and soups, and for glazing meat.

Cheap Glaze for Meat.

• Ingredients—3 teaspoonfuls of Liebig's Extract of Meat.
• ½oz. of Nelson's or Swinborne's Gelatine, or isinglass.
• Pepper and salt.
• ½ pint of cold water.

Method.—Soak the gelatine in the water for three-quarters of an hour.

Add the meat extract, and pepper and salt.

Stir and boil until reduced to about a quarter of a pint.

This glaze can only be used for glazing meat.

BÉarnaise Sauce.

• Ingredients—1 finely-chopped shalot.
• ½ gill of white sauce.
• 1 tablespoonful of taragon vinegar.
• The yolks of 4 eggs.
• 1 dessertspoonful of finely-chopped parsley.
• Pepper and salt.

Method.—Put the shalot and vinegar into a saucepan; boil until the vinegar has evaporated, but do not let the shalot burn.

Add the eggs and sauce, and mill with a whisk until the eggs are thick.

Add the parsley and pepper and salt.