“Epicurean cooks sharpen with cloyless sauce his appetite”

ARROWROOT SAUCE

• 2 ozs. (2 heaping tablespoonfuls) arrowroot
• 2 tablespoonfuls sugar
• ½ pint (1 cup) water
• ½ pint (1 cup) milk
• 1 teaspoonful rose extract

Mix the arrowroot with the water in a small earthenware pan, add the milk, sugar, and boil for four minutes; add the rose extract or any flavoring preferred.

BÉCHAMEL SAUCE

• 1 pint (2 cups) milk
• 1 small carrot
• 1 celery stalk
• 1 small onion
• 2 tablespoonfuls flour
• 2 tablespoonfuls butter
• 1 bay leaf
• 12 whole peppers
• 1 gill (½ cup) cream
• Salt and pepper

Wash and prepare the vegetables, then slice them. Put them into an earthenware dish with the milk, whole peppers, and bay leaf, and let them cook in it until it is well flavored. Melt the butter in another pan, stir in the flour smoothly, then strain in the milk, and stir it over the fire till it boils; then let it simmer for ten minutes. Next strain it, return it to the pan, reheat it, season it to taste, and, lastly, add the cream, taking care that it does not again reach boiling point.

BROWN GRAVY

• ½ pint (1 cup) water
• 1 blade mace
• 1 shallot or small onion sliced
• 1 heaping teaspoonful flour
• 1 oz. (1 heaping tablespoonful) butter
• ½ teaspoonful meat extract
• 1 tablespoonful mushroom ketchup
• ¼ teaspoonful kitchen bouquet
• Salt and pepper
• 1 teaspoonful lemon juice
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 wineglassful port wine

Melt the butter in a fireproof dish, then fry in it the onion or shallot, sliced, add the flour, and brown it also, add all the rest of the ingredients except the wine, allow to boil for eight minutes, strain, add the wine, reheat, but do not allow it to boil, and serve.

Another method is to pour away all the fat from the roasting dish, retaining the brown sediment, add to this one cupful of water, one teaspoonful of flour, half a teaspoonful of meat extract, seasoning of salt, pepper, and celery salt, a few drops of kitchen bouquet; stir till boiling, allow to boil for five minutes, stirring all the time. Strain into an earthenware gravy boat.

CHOCOLATE SAUCE

• 5 squares grated chocolate
• ½ lb. (1 cup) sugar
• 1 gill (½ cup) milk
• 1 teaspoonful vanilla extract

Put these ingredients into a fireproof dish over the fire; stir until the sugar is dissolved, and boil until the mixture forms a soft ball when dropped into ice water.

Serve at once with ice cream.

CUCUMBER SAUCE

• 4 large cucumbers
• 1 teaspoonful white pepper
• 1 grated onion
• 1 teaspoonful salt
• 3 tablespoonfuls tarragon vinegar
• 1½ gills (¾ cup) whipping cream

Peel and grate the cucumbers, which should be large and crisp; when the pulp is thoroughly drained, turn it into an earthenware bowl; add the pepper, the onion, grated, the salt, and vinegar.

Mix and fold in the whipped cream at serving time.

CUSTARD SAUCE

• 2 eggs
• 1 pint (2 cups) milk
• 1 tablespoonful cornstarch
• 1 tablespoonful sugar
• ½ teaspoonful vanilla extract

Moisten the cornstarch with a little of the milk, add the eggs and the sugar, beat well together, make the milk hot, add it to the cornstarch and eggs, stir well, return the mixture to the casserole, and let it thicken, stirring all the time, but it must not boil or it will curdle.

Add the vanilla extract.

Serve hot or cold.

• 3 ozs. (3 tablespoonfuls) currants
• 1 tablespoonful fine bread crumbs
• 4 cloves
• 1 oz. (1 heaping tablespoonful) butter
• 1 wineglassful port wine
• 1 blade mace

Wash the currants and put them with the other ingredients into a fireproof dish, cook gently for twenty minutes, stirring till smooth, and serve in an earthenware sauce boat.

The cloves and mace should be tied in muslin or cheesecloth and removed before the sauce is served.

This sauce is good served with venison.

EGG SAUCE

• 1 yolk hard cooked egg
• 2 raw egg yolks
• 1 tablespoonful lemon juice
• 1 teaspoonful chopped parsley
• Salt, pepper, and paprika
• 1 oz. (1 heaping tablespoonful) butter
• 1 oz. (1 heaping tablespoonful) flour
• ½ pint (1 cup) milk
• 1 gill (½ cup) stock

Melt the butter in a fireproof dish, stir in the flour, milk, stock, parsley, seasonings, and the hard cooked yolk of egg rubbed through a sieve.

Stir till it boils for three minutes, then remove from the fire and stir in the raw yolks of eggs and the lemon juice.

• 2 ozs. (2 heaping tablespoonfuls) butter
• 2 tablespoonfuls flour
• 1 pint (2 cups) brown stock
• 1 carrot
• 1 shallot
• 1 small onion
• 1 small slice ham
• 1 wineglassful sherry wine
• 1 gill (½ cup) tomato sauce
• Salt and pepper

Wash and prepare the vegetables, slice and dice them. Heat the butter in a casserole, put in the vegetables and ham, then fry them a good brown color.

Stir in the flour and brown it slightly, add the stock, stir it over the fire till it boils, then add the wine, tomato sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. Let it come to boiling point, then skim it well, strain it, and it is ready for use.

HARD SAUCE

• 4 ozs. (4 heaping tablespoonfuls) butter
• 2 ozs. (2 heaping tablespoonfuls) sugar
• 2 heaping tablespoonfuls chopped almonds
• 1 tablespoonful sherry wine or brandy

Blanch the almonds and chop them very fine, add the wine or brandy. Beat up the butter and sugar to a cream, then beat in the almonds.

Chill and serve in a heap in a dainty ramequin.

• 4 egg yolks
• 4 ozs. (4 heaping tablespoonfuls) sweet butter
• 2 tablespoonfuls vinegar
• 1 tablespoonful cold water
• Salt to taste

Break the eggs into a fireproof dish, beat them up, then stir in the water and the vinegar.

Mix carefully over the fire till it thickens, and be careful that it does not curdle. Stir in the butter and add the salt.

HORSERADISH SAUCE

• 6 tablespoonfuls grated horseradish
• 1 egg yolk
• ½ teaspoonful salt
• 1 tablespoonful vinegar
• 1 gill (½ cup) whipping cream

Mix the horseradish, yolk of egg, and salt together, then add the vinegar and fold in the whipped cream.

If the horseradish is already in vinegar, omit the tablespoonful of vinegar and press the horseradish until dry.

LEMON SAUCE

• 2 lemons
• 1 oz. (1 heaping tablespoonful) sugar
• 1 tablespoonful cornstarch
• ½ pint (1 cup) water

Put the water on to boil in a fireproof dish. Mix the cornstarch smoothly and thinly with the strained lemon juice. When the water boils, pour in the cornstarch and stir till it boils. Now add the sugar and the grated rind of the lemons.

Serve hot in an earthenware sauce boat.

MAYONNAISE SAUCE

• ½ pint (1 cup) olive oil
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoonful vinegar
• 1 tablespoonful lemon juice
• ½ teaspoonful powdered sugar
• ¼ teaspoonful salt
• Dash of red pepper
• ¼ teaspoonful mustard

Mix together in an earthenware bowl the salt, red pepper, mustard, and yolk of egg. Beat with a wooden spoon until slightly thickened. Add the sugar and a teaspoonful of lemon juice or vinegar, and when well blended with the other ingredients add the olive oil gradually, beating constantly.

When several teaspoonfuls of the oil have been added, a small egg-beater may be substituted for the wooden spoon, and the oil may be added faster.

When the mixture becomes too thick to beat easily, add a little of the lemon juice or vinegar, then more oil, and so on, alternating until all the ingredients are used. If liked, add more seasonings.

• ¼ lb. chopped mushrooms
• 1 heaping teaspoonful flour
• Salt and pepper
• 1 slice onion
• ½ pint (1 cup) water
• 1 tablespoonful mushroom ketchup
• 1 oz. (1 heaping tablespoonful) butter
• Salt and pepper to taste
• ¼ teaspoonful meat extract

Fry the mushrooms, onion, and the flour in the butter in a fireproof dish for a few minutes, add the seasonings, meat extract, mushroom ketchup, and the water; boil for eight minutes, stirring occasionally, and serve.

If preferred, the mushrooms can be rubbed through a sieve to press out all the juice; they can then be reheated and served.

ONION SAUCE

• 4 onions
• Salt and pepper
• 1 dessertspoonful vinegar
• 1 oz. (1 heaping tablespoonful) butter
• 1 oz. (1 heaping tablespoonful) flour
• ½ teaspoonful sugar
• 2 tablespoonfuls cream
• ½ pint (1 cup) milk

Peel the onions and drop them into plenty of boiling salted water, add the vinegar, and boil for a quarter of an hour. Drain and rinse them in clean warm water and chop them up. Melt the butter in a fireproof dish, stir in the flour, then gradually add the milk, and stir till they boil; add the sugar, onions, and a little salt and pepper; stir till boiling; rub the whole through a sieve, reheat, then add the cream and serve hot.

OYSTER SAUCE

• 12 oysters
• 1 tablespoonful butter
• 1 tablespoonful flour
• Salt and pepper
• 1 gill (½ cup) milk
• 1 gill (½ cup) stock
• 1 gill (½ cup) cream
• A few drops lemon juice

Blend the butter and flour together in a fireproof dish, then add gradually the milk and stock and boil for five minutes, stirring all the time; add the lemon juice, cream, salt, pepper, and the oysters divided into two or four pieces, according to size.

Do not boil the sauce after the oysters are added.

PARSLEY SAUCE

• 3 tablespoonfuls chopped parsley
• ½ pint (1 cup) milk
• Pepper and salt to taste
• 2 ozs. (2 heaping tablespoonfuls) butter
• 1 oz. (1 heaping tablespoonful) flour

Blend the butter and the flour in a fireproof dish, then gradually add the milk, stir till boiling; add the seasonings and cook for eight minutes; then add the chopped parsley, stir, and serve.

PLUM SAUCE

• 1 pint (2 cups) stoned plums
• 1 gill (½ cup) water
• 4 ozs. (4 heaping tablespoonfuls) sugar
• 1 teaspoonful lemon extract

Put the stoned plums into an earthenware dish, add the water and the sugar; stir them over the fire until the plums are quite smooth; rub through a sieve, add the lemon extract, and serve with any steamed pudding.

PISTACHIO SAUCE

• 2 ozs. (2 heaping tablespoonfuls) chopped pistachio nuts
• 1 tablespoonful cornstarch
• 1 gill (½ cup) water
• 1 oz. (1 heaping tablespoonful) sugar
• 1 tablespoonful cream
• 1 wineglassful Marsala wine
• ¼ teaspoonful pistachio extract

Blanch the pistachio nuts, then pound them till smooth. Mix the cornstarch smoothly with the water in a fireproof dish, add the pistachio nuts, and let them boil, keeping them well stirred. Add the sugar, cream, Marsala wine, and pistachio extract.

Strain the sauce and it is ready.

SAUCE TARTARE

• ½ pint (1 cup) mayonnaise sauce
• 1 tablespoonful chopped parsley
• 1 tablespoonful chopped olives
• 1 tablespoonful chopped pickles
• 1 teaspoonful chopped chives
• 1 tablespoonful chopped capers

Put the mayonnaise dressing into an earthenware bowl, then mix in all the other ingredients.

• ½ lb. tomatoes or 1 can of tomatoes
• 1 onion
• A bunch sweet herbs
• ½ pint (1 cup) stock or water
• ½ teaspoonful salt
• A few drops of red coloring
• 1 carrot
• 1 turnip
• 2 ozs. (2 heaping tablespoonfuls) butter
• 1 oz. (1 heaping tablespoonful) flour
• 4 whole peppers
• Bunch of parsley
• Blade of mace
• 1 bay leaf

Put the butter into a casserole with the carrot, turnip, onion, and tomatoes cut up into pieces, add the herbs, parsley, bay leaf, whole peppers, and mace, and fry for ten minutes, then add the flour, the stock or water, salt, and red coloring, stir till boiling, then simmer slowly for forty minutes, rub through a sieve, reheat, and serve.

WHITE SAUCE

• 1 oz. (1 heaping tablespoonful) butter
• 1 oz. (1 heaping tablespoonful) flour
• ½ pint (1 cup) milk or water
• 1 bay leaf
• A few drops lemon juice
• Salt and pepper to taste

Blend the butter and the flour together in an earthenware dish, then add the milk, bay leaf, and salt, stir over the fire until it boils and thickens, then remove the bay leaf, season it to taste with salt, pepper, and lemon juice, and it is ready.

To make it a sweet sauce add one tablespoonful of sugar and half a teaspoonful of extract.