Common Sense in the Household 31

Common Sense in the Household 31

This sauce is for roast poultry. Some people add some of the gravy from

the dripping-pan, first straining it and beating it well in with the

sauce.

 

 

WHITE CELERY SAUCE.

 

2 large heads of celery.

1 teacupful of broth in which the fowl is boiled.

1 teacupful cream or milk.

Salt and nutmeg.

Heaping tablespoonful flour, and same of butter.

 

Boil the celery tender in salted water; drain, and cut into bits half

an inch long. Thicken the gravy from the fowl—a teacupful—with the

flour; add the butter, salt, and nutmeg, then the milk. Stir and beat

until it is smooth; put in the celery; heat almost to boiling, stirring

all the while; serve in a tureen, or, if you prefer, pour it over the

boiled meat or fowls.

 

 

ONION SAUCE.

 

4 white onions.

1 teacupful hot milk.

3 tablespoonfuls butter.

Salt and pepper to taste.

 

Peel the onions, boil tender, press the water from them, and mince

fine. Have ready the hot milk in a saucepan; stir in the onions, then

the butter, salt, and pepper. Boil up once.

 

If you want to have it particularly good, make nice melted or drawn

butter (No. 3); beat the mashed onion into it; add a teacupful of

cream or new milk, season, boil up, and serve.

 

 

MAÎTRE D’HÔTEL SAUCE. ✠

 

1 teacupful drawn butter.

1 teaspoonful minced parsley.

1 lemon.

Cayenne and salt to taste.

 

Draw the butter (No. 2); boil the parsley three minutes; take it out

and lay in cold water five minutes, to cool; chop and stir into the

butter; squeeze in the lemon-juice, the pepper and salt; beat hard with

an egg-whip, return to the fire, and boil up once.

 

This is a “stock” sauce, being suitable for so many dishes, roast or

boiled.

 

 

MINT SAUCE FOR ROAST LAMB.

 

2 tablespoonfuls green mint, chopped fine.

1 tablespoonful powdered sugar.

Half a teacupful cider vinegar.

 

Chop the mint, put the sugar and vinegar in a sauce boat, and stir in

the mint. Let it stand in a cool place fifteen minutes before sending

to table.

 

 

MUSHROOM SAUCE.

 

1 teacupful young mushrooms.

4 tablespoonfuls butter.

1 teacupful cream or milk.

1 teaspoonful flour.

Nutmeg, mace, and salt to taste.

 

Stew the mushrooms in barely enough water to cover them until tender.

Drain, but do not press them, and add the cream, butter, and seasoning.

Stew over a bright fire, stirring all the while until it begins to

thicken. Add the flour wet in cold milk, boil up and serve in a boat,

or pour over boiled chickens, rabbits, etc.

 

 

CAULIFLOWER SAUCE.

 

1 small cauliflower.

3 tablespoonfuls butter, cut in bits, and rolled in flour.

1 onion.

1 small head of celery.

Mace, pepper, and salt.

1 teacupful water.

1 teacupful milk or cream.

 

Boil the cauliflower in two waters, changing when about half done, and

throwing away the first, reserve a teacupful of the last. Take out the

cauliflower, drain and mince. Cook in another saucepan the onion and

celery, mincing them when tender. Heat the reserved cupful of water

again in a saucepan, add the milk; when warm put in the cauliflower and

onion, the butter and seasoning—coating the butter thickly with flour;

boil until it thickens.

 

This is a delicious sauce for boiled corned beef and mutton.

 

 

ASPARAGUS SAUCE.

 

A dozen heads of asparagus.

2 teacupfuls drawn butter.

2 eggs.

The juice of half a lemon.

Salt and white pepper.

 

Boil the tender heads in a very little salted water. Drain and chop

them. Have ready a pint of drawn butter, with two raw eggs beaten into

it; add the asparagus, and season, squeezing in the lemon-juice last.

The butter must be hot, but do not cook after putting in the asparagus

heads. This accompanies boiled fowls, stewed fillet of veal, or boiled

mutton.

 

 

APPLE SAUCE.

 

Pare, core, and slice some ripe tart apples, stew in water enough to

cover them until they break to pieces. Beat up to a smooth pulp, stir

in a good lump of butter, and sugar to taste.

 

Apple sauce is the invariable accompaniment of roast pork—or fresh pork

cooked in any way. If you wish, you can add a little nutmeg.

 

 

PEACH SAUCE.

 

Soak a quart of dried peaches in water four hours. Wash them, rubbing

them against one another by stirring around with a wooden spoon. Drain,

and put into a saucepan with just enough water to cover them. Stew

until they break to pieces. Rub to a soft smooth pulp, sweeten to taste

with white sugar. Send to table cold, with roast game or other meats.

 

 

CRANBERRY SAUCE.

 

Wash and pick a quart of ripe cranberries, and put into a saucepan with

a teacupful of water. Stew slowly, stirring often until they are thick

as marmalade. They require at least an hour and a half to cook. When

you take them from the fire, sweeten abundantly with white sugar. If

sweetened while cooking, the color will be bad. Put them into a mould

and set aside to get cold.

 

 

_Or,_ ✠

 

And this is a nicer plan—strain the pulp through a cullender or sieve,

or coarse mosquito-net, into a mould wet with cold water. When firm,

turn into a glass dish or salver. Be sure that it is sweet enough.

 

Eat with roast turkey, game, and roast ducks.

 

 

TO BROWN FLOUR.

 

Spread upon a tin plate, set upon the stove, or in a _very_ hot oven,

and stir continually after it begins to color, until it is brown all

through.

 

Keep it always on hand. Make it at odd minutes, and put away in a glass

jar, covered closely. Shake up every few days to keep it light and

prevent lumping.

 

 

TO BROWN BUTTER.

 

Put a lump of butter into a hot frying-pan, and toss it around over a

clear fire until it browns. Dredge browned flour over it, and stir to

a smooth batter until it begins to boil. Use it for coloring gravies,

such as brown fricassees, etc.; or make into sauce for baked fish and

fish-steaks, by beating in celery or onion vinegar, a _very_ little

brown sugar and some cayenne.

 

 

 

CATSUPS AND FLAVORED VINEGARS.

 

 

MADE MUSTARD. ✠

 

4 tablespoonfuls best English mustard.

2 teaspoonfuls salt.

2 teaspoonfuls white sugar.

1 teaspoonful white pepper.

2 teaspoonfuls salad oil.

Vinegar to mix to a smooth paste—celery or Tarragon vinegar if you

have it.

1 small garlic, minced very small.

 

Put the mustard in a bowl and wet with the oil, rubbing it in with a

silver or wooden spoon until it is absorbed. Wet with vinegar to a

stiff paste; add salt, pepper, sugar, and garlic, and work all together

thoroughly, wetting little by little with the vinegar until you

can beat it as you do cake-batter. Beat five minutes very hard; put

into wide-mouthed bottles—empty French mustard bottles, if you have

them—pour a little oil on top, cork tightly, and set away in a cool

place. It will be mellow enough for use in a couple of days.

 

Having used this mustard for years in my own family, I can safely

advise my friends to undertake the trifling labor of preparing it in

consideration of the satisfaction to be derived from the condiment.

I mix in a Wedgewood mortar, with pestle of the same; but a bowl is nearly as good. It will keep for weeks.