The Cook's Oracle; and Housekeeper's Manual Part 50

_Green or Sorrel Sauce._--(No. 291.)

Wash and clean a large ponnet of sorrel; put it into a stew-pan that will just hold it, with a bit of b.u.t.ter the size of an egg; cover it close, set it over a slow fire for a quarter of an hour, pa.s.s the sorrel with the back of a wooden spoon through a hair-sieve, season with pepper, salt, and a small pinch of powdered sugar, make it hot, and serve up under lamb, veal, sweetbreads, &c. &c. Cayenne, nutmeg, and lemon-juice are sometimes added.

_Tomata, or Love-apple Sauce._--(No. 292. See also No. 443.)

Have twelve or fifteen tomatas, ripe and red; take off the stalk; cut them in half; squeeze them just enough to get all the water and seeds out; put them in a stew-pan with a capsic.u.m, and two or three table-spoonfuls of beef gravy; set them on a slow stove for an hour, or till properly melted; then rub them through a tamis into a clean stew-pan, with a little white pepper and salt, and let them simmer together a few minutes.

[_Love-apple Sauce according to Ude._

Melt in a stew-pan a dozen or two of love-apples (which, before putting in the stew-pan, cut in two, and squeeze the juice and the seeds out); then put two eschalots, one onion, with a few bits of ham, a clove, a little thyme, a bay-leaf, a few leaves of mace, and when melted, rub them through a tamis. Mix a few spoonfuls of good Espagnole or Spanish sauce, and a little salt and pepper, with this puree. Boil it for twenty minutes, and serve up. A.]

_Mock Tomata Sauce._--(No. 293.)

The only difference between this and genuine love-apple sauce, is the subst.i.tuting the pulp of apple for that of tomata, colouring it with turmeric, and communicating an acid flavour to it by vinegar.

_Eschalot Sauce._--(No. 294.)

Take four eschalots, and make it in the same manner as garlic sauce (No.

272). _Or_,

You may make this sauce more extemporaneously by putting two table-spoonfuls of eschalot wine (No. 403), and a sprinkling of pepper and salt, into (almost) half a pint of thick melted b.u.t.ter.

_Obs._--This is an excellent sauce for chops or steaks; many are very fond of it with roasted or boiled meat, poultry, &c.

_Eschalot Sauce for boiled Mutton._--(No. 295.)

This is a very frequent and satisfactory subst.i.tute for "caper sauce."

Mince four eschalots very fine, and put them into a small saucepan, with almost half a pint of the liquor the mutton was boiled in: let them boil up for five minutes; then put in a table-spoonful of vinegar, a quarter tea-spoonful of pepper, a little salt, and a bit of b.u.t.ter (as big as a walnut) rolled in flour; shake together till it boils. See (No. 402) Eschalot Wine.

_Obs._--We like a little lemon-peel with eschalot; the _haut gout_ of the latter is much ameliorated by the delicate _aroma_ of the former.

Some cooks add a little finely-chopped parsley.

_Young Onion Sauce._--(No. 296.)

Peel a pint of b.u.t.ton onions, and put them in water till you want to put them on to boil; put them into a stew-pan, with a quart of cold water; let them boil till tender; they will take (according to their size and age) from half an hour to an hour. You may put them into half a pint of No. 307. See also No. 137.

_Onion Sauce._--(No. 297.)

Those who like the full flavour of onions only cut off the strings and tops (without peeling off any of the skins), put them into salt and water, and let them lie an hour; then wash them, put them into a kettle with plenty of water, and boil them till they are tender: now skin them, pa.s.s them through a colander, and mix a little melted b.u.t.ter with them.

N.B. Some mix the pulp of apples, or turnips, with the onions, others add mustard to them.

_White Onion Sauce._--(No. 298.)

The following is a more mild and delicate[240-*] preparation: Take half a dozen of the largest and whitest onions (the Spanish are the mildest, but these can only be had from August to December); peel them and cut them in half, and lay them in a pan of spring-water for a quarter of an hour, and then boil for a quarter of an hour; and then, if you wish them to taste very mild, pour off that water, and cover them with fresh boiling water, and let them boil till they are tender, which will sometimes take three-quarters of an hour longer; drain them well on a hair-sieve; lay them on the chopping-board, and chop and bruise them; put them into a clean saucepan, with some b.u.t.ter and flour, half a tea-spoonful of salt, and some cream, or good milk; stir it till it boils; then rub the whole through a tamis, or sieve, adding cream or milk, to make it the consistence you wish.

_Obs._--This is the usual sauce for boiled rabbits, mutton, or tripe.

There must be plenty of it; the usual expression signifies as much, for we say, smother them with it.

_Brown Onion Sauces, or Onion Gravy._--(No. 299.)

Peel and slice the onions (some put in an equal quant.i.ty of cuc.u.mber or celery) into a quart stew-pan, with an ounce of b.u.t.ter; set it on a slow fire, and turn the onion about till it is very lightly browned; now gradually stir in half an ounce of flour; add a little broth, and a little pepper and salt; boil up for a few minutes; add a table-spoonful of claret, or port wine, and same of mushroom catchup, (you may sharpen it with a little lemon-juice or vinegar,) and rub it through a tamis or fine sieve.

Curry powder (No. 348) will convert this into excellent curry sauce.

N.B. If this sauce is for steaks, shred an ounce of onions, fry them a nice brown, and put them to the sauce you have rubbed through a tamis; or some very small, round, young silver b.u.t.ton onions (see No. 296), peeled and boiled tender, and put in whole when your sauce is done, will be an acceptable addition.

_Obs._--If you have no broth, put in half a pint of water, and see No.

252; just before you give it the last boil up, add to it another table-spoonful of mushroom catchup, or the same quant.i.ty of port wine or good ale.

The flavour of this sauce may be varied by adding tarragon or burnet vinegar (Nos. 396 and 399).

_Sage and Onion, or Goose-stuffing Sauce._--(No. 300.)

Chop very fine an ounce of onion and half an ounce of green sage leaves; put them into a stew-pan with four spoonfuls of water; simmer gently for ten minutes; then put in a tea-spoonful of pepper and salt, and one ounce of fine bread-crumbs; mix well together; then pour to it a quarter of a pint of (broth, or gravy, or) melted b.u.t.ter, stir well together, and simmer it a few minutes longer.

_Obs._ This is a very relishing sauce for roast pork, poultry, geese, or ducks; or green pease on maigre days.

See also Bonne Bouche for the above, No. 341.

_Green Mint Sauce._--(No. 303.)

Wash half a handful of nice, young, fresh-gathered green mint (to this some add one-third the quant.i.ty of parsley); pick the leaves from the stalks, mince them very fine, and put them into a sauce-boat, with a tea-spoonful of moist sugar, and four table-spoonfuls of vinegar.

_Obs._--This is the usual accompaniment to hot lamb; and an equally agreeable relish with cold lamb.

If green mint cannot be procured, this sauce may be made with mint vinegar (No. 398).

_Apple Sauce._--(No. 304.)

Pare and core three good-sized baking apples; put them into a well-tinned pint saucepan, with two table-spoonfuls of cold water; cover the saucepan close, and set it on a trivet over a slow fire a couple of hours before dinner (some apples will take a long time stewing, others will be ready in a quarter of an hour): when the apples are done enough, pour off the water, let them stand a few minutes to get dry; then beat them up with a fork, with a bit of b.u.t.ter about as big as a nutmeg, and a tea-spoonful of powdered sugar.

N.B. Some add lemon-peel, grated, or minced fine, or boil a bit with the apples. Some are fond of apple sauce with cold pork: ask those you serve if they desire it.