Perhaps I had better say in explanation that superior sauces are best made perfectly smooth by being passed through a tammy, or loose cloth especially manufactured for the purpose. The cloth should be laid over a basin, and the sauce poured upon it. The cloth should then be folded over to hold the sauce securely ; one person should take it up at one end, and another at the opposite end, and then the two operators should twist their ends dif- ferent ways so as to squeeze the liquid through. The cream may be added afterwards. White sauce is frequently used to coat fowls, etc. ; that is, it is made very thick, and then laid gently over to cover the meat entirely. Sauce to be used thus should be stiff, so that it will not run off the meat ; therefore it is made either with stock that is so strong that it jellies when cold, or with stock in which a little gelatine has been dissolved. Plain white sauce may be made with some of the liquor in which fowls or rabbits have been boiled, if a little carrot and onion, three or four peppercorns, and a small piece of mace or lemon peel be simmered in it till it is plea- santly flavoured. It should then be strained, skimmed, reduced — that is, boiled down quickly till the required Creams. 103 quantity only remains — thickened, and mixed with cream. Sauce is made stronger and better by being well reduced. If you want to have good sauces, reduce them well. 13read sauce is a very great favourite in English homes. To make it, prepare about an ounce and a half of bread- crumbs by rubbing stale bread through a wire sieve. Put these in a stewpan with half a pint of milk, add a litde salt, and five or six peppercorns. Let the crumbs soak for a few minutes only, then put the stewpan on the fire, and stir the sauce till it boils. Remove the peppercorns, add a tablespoonful of cream, and serve. If liked, a small onion can be boiled with the bread-crumbs and removed with the peppercorns. Many people would consider it a great improvement. For variety’s sake, a little nutmeg✪ Bread Sauce may be added to the sauce. When the sauce is wanted very good, the crumbs and onion, after being boiled in the milk, may be rubbed through a hair sieve. It would, of course, be impossible in one article to give even an idea of the numerous sauces of everyday life. I have, therefore, contented myself with describing as clearly as I could how the fundamental sauces, those which are the foundation of others, are made. I have one more suggestion to offer with regard to them. It is, that when delicately-prepared sauces have to be kept hot for a while, they should not be left to simmer in the saucepan, as this would spoil them ; but that, instead, the vessel in which they are should be placed in another containing hot water to the depth of four or five inches. This hot water vessel will constitute an improvised bain marie. It may be put by the side of the fire ; and here the sauce can be kept hot till wanted, without fear of its flavour being injured by overheating. XVII. CREAMS. fHERE is SO much room for variety in this branch of cookery that the difficulty is to know where to begin. However, the best thing we can do is to speak of general rules of universal application, and urge the mem- 104 Girl's Own Cookery Book.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

Perhaps I had better say in explanation that superior sauces are best made perfectly smooth by being passed through a tammy, or loose cloth especially manufactured for the purpose. The cloth should be laid over a basin, and the sauce poured upon it. The cloth should then be folded over to hold the sauce securely ; one person should take it up at one end, and another at the opposite end, and then the two operators should twist their ends different ways so as to squeeze the liquid through. The cream may be added afterwards. White sauce is frequently used to coat fowls, etc. ; that is, it is made very thick, and then laid gently over to cover the meat entirely. Sauce to be used thus should be stiff, so that it will not run off the meat ; therefore it is made either with stock that is so strong that it jellies when cold, or with stock in which a little gelatine has been dissolved. Plain white sauce may be made with some of the liquor in which fowls or rabbits have been boiled, if a little carrot and onion, three or four peppercorns, and a small piece of mace or lemon peel be simmered in it till it is pleasantly flavoured. It should then be strained, skimmed, reduced — that is, boiled down quickly till the required Creams. quantity only remains — thickened, and mixed with cream. Sauce is made stronger and better by being well reduced. If you want to have good sauces, reduce them well. Bread sauce is a very great favourite in English homes. To make it, prepare about an ounce and a half of breadcrumbs by rubbing stale bread through a wire sieve. Put these in a stewpan with half a pint of milk, add a litde salt, and five or six peppercorns. Let the crumbs soak for a few minutes only, then put the stewpan on the fire, and stir the sauce till it boils. Remove the peppercorns, add a tablespoonful of cream, and serve. If liked, a small onion can be boiled with the bread-crumbs and removed with the peppercorns. Many people would consider it a great improvement. For variety’s sake, a little nutmeg may be added to the sauce. When the sauce is wanted very good, the crumbs and onion, after being boiled in the milk, may be rubbed through a hair sieve. It would, of course, be impossible in one article to give even an idea of the numerous sauces of everyday life. I have, therefore, contented myself with describing as clearly as I could how the fundamental sauces, those which are the foundation of others, are made. I have one more suggestion to offer with regard to them. It is, that when delicately-prepared sauces have to be kept hot for a while, they should not be left to simmer in the saucepan, as this would spoil them ; but that, instead, the vessel in which they are should be placed in another containing hot water to the depth of four or five inches. This hot water vessel will constitute an improvised bain marie. It may be put by the side of the fire ; and here the sauce can be kept hot till wanted, without fear of its flavour being injured by overheating. CREAMS. fHERE is SO much room for variety in this branch of cookery that the difficulty is to know where to begin. However, the best thing we can do is to speak of general rules of universal application, and urge the mem- 104 Girl's Own Cookery Book.

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