Take half a pound of flour, and, having thoroughly
dried it on a large newspaper before the fire, sift it
carefully. Next take half a pound of butter✪ Brown Thickening and melt
it in an enamelled saucepan ; a sort of white curdled
substance will be generally found mixed with it, some
of which can be skimmed off the top, and some will
settle at the bottom. Skim the butter and pour off
all that is as clear as good salad-oil, and only use this
for the brown thickening.
Next mix thoroughly well together the sifted flour
and the hot melted butter in an enamelled stew-pan,
and stir it over a quick fire with a wooden spoon. If
the flour has been properly dried, and the butter
120
Common-sense Cooker v.
properly clarified, the whole mass will stick together,
and shake about in the stew-pan. The stirring must
be continued till the whole mass begins to turn colour.
As soon as it is obtained a light fawn-colour, or looks
like the outside of a nicely-baked French roll, remove
the stew-pan from the fire, but still continue stirring.
Throw in a large slice of onion ; this will help to
check the heat, and at the same time assist in giving
the thickening a nice flavour.
It is wonderful how long an enamelled stew-pan
will retain the heat. It would be a good lesson to an
inexperienced cook to watch for how long a period
the butter and flour will go on bubbling after the
stew-pan has been taken off the fire. It depends of
course on the thickness of the stew-pan, but this frying
process will go on sometimes for ten minutes, or even
longer, after it has been moved on to a cold slab.
This fact will explain why hashes and stews are so
often tough. Most cooks know hash ought not to
boil, but how many place a stew-pan on the fire, and re-
move it on to the hob directly it begins what they call
to simmer ! They forget that the boiling, for that is
what it really is, goes on perhaps for ten minutes after
they have moved the stewpan from the fire, when a
tea-spoonful of cold gravy, or even cold water, would
have stopped the boiling at once.
Keep stirring the brown thickening till it ceases to
Savoury Summer Dishes.
I 2 I
boil or bubble, and then remove as much as you can
of the onion, and pour the whole into a stone jar — an
empty white jam-pot is as good as anything — and
allow it to get cold.
When it is cold it has the appearance somewhat of
light-coloured chocolate, and a few spoonfuls of it will
always give a nice rich brown look to gravies. It
must be put in the gravy, and stirred over the fire in
it ; gradually, as the gravy boils, it becomes thicker.
For ordinary gravy, when brown thickening is used, a
tea-spoonful of sherry is a great improvement.
Cooks often thicken gravies, curries, &c., with
butter and flour. The effect too often is that the
gravy looks a light colour, and has a gruelly taste. A
good cook should never be without some brown
thickening in the house.
Sufficient of this brown thickening must be added
to the curry sauce✪ Curry Sauce, which is supposed to have been
rubbed through the wire-sieve, to make it as thick as
gruel ; and, as we have said, this thickening only takes
place when it is boiled, and at the same time stirred,
over the fire. The curry is now complete, and has
only to be poured round, not over, the freshly-cooked
sweetbreads.
Page 48 · 3 recipe records on this page
Presented as published in 1880. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Take half a pound of flour, and, having thoroughly dried it on a large newspaper before the fire, sift it carefully. Next take half a pound of butter and melt it in an enamelled saucepan ; a sort of white curdled substance will be generally found mixed with it, some of which can be skimmed off the top, and some will settle at the bottom. Skim the butter and pour off all that is as clear as good salad-oil, and only use this for the brown thickening.
Next mix thoroughly well together the sifted flour and the hot melted butter in an enamelled stew-pan, and stir it over a quick fire with a wooden spoon. If the flour has been properly dried, and the butter
Common-sense Cookery.
properly clarified, the whole mass will stick together, and shake about in the stew-pan. The stirring must be continued till the whole mass begins to turn colour. As soon as it is obtained a light fawn-colour, or looks like the outside of a nicely-baked French roll, remove the stew-pan from the fire, but still continue stirring. Throw in a large slice of onion ; this will help to check the heat, and at the same time assist in giving the thickening a nice flavour.
It is wonderful how long an enamelled stew-pan will retain the heat. It would be a good lesson to an inexperienced cook to watch for how long a period the butter and flour will go on bubbling after the stew-pan has been taken off the fire. It depends of course on the thickness of the stew-pan, but this frying process will go on sometimes for ten minutes, or even longer, after it has been moved on to a cold slab. This fact will explain why hashes and stews are so often tough. Most cooks know hash ought not to boil, but how many place a stew-pan on the fire, and remove it on to the hob directly it begins what they call to simmer ! They forget that the boiling, for that is what it really is, goes on perhaps for ten minutes after they have moved the stewpan from the fire, when a tea-spoonful of cold gravy, or even cold water, would have stopped the boiling at once.
Keep stirring the brown thickening till it ceases to
Savoury Summer Dishes.
I 2 I
boil or bubble, and then remove as much as you can of the onion, and pour the whole into a stone jar — an empty white jam-pot is as good as anything — and allow it to get cold.
When it is cold it has the appearance somewhat of light-coloured chocolate, and a few spoonfuls of it will always give a nice rich brown look to gravies. It must be put in the gravy, and stirred over the fire in it ; gradually, as the gravy boils, it becomes thicker. For ordinary gravy, when brown thickening is used, a tea-spoonful of sherry is a great improvement.
Cooks often thicken gravies, curries, &c., with butter and flour. The effect too often is that the gravy looks a light colour, and has a gruelly taste. A good cook should never be without some brown thickening in the house.
Sufficient of this brown thickening must be added to the curry sauce, which is supposed to have been rubbed through the wire-sieve, to make it as thick as gruel ; and, as we have said, this thickening only takes place when it is boiled, and at the same time stirred, over the fire. The curry is now complete, and has only to be poured round, not over, the freshly-cooked sweetbreads.
Records on this page
Brown ThickeningBrown ThickeningCurry Sauce