The "Queen" cookery books: Entrees

Sauce Bordelaise. — Put into a pan a tablespoonful of minced and blanched shallot, a pinch of fresh and coarsely ground black pepper, and a full gill of claret (Bordeaux), and reduce it sharply to half, when you stir into it half a pint of good espagnole, skim and reduce a little, add a tablespoonful of finely minced parsley, and serve. This sauce should always be rather thin. Sauce Bourguignonne. — Toss in an ounce of butter or clarified dripping, two or three mushrooms, two or three shallots or small silver onions, and a spray or two each of parsley and thyme, till they are well browned ; then add half a pint of red wine (Burgundy), and two or three cloves, and let it reduce to half ; stir to this half a pint of rich espagnole, and a gill of strong stock or consomme, or some Liebig extract ; boil for fifteen to twenty minutes, skimming it well, and letting it reduce a fourth part ; tammy, and use. Many cooks just tie the thyme, parsley, and mace, if used, into a bunch, and lifting this out at the last, serve the sauce as it stands. Sauce Chateaubriand. — This is made exactly like Sauce Marsala, only using espagnole and white French or Rhine wine, for the brown sauce and the Marsala there given. Served frequently with filet Chateaubriand. Sauce d la Biable. — Fry together in butter a slice or two of lean minced ham and a minced shallot or p two, moistening these, when lightly browned, with half a gill of good vinegar ; add a bouquet and some roughly bruised black peppercorns, and simmer it all gently till the vinegar is reduced to half ; meanwhile work together one and a half gills of good espagnole, a gill of tomato sauce, and half a gill of veal stock, reduce this a fourth part, then add the reduced vinegar strained, and a tiny pinch of caster sugar ; let it boil up once or twice, sieve and stir into it just at the last an ounce of cayenne butter. Excellent with almost any rechauffe. Sauce Financiere. — To a pint of rich espagnole add two or three mushrooms, two or three truffles (previously tossed in butter and moistened with sherry), and loz. of good poultry glaze; let it cook together till it will mask the spoon when lifted, then serve either plain or tammied. Many cooks flavour this with the truffle trimmings, adding the cooked and sliced truffles at the last. (It may be well to mention that poultry or other glaze or essence is simply very strong stock boiled down to a thick gluey substance, just like the meat glaze sold in bladders. Where much game comes into the house, a good cook will utilise and store in this way, the stock from the carcases, trimmings, &c., for a little added to any stock gives it much delicacy; at the same time it needs judgment, for if used for any and everything it would lead to the same mistake as caused M. Gouffe to give up espagnole). Sauce Italienne {Brune). — Boil down a gill of any light white wine (French for choice) to half, then stir it into half a pint of rich reduced espagnole, with half an ounce of glaze, and a good spoonful of d’Uxelles mixture and serve.