The "Queen" cookery books: Entrees

Mayonnaise, like many other sauces, can be very much varied. For instance, white mayonnaise is prepared by using lemon juice instead of vinegar, and adding at the last a gill of very stiffly whipped cream to the mixture. For red mayonnaise stir equal parts of mayonnaise and tomato puree together, adding, if necessary, a dash of flavoured vinegar to the mixture. For green mayonnaise blanch some sprays of parsley, chervil, and tarragon, drain off the water, pound the herbs smoothly, and then incorporate them with some mayonnaise sauce, adding a drop or two of green colouring to get it all a delicate green. If mayonnaise aspic is desired, add three large tablespoonfuls of mayonnaise to a short half pint of aspic jelly, incorporating them well. A delicious masking sauce may be made by stirring a full tablespoonful of mixed olives, or truffles, as you please, into a short half pint of mayonnaise, with a dust of coralline pepper, and a squeeze of lemon juice, stirring in at the last about a gill of stiffly whipped cream. All these sauces should be stood on ice till wanted. Mint Sauce. — Take the tops of some young mint, washing and drying them carefully in a clean cloth, and mince them as finely as possible, being careful not to squeeze or crush them, or the flavour will be lost ; put them at once into the tureen with two tablespoonfuls of caster sugar to every three tablespoonfuls of minced mint ; stir them well together. Add to this quantity five tablespoonfuls of best vinegar, and let it all stand for two or three hours before use. Mousseline Sauce. — Stir together a gill of aspic whipped till stiff: and frothy, a gill of mayonnaise sauce, and a gill of stiffly whipped cream, with a dust of coralline pepper and of caster sugar, and a small spoonful of vinegar. Plain, white, green, or red mayonnaise can be used for this. Creme Baifort. — Well wash, scrape, and grate finely a stick of young horseradish, then whisk it quickly into a gill of stiffly whipped cream, flavouring it as you do so with cayenne and plain or chilli vinegar, or lemon juice. If preferred, sour cream can be used for this. A very delicate form of this sauce is Creme Baifort a VAlceste (said to have been called after the flagship of the admiral who invented it, Sir Beauchamp Seymour, I believe), made by pounding the yolk of a hard-boiled egg with a good inustardspoonful each of English and French mustard, half a small teaspoonful of caster sugar, and a saltspoonf ul of celery salt ; this is then stirred lightly into about half a pint of stiffly whipped cream, with a pinch of grated orange peel, a teaspoonful of tarragon vinegar (the quantity of this is a matter of taste) , and a full tablespoonful of freshly grated horse radish. This can be moulded, or left rocky, but in any case should be frozen in ice or in an ice cave. If set in a border mould it makes a most delicious border for neatly sliced cold beef, seasoned with oil, vinegar, pepper, and salt, and finely minced parsley, chives, &c., a nice French salad being served in the centre. Bemoulade. — To half a pint of thick mayonnaise add a spoonful each of capers, minced pickled gherkins, and blanched and minced shallots, with two washed, boned, and minced anchovies, and leave on ice till wanted.