The complete Indian housekeeper & cook

Sauces should always be prepared at leisure, long before the dinner-hour, and may be kept hot, without spoiling, in a bain-marie or water bath. One of these can be made for a rupee, by cutting down a kerosene tin for the bath, and having handles fixed to suitably sized jam or fruit tins. These make excellent little saucepans for this work, as they have never to be put on the fire, but only in the hot-water bath. It must be remembered that the making of sauces is exact work, and cannot be done by guess. If a certain proportion is ordered and you use another, you will completely spoil your sauce. At the same time, if the general proportion of all sauces be remembered— that is, 15 units of liquid to 1 of flour or ^ of cornflour, and from 1 to 2 of butter — many sauces may be invented, since most have the same foundation, and only differ in the flavouring. To save trouble, therefore, the recipes are given in groups. First Group. Founded on White Sauce made with Milk or — Bechamel. — Flavour 15 units of milk with 1 carrot, 1 onion, some parsley, thyme, nutmeg, pepper, and salt. Melt 2 units of butter in a saucepan, stir in 1 unit of flour ; strain the hot milk to it, and boil till thick enough. If wanted cold, to mask chickens, &c., use ^ unit or more of cornflour, as it sets better. Ihe following are varieties of béchamel. 2S4 The Indian Housekeeper and Cook 255 Cream Bechamel. — Add 2 units cream and 2 sliced and cooked mushrooms. Allemande. — Add 8 units yolk of egg and 1 lemon juice. Aurora. — Add 3 units yolk of egg, 1 unit each of tomato sauce, Harvey sauce, and grated cheese, ^ unit each tarragon vinegar and anchovy sauce. MS.itre d’Hotel. — Add 2 units more hutter, 2 chopped parsley, 1 lemon juice. Ravigotte. — Add 1 unit hutter, ^ unit tarragon, and Chili vinegar, Harvey sauce, and j anchovy sauce. Soubise. — Equal parts bechamel and puree of onions, thickened with yolk of egg. Shrimp, Lobster, Oyster. — Béchamel or velouté made with fish stock, to which is added either of these three whole, chopped, or passed through a sieve. Second Group. Founded on White Sauce made with Stock or — Velouté. — — Flavour 15 units good white stock to suit the dish with which it is to he served, making it, if possible, from the same sort of meat. Melt ] unit of butter in a saucepan, stir in 1 unit of flour, add the stock, boil till thick enough. The following are some varieties of veloute. Tlieir name is legion : — Green Sauce. — Boil a handful of parsley till tender, pound rub through a sieve ; add to the veloute. ’ ^ Royale. — Three units yolk of egg, 3 of mushrooms. Angel Sauce. — Boil 15 units stock with 3 units sliced mushrooms and 3 sliced onions and some herbs. Pass through a sieve ; thicken as above, and add 3 units cream. Matelote. — Add 2 units oysters, whole, 2 units mushrooms 2 units small button onions, 2 units yolk of egg. ^ Mona Sauce. — Add 1 unit sherry, 1 hock, to 13 of fish stock flavour with onion, thicken as above, add 1 unit chopped mushrooms, and 2 cream. 256 The Complete Indian Mousseline. — Four units white of egg, 4 yolk of egg, 2 veloute sauce, 5 fish or oyster liquor. Whip over boiling water till spongy. Add 4 units chopped oysters or prawns or lobster, salt, pepper. Mushroom. — Make the veloute' half strong chicken stock, half mushroom liquor, flavour with lean ham ; add ] unit sherry, 4 thick cream, 4 chopped mushroom.