Cassell's dictionary of cookery

— Dissolve a thick slice of fresh butter in a saucepan, and throw into it a quarter of a pound of lean ham cut into dice, four sliced shallots, a dozen mushrooms cleaned and cut small, a bunch of parsley, a sprig of thyme, a bay-leaf, a dozen peppercorns, half a blade of mace, and three cloves. Stir these ingredients over a gentle fire tiU a red tinge appears round the inside of the saucepan. Add gradually a pint of clear stock, and simmer the sauce gently for three-quarters of an hour. Carefully remove the scum as it rises. Strain the sauce, add cayenne and salt if necessary, and thicken with a little brown thickening. Let it simmer again, that it may throw up the fat, and carefully remove this tiil no more appears. A few minutes before the sauce is to be served stir into it a wine-glassful of sherry or or madeira. Time, altogether, about an hour and a quarter. Probable cost, 2s. per pint. Spanish Sauce made from. Bones.— 1 Take the bone of a leg of mutton or of a piece I of beef weighing six or seven pounds. Break it into small pieces, and put these into a stewpan with a large onion stuck with three cloves, a sliced I carrot, half a dozen outer sticks of celery (or, if this is not at hand, as much bruised celeryseed as will lie on a threepenny-piece), a bunch of parsley, a sprig of thyme, a couple of leeks (if they can be had) , half a dozen peppercorns, and a little salt. Pour over these ingredients three quarts of cold water. Let the liquor boil, skim carefully, and simmer ge-ntly for four hours, or until it is reduced to two quarts. Strain it, and when it is cold take away any fat there may be on the top. When Spanish sauce is wanted, take as much of this stock as will make the requisite quantity; make it hot, and dissolve a little Liebig's Extract of ]\Ieat in it — a quarter of a tea-spoonful will be suflicient for a pint. Thicken with brown thickening, let it simmer by the side of the fire till it has thrown up the grease, strain through a sieve, and serve. When browm thickening is not at hand, a substitute may be made as follows : — Knead together in a saucepan equal proportions of butter and flour. Stir this paste quickly over a slow fire for three minutes till it is brightly coloured without being at all burnt. Moisten it with the stock, let the sauce simmer gently to throw up the grease, and when it is smooth and thick it will be ready for serving. Time, five hours. Probable cost, 3d. per pint. Spanish Sauce (M. L'de's way). — Besides some slices of ham, put into a stewpan some slices of veal. Moisten the same as for the coulis ; sweat them in the like manner ; let all the glaze go to the bottom, and when of a nice red colour moisten with a few spoonfuls of stock-broth liquor to detach the glaze; then pour in the coulis. Let the whole boil for half an hour to remove all the fat. Strain it through a clean tamis. Remember always to put some mushrooms, with a bunch of parsley and green onions, into these sauces. It is necessary to observe to the professors of cookery that the flavour proceeds from the seasoning, and if the necessary articles are neglected to be put to a nicety into the sauces, the flavour will be deficient. Mind that the sauce or broth when kept too long on the fire loses the proper taste, and acquires instead a strong and disagreeable one.