Catherine Owen's new cook book ..

When sauces are thickened with eggs, it is safer after they are added to stand the saucepan in another containing boiling water, and stir it in that, until it reaches the boiling point; remember it must not boil or it will break; yet if it does not reach the boiling point, the eggs will not thicken. BUTTER SAUCE Is the foundation for several well-known white French sauces. It will be observed that the first step is always the same — equal proportions of butter and flour stirred 2 24 Practical Recipes, together over the fire until the flour is cooked; then milk is added for white sauce, veal or chicken stock for bechamel, water for butter sauce. On these foundations are several yariations: eggs and oil make butter sauce into HoUandaise; mushrooms and eggs make it into veloute or allemande; a glass of white wine makes it poulette. When butter sauce, or white sauce is to be served simply, more butter may be added in proportion to the quantity of flour ; the butter will only make the sauce more rich, not thicker or thinner ; the flour should be one tablespoonful, or ounce, to half a pint of liquid. A recipe for very rich white sauce is given in the first part of this book. That sauce cannot be improved upon for instant use, but butter or white sauce made very rich will break if left standing many minutes. The best proportions for a sauce that is to be kept hot, is one ounce of butter, one ounce of flour to half a pint of liquid. If wanted richer than this, stir in one or two ounces of butter at the last moment, BUTTEK SAUCE, SIMPLE. One ounce of butter, one ounce of flour ; put the butter in a small, thick saucepan, marbleized, or iron (never use tin for sauce); when melted put in the flour, stirring it, let it bubble, stirring all the time till it is a fine yellow, it takes one minute usually ; then pour in half a pint of hot water and a saltspoonf ul of salt. Using milk instead of water makes it a simple white sauce. ALLEMAKDE SAUCE. One ounce of butter put in a thick saucepan; when melted add one ounce of flour, stir them, let them Sauces. 225 bubble one minute; then pour in— stirring all the while — half a pint of hot broth or white stock, or if you have not it, hot water and the liquid from a can of mushooms. Let it boil, take from the fire, wait a minute and stir in gradually the yolks of three eggs, a saltspoon of salt, a quarter one of pepper ; return it to the fire, stirring carefully; it must get to the boiling point, or the eggs will not be cooked, yet on no account boil, or it will curdle ; when it is off the fire, stir in a tablespoonful more butter. If it should be too thick, add a very little broth or hot water. SAUCE SUPREME. Make an Allemunde as above ; add to it two tablespoonfuls of butter and three of stock ; stir, and bring it to the boiling point at once; squeeze in a few drops of lemon juice ; use at once. POULETTE. Make Allemande sauce and add to it a glass of white wine. If anything is to be cooked in it, as sweetbreads or chicken, leave out the eggs till last : they are sometimes omitted altogether. CAPER SAUCE. To half a pint of butter sauce put a dessert-spoonful of capers — not chopped, it spoils the appearance — and a teaspoonful of the vinegar, a saltspoonful of salt, and a quarter one of pepper (white). BECHAMEL NO. 1.