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Culinary jottings

1885

Page 54 · 1 recipe record on this page

Presented as published in 1885. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
Gouffe propounds the following sauces as the found- ation of nearly all those of a high class that you are likely to encounter : — 1. Espagiiole. 4. BScJiamel. 2. VeloutS. 5. Marinade. 3. Allemande. 6. Poivrade. Of these veloute, allemande, and hechamel are so closely allied, that I shall confine myself to the last. Marinade and poivrade I have already alluded to. Espagnole is, of course, worthy of close attention. My fundamental sauces will then be reduced to two : — one brown, the other white, — which I think will be found ample for the Indian kitchen. Veal stock plays an important part in Gouffe's recipes. Unfortunately for us we can never reckon on obtaining ' that delicate meat. Nevertheless, while freely admitting ! its value, I do not look upon veal as a sine qua non in j sauce-making. A really carefully made chicken consomyne, \ assisted by a ham or bacon bone, and on special occasions 96 CULINARY JOTTIKGS FOR MADRAS. with a good fowl, provides you with an excellent equiva- lent. "SVith regard to Espagnole which, as many of you no doubt know, is a rich, thick, hroion sauce, I would simplify Gouffe's receipt as follows : — Get ready a couple of sheep's trotters chopped in pieces, with a ham or bacon bone, or a few lean slices of either, any raw cutlet trimmings you may have, and two pounds of beef gravy meat cut into squares. Xow cut up a couple of onions and throw them into a stew-pan with an ounce of butter, fry them a golden yellow then add a breakfast-cupful of broth, or water, and the pieces of meat previously prepared ; shake the pan every now and then, and let the meat take colour; now, add water enough to cover the meat, etc., completely, reduce the fire, and let the contents of the pan come slowly to the boil, skimming carefully during that period ; when the surface seems nicely clear of grease and scum, add a cupful of cold water and two carrots sliced, a turnip, a good piece of celery, a clove of garlic, half a dozen of pepper corns, a spoonful of dried sweet herbs tied up in a bag, a bunch of parsley, some burnt sugar colouring, and salt to taste. Ko spice. As soon as the vegetables have been cooked, remove the pan from the fire, pick out the vegetables, and place it so that it may simmer slowly for a couple of hours. Xow, lift it up, and strain off your gravy : there should be quite a pint and a half of it. Next, take a sauce-pan and melt two ounces of butter at the bottom of it, stir in two ounces of flour and make a rou.r, when the colour satisfies you, add by degrees, stirring as you do so, the pint or so of strong gravy that you strained from the stew-pan. Let the contents of your sauce-pan come to the boil, stirring the whole time, then strain the sauce through your tin strainer into a clean sauce-pan, and set the vessel in the hain-marie to remain hot till wanted. Any fat that may rise dui^ing the thickening process should be skim- SA UCES—CONCL UDED. 97 med off, but if the gravy be properly made, and skimmed before it is added to the roux^ there will be very little to take off in the hain-marie stage. The hain-marie, remem- ber, is a vessel containing boiling water, and kept over the fire, in which yon immerse sauce-pans containing made- sauces to preserve them hot for use. Espagnole Sauce