Handbook of practical cookery

Put the butter into a small sauce-pan and let it melt. Stir into this the flour and the milk ; when this comes to the boiling-point, by degrees pour in the water. Let the mixture again boil up, season with the pepper and salt, and let all boil together for two minutes. At the end of this time throw in the capers and remove the sauce-pan from the fire, the sauce being now ready for use. NOTE. — When this sauce is prepared to be used with a leg of mutton, a half pint of the liquor from the boiling meat may be substituted for the cold water with excellent flavouring effect. Mint Sauce. — Two table-spoonfuls of chopped mint, six table-spoonfuls of vinegar, two table-spoonfuls of cold water, three table-spoonfuls of sugar. The mint before being chopped should be thoroughly washed, and when washed and chopped it must be placed in a gravy-boat, the vinegar and water poured over it, and throwing the sugar into this, all should be stirred until the sugar melts. This sauce is designed for roast spring lamb. NOTE. — Two table-spoonfuls of white wine are sometimes substituted for the cold water in preparing this sauce. Tartare Sauce. — Yolks of two eggs, one gill of salad oil, one salt-spoonful of salt, one half salt-spoonful of pepper, one table-spoonful of white wine vinegar, one half tea-spoonful of French mustard, one table-spoonful of gherkins. The vinegar and yolks of eggs must first be slightly beaten together in a small bowl. Add to these drop by drop the salad oil, taking care to stir one way all the time. When this is done, season the mixture with the pepper, salt, and mustard ; add also the gherkins, finely chopped, and serve in a gravy-boat with boiled salmon or cold meats. NOTE.— Capers may be used for this sauce if preferred, or if the gherkins are not obtainable. Onion Sauce. — Two Spanish onions, one ounce of butter, one half ounce of flour, three gills of milk, one salt-spoonful of salt, one half salt-spoonful of pepper. Preparatory to making this sauce, soak the onions over night in water which must have been poured over them boiling. When required, take the onions from the soak, put them into a sauce-pan, and covering them with boiling water, let them boil therein for half an hour. When boiled, take them from the water, chop them finely, and placing them in a bowl, cover them at once with the milk in order to preserve their colour. Melt the butter in a small sauce-pan, add the flour, and into this pour the onion and milk, when all must be allowed to come to the boiling-point, and the pepper and salt then being added, the sauce must be permitted to boil thereafter for two minutes, when it will be ready to serve. Bread Sauce. — Two ounces of bread, one half pint of milk, one Bermuda onion, six pepper-corns, one salt-spoonful of salt, one half gill of white stock. Put the bread, broken into convenient pieces, into a bowl and cover it with the milk. Throw into the bowl also the onion, pepper-corns, and salt, together with the stock. Stir all together, after which, pouring the mixture into a small sauce-pan, and placing this over the fire, allow all to cook slowly for half an hour. Skim out at the end of this time the pepper-corns and onion, and serve the sauce in a gravy-boat with roast fowl.