Harper's cook book encyclopædia

Béarnaise Sauce (Gouffe's). — Five yolks of eggs, I oz. of butter, a pinch of salt, a pinch of pepper. Put the above in a pan, and turn it over the fire with a spoon. As soon as the yolks begin to set, take off the fire, and add another ounce of butter. Then stir again over the fire, and add another ounce of butter. Take off the fire, and add yet another ounce. Then stir again over the fire. Now taste to see if the seasoning is sufficient, and add a teaspoonful of chopped tarragon and a teaspoonful of tarragon vinegar. The finest and purest Bearnaise has a dominant perfume of tarragon. Bechamel Sauce. — May be made of the remains of a cold roast fowl. Break up the bones, and put them into a saucepan with two or three bacon-bones, a small carrot, a small onion, a very small piece of mace, two peppercorns, and a pinch of salt. Pour over the ingredients as much water as will entirely cover them, and simmer gently for two hours. Carefully remove the scum as it rises. Half an hour before the stock is taken from the fire, stir into it a teaspoonful of gelatine which has been soaked for half an hour in two table-spoonfuls of water. Strain the stock into a bowl, and when it is cold remove the fat from the surface. Put it into a saucepan, and simmer till it is reduced to about three - quarters of a pint. Mix with it an equal quantity of boiling cream or milk, slightly thicken with arrow-root, add salt to taste, and it will be ready for use. Time, three to four hours. Another way : — Take one quart of good white stock, put it into a stewpan with an onion, a few mushrooms, a sprig of thyme, parsley, a blade of mace, and a little salt ; boil till it has extracted the flavor of the herbs, and the stock is reduced to about half ; then strain. Put one pint of thick or double cream into a stewpan, mix the reduced stock very gradually with it, and stir all the time, until it thickens, over a slow fire. If the ordinary thin cream be used, mix a table-spoonful of arrowroot very smoothly into it, and simmer slowly five minutes before adding it to the stock. Time, about two hours. Bread Sauce. — Boil a small onion and a bay-leaf in a cupful of milk for fifteen minutes, and then strain them out. Stir into the milk three table - spoonfuls of fine white breadcrumbs, cook three minutes, add one table - spoonful of butter, salt and white pepper to taste, and a grate of a nutmeg, and take from the fire. Put in a sauce-boat and strew over the top of the sauce a table-spoonful of crumbs fried brown. Brown Sauce, — Put two tablespoonfuls of butter into a saucepan at the back of the fire and add a sliced onion, one small carrot, half a turnip chopped fine, and one bayleaf. Cover the pan and let the contents steam for fifteen minutes. Then bring the pan over the fire ; stir in two table-spoonfuls of flour and keep stirring until the flour is well browned. Then gradually add two ciipfuls of stock, three cloves, a blade of mace, half a dozen peppercorns, and some salt. Cover the pan and simmer twenty minutes ; then strain, and the sauce is ready for serving. This sauce may be varied by adding wine, lemon-juice, or mushrooms, thus making different sauces with the same foundation. Butter Sauce East India Sauce