The new practical housekeeping

French Tomato Sauce, — Cut tomatoes into quarters and put them in saucepan with salt to taste, a good handful of basil, and three or four cloves of garlic ; a little water should be put into the saucepan to prevent the tomatoes catching. When they are thoroughly done turn them out upon a hair sieve and wait till all the water has drained from them. Throw away this water and pass the tomatoes through the sieve ; put the pulp into a saucepan, boil half an hour, and a moderate quantity of black pepper may be added to taste. When the sauce is quite cold put it into wide-mouthed bottles, cork tightly and tie up each cork with string or wire ; dip the neck of each bottle into melted resin and they may then be put away to be used when required. The bottles should be of moderate size, for once opened the sauce will no longer keep good. If before putting on the wire the bottles of sauce are placed upright in a large vessel full of cold water and this is put on the fire until the water boils, the preservation will be more certain still, and the sauce will keep good for any length of time. Care must be taken, however, not to remove the bottles from the vessel until the water has become perfectly cold. White Sauce, — Stir one tablespoon each butter and flour together over the fire until smooth, add one pint milk, season with salt and white pepper, and let boil up once. Strain if not perfectly smooth. This is the plain white sauce, so nice served with vegetables, and which is also used by many as the foundation for other sauces instead of the rich drawn butter. Brown Sauce is made same way, stirring the butter and flour over the fire until a dark brown color, and when it is at hand using a pint froth from boiling meat instead of the milk. French White Sauce, — As white stock is the foundation of this sauce, it must be prepared first as follows : Cut up four pounds knuckle of veal, any poultry trimmings, and four slices of lean ham, put it into a saucepan which has been rubbed with butter, moisten with half pint water and simmer till gravy begins to flow ; then add four quarts water, three carrots, two onions, one head celerv, twelve white pepper-corns, a blade of mace, buncn of herbs, tablespoon each butter and salt. Simmer five hours, skim, strain carefully, and the White Stock is ready for use. Consomme is made exactly the same with double the quantity of meat or half the water. For the sauce put one pint stock in the saucepan with a small bunch pars- ley, two cloves, half bay-leaf, small bunch savory herbs, three or four mushrooms when obtainable, and salt to taste. When it has boiled enough to extract the flavor from the herbs, etc., strain and boil up quickly again until it is nearly half reduced. Mix one tablespoon arrowroot smoothly with a pint cream and simmer gently five minutes over slow fire ; add to it the reduced stock, and if stock is thick continue to simmer slowly for ten minutes, but if thin, stir over brisk fire till it thickens. This is the well known Bechamel Sauce, and is the foundation of many others, especially white sauces. Many make it thick, as it is easily thinned with cream or white stock. To make Brovm Stock or Sauce stir three-fourths tablespoon flour with a tablespoon butter over the fire until a dark brown color and add to white stock.