Common Sorrel Sauce

Ingredients

• from one to a couple of quarts of freshly-gathered sorrel
• a small slice of good butter
• some pepper
• some salt
• a spoonful or two of gravy, or the same quantity of cream or milk
• mixed with a half-teaspoonful of flour
• the beaten yolk of an egg or two
• a saltspoonful of pounded sugar

Method

1. 1

   Strip the sorrel from the stalks and large fibres, wash it clean, and put it into a well-tinned stewpan without water.

2. 2

   Add butter, pepper, and salt, and stew gently while stirring until tender.

3. 3

   Drain or press the liquid from it, chop finely, and boil again with gravy or cream, mixed with flour or butter.

4. 4

   Stir in beaten yolks just before serving.

As published

This recipe was extracted from Modern cookery, in all its branches (1884) by Eliza Acton, page 131. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

COMMON SORREL SAUCE. Strip from the stalks and the large fibres, from one to a couple of quarts of freshly-gathered sorrel ; wash it very clean, and put it into a well-tinned stewpan or saucepan (or into an enamelled one, which would be far better), without any water ; add to it a small slice of good butter, some pepper and salt, and stew it gently, keeping it well stirred until it is exceedingly tender, that it may not burn ; then drain it on a sieve, or press the liquid well from it ; chop it as fine as possible, and boil it again for a few minutes with a spoonful or two of gravy, or the same quantity of cream or milk, mixed with a half- teaspoonful of flour, or with only a fresh slice of good butter. The beaten yolk of an egg or two stirred in just as the sorrel is taken from the fire will soften the sauce greatly, and a saltspoonful of pounded sugar will also be an improvement. ASPARAGUS SAUCE, FOR LAMB CUTLETS. Green cut the tender points of some young asparagus into half-inch lengths, or into the size of peas only ; wash them well, then drain and throw them into plenty of boiling salt and water. When they are quite tender, which may be in from ten to fifteen minutes, turn them into a hot strainer and drain the water thoroughly from them ,• CHAP. V.] SAUCES, 121 put them, at the instant of serving, into half a pint of thickened veal gravy (see sauce tournee ), mixed with the yolks of a couple of eggs, and well seasoned with salt and cayenne, or white pepper, or into an equal quantity of good melted butter : add to this last a squeeze of lemon-juice. The asparagus will become yellow if reboiled, or if left long in the sauce before it is served. Asparagus points, \ pint: boiled 10 to 15 minutes, longer if not quite tender. Thickened veal gravy, \ pint ; yolks of eggs, 2. Or : good melted butter, £ pint ; lemon-juice, small dessertspoonful, sea- soning of salt and white pepper. CAPER SAUCE. Stir into the third of a pint of good melted butter from three to four dessertspoonsful of capers ; add a little of the vinegar, and dish the sauce as soon as it boils. Keep it stirred after the berries are added : part of them may be minced and a little chili vinegar sub- stituted for their own. Pickled nasturtiums make a very good sauce, and their flavour is sometimes preferred to that of the capers. For a large joint, increase the quantity of butter to half a pint. Melted butter, third of pint ; capers, 3 to 4 dessertspoonsful BROWN CAPER SAUCE. Thicken half a pint of good veal or beef gravy as directed for sauce tournee , and add to it two tablespoonsful of capers, and a dessert- spoonful of the pickle liquor, or of chili vinegar, with some cayenne if the former be used, and a proper seasoning of salt. Thickened veal, or beef gravy, £ pint ; capers, 2 tablespoonsful ; caper liquor or chili vinegar, 1 dessertspoonful. CAPER SAUCE FOR FISH. To nearly half a pint of very rich melted butter add six spoonsful of strong veal gravy or jelly, a tablespoonful of essence of anchovies, and some chili vinegar or cayenne, and from two to three tablespoons- ful of capers. When there is no gravy at hand substitute a half wineglassful of mushroom catsup, or of Harvey’s sauce; though these deepen the colour more than is desirable. COMMON CUCUMBER SAUCE, Pare, slice, dust slightly with pepper and with flour, two or three young cucumbers, and fry them a fine brown in a little butter, or dissolve an ounce and a half in a small stewpan or iron sauce- pan, and shake them in it over a brisk fire from twelve to fifteen minutes ; pour to them by degrees nearly half a pint of strong beef broth, or of brown gravy ; add salt, and more pepper if required ; 1‘22 MODERN COOKERY* [chap. v. stew the whole for five minutes, and send the sauce very hot to table. A minced ouiou may be browned with the cucumbers when it is liked, and a spoonful of vinegar added to them before they are served. Cucumbers, 2 or 3 ; butter, U oz. ; broth or gravy, nearly | pint a salt, pepper. ANOTHER COMMON SAUCE OF CUCUMBERS. Cucumbers which have the fewest seeds are best for this sauce. Pare and slice two or three, should they be small, and put them into a saucepan, in which two ounces, or rather more, of butter have been dissolved, and are beginning to boil ; place them high over the fire, that they may stew as softly as possible, without taking colour, for three-quarters of an hour, or longer should they require it ; add to them a good seasoning of white pepper and some salt

Cook this with the app: pantry check, scaling, and the assistant.