Melted Butter

Ingredients

• an ounce of butter
• three-quarters of an ounce of flour
• half a pint of water

Method

1. 1

   Melt the butter in a saucepan, then add the flour and mix well.

2. 2

   Gradually stir in the water until the mixture is smooth and heated through.

As published

This recipe was extracted from The girl's own cookery book (1882) by Phillis Browne, page 63. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

melted butter. You will see, therefore, that people who understand the subject do not consider sauce-making very easy work. Nevertheless, we will do our best with it, and I daresay we shall be able to produce something which will satisfy our friends, even though we cannot boast either genius or infallibility. You will understand that we are not talking now about gravy, but about sauces. Gravy is the juice of meat, but sauce is a liquid served with food to improve its flavour. Sauces are generally looked upon as rather elaborate preparations. Some of them are so, and exceedingly delicious into the bargain. All sorts of condiments and flavours enter into their preparation, and the result is the production of delicate combinations of unheard-of and far-fetched luxuries, which it requires the acquired taste of an epicure to appreciate, while no inquiries must be made about the cost thereof. With sauces of this kind I must decline to have any- thing whatever to do. Let people who want them, and “Experience join’d with common sense To mortals is a providence.” XVI. q8 The Girl's Own Cookery Book. can afford to pay for them, engage professionals to make them. I would very much rather devote my energies to helping girls who are trying to prepare good, wholesome, and appetising sauce for their friends at a moderate cost. If only I can give a few hints which will prove of use to those who are doing this in perplexity and difficulty I shall be quite satisfied in this direction ; in fact, 1 shall feel that I have not lived in vain, and, as poor Artemus Ward said, I should not like to live in vain — 1 would rather live in London. One reason why even moderate sauces are looked at v/ith suspicion is, that the cooks who make them will prepare such a large quantity at a time. They will not be content with making enough and no more. I went to dine with a friend the other day, and four of us sat down to dinner. Amongst other good things we had roast fowls, bread sauce, and the ubiquitous melted butter. I am speaking within the mark when I say there was not less than a pint of bread sauce and a pint and a quarter of melted butter. What a waste this was both of time and material. Not a quarter of a pint of either sauce was used ; but 1 could not help wondering what became of that which was sent downstairs. I have very little doubt that if we could have ascertained its ultimate destination, we should have discovered tlaat it was thrown away. One or two experiences of this kind are enough to make any housekeeper avoid sauce. It was so unnecessary too. An ounce of butter, three- quarters of an ounce of flour, and half a pint of water

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