Sauce Xavier (Fish Sauce)

Ingredients

• 1 bunch water-cresses
• a few sprigs of fennel
• 0.5 pint milk
• fish-bones
• 1 oz. butter
• 0.5 oz. of flour
• seasoning, lemon-juice

Method

1. 1

   Remove the stalks from the cresses and fennel, put the leaves in a stewpan with the milk and fish-bones, previously cut into small pieces (add a tiny piece of soda), boil until the leaves are done.

2. 2

   Strain and let cool, put the cooked herbs in a mortar, and pound with half the butter, then rub through a sieve.

3. 3

   Cook the flour in the remainder of the butter, without taking colour, dilute with the milk in which the cresses have boiled.

4. 4

   Stir until it boils, add the fish essence, and let the whole simmer for ten minutes.

5. 5

   Strain, return to the stewpan, boil up, add the green puree, and cook a few minutes longer.

6. 6

   Season with a few drops of lemon-juice, pepper, and salt.

As published

This recipe was extracted from The new century cookery book (1901) by Charles Herman Senn, page 127. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

Sauce Xavier ( Fish Sauce). — ^ bunch water-cresses, a few sprigs of fennel, f pint milk, fish-bones, essence of fish, for which the sauce is prepared, 1 foz. butter, ^ oz. of flour. Seasoning, lemon- juice. Remove the stalks from the cresses and fennel, put the leaves . in a stewpan with the milk and fish-bones, previously cut into small pieces (add a tiny piece of soda), boil until the leaves are done. Strain and let cool, put the cooked herbs in a mortar, and pound with half the butter, then rub through a sieve. Cook the flour in the remainder of the butter, without taking colour, dilute with the milk in which the cresses, &c., have boiled. Stir until it boils, add the fish essence, and let the whole simmer for ten minutes. Strain, return to the stewpan, boil up, add the green puree, and cook a few minutes longer. Season with a few drops of lemon-juice, pepper, and salt, add a little cream or stock if found too thick, and keep in the bain- marie until required. 218. Sauce Cardinal.— \ pint veloutee (No. 206) or bechamel (No. 202) sauce, 1 oz. butter

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