White Sauce

Ingredients

• a tablespoonful of flour
• a piece of butter the size of a plum
• a gill of cold water
• a little salt
• more milk

Method

1. 1

   Mix flour in a basin with a little milk until smooth.

2. 2

   In a small stewpan, melt the butter and add the smooth paste.

3. 3

   Stir well, then add salt, more milk, and any required white stock or flavoring.

4. 4

   Stir over the fire until thickened, then strain into a serving dish.

As published

This recipe was extracted from The housewife's referee (1898) by Harriet Anne de Salis, University of Leeds Library, page 57. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

white sauce, and the flavourings make the numerous sauces which are used in cookery. The first thing in making a white sauce is to take a tablespoonful of flour (this will make a good tureen full) and mix it in a basin with a little milk till it is a smooth paste ; whilst doing this have a small stewpan on the fire, with a piece of butter the size of a plum in it ; when the butter is melted and very hot add the smooth paste, give it a good stir round, and then add a little salt, more milk, and whatever white stock or flavouring is required ; stir over the fire till it thickens and the mixture leaves the sides of the stewpan and coats the spoon. If it becomes too thick, add a gill of cold water

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