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Sugar Browning, for Colouring Soups, Sauces, and Made Dishes

When sauces and made dishes need to be thickened as well as browned, roux or brown thickening should be used. When the colour only is required, it may often be sufficiently imparted by means of a little claret or mushroom ketchup, or by frying the meat and onions used till they are a light-brown colour, or by stewing onion-skins or burnt onions in the sauce. Some cooks adopt the slovenly and dangerous practice of melting a knob of sugar in an iron spoon and adding this to the preparation; but this plan is almost certain to give to the sauce a bitter, burnt taste. Sugar browning is a convenient preparation, which will give to the sauce the requisite brown colour, and if it be carefully made there will be no fear that it will impart an unpleasant taste. To make it, proceed as follows. Take a quarter of a pound of good brown sugar; put it into a delicately-clean saucepan, and stir it without ceasing over a gentle fire till it melts and begins to acquire a little colour. Draw it back, and let it bake slowly, still stirring, until it is almost black without being at all burnt. Pour a quart of water upon it, let it boil gently until dissolved, skim it, strain through muslin, put the preparation when cold into small bottles, stopper closely, and it will be fit for use. If liked, this browning may be slightly flavoured by the addition of ketchup, cloves, onions, pepper, and salt; but it is more likely to be generally useful if it is quite plain. Time to prepare, about an hour. Sufficient, a few drops will colour a pint of gravy.