Currant Jelly Sauce

A two-ingredient finishing sauce that stands or falls on the quality of the brown sauce underneath it. Everything else is a matter of proportion and gentle heat.

• What "clear brown sauce" meansIn books of this period the term generally means a browned roux moistened with brown stock, simmered and strained until glossy and free of solids; in the more ambitious books that means an espagnole or demi-glace, in plainer ones something much simpler. A good reduced veal or beef stock thickened lightly with a brown roux is the honest substitute; a stock cube dissolved in water will taste thin and salty against the jelly.
• The jellyRed currant jelly is intended, not blackcurrant. Blackcurrant preserve is darker, jammier and much sweeter, and will overwhelm the meat. If you can only find blackcurrant, cut the quantity by half and add a little vinegar or lemon.
• Adjust the proportion to tasteHalf a cup of jelly to one of sauce is markedly sweet by current palates, closer to a Cumberland-style condiment than a gravy. Start with a quarter cup, taste, and add more; a spoonful of port or a splash of red wine vinegar keeps it from cloying.
• Melt the jelly separatelyThis is the instruction that matters. Jelly dropped cold into hot sauce sits in lumps and scorches on the pan bottom before it disperses. Warm it in a small pan over low heat until it is liquid and clear, then stir it in.
• Do not boil after blendingOnce the jelly is in, hold the sauce just below a simmer; the recipe asks only that it be heated until thoroughly blended. Hard boiling drives off the fresh fruit note.
• Yield and servingAbout one and a half cups, enough for six to eight servings of roast or braised meat. Serve it in a warmed sauceboat rather than pooled on the plate, where it sets slightly as it cools.
• Beyond muttonLamb has largely replaced mutton on modern tables and takes the sauce well, as do venison, hare, roast duck and game birds. It suits any meat with enough fat and character to stand up to sweetness.