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Horseradish Sauce (Hot)
To 1 cupful of brown sauce add 2 tablespoonfuls of grated horseradish that has stood for an hour in 2 tablespoonfuls of vinegar, 1 teaspoonful of powdered sugar, 2 tablespoonfuls of cracker flour or fine bread crumbs, 1 teaspoonful of made mustard, 1 teaspoonful of salt, and a half saltspoonful of pepper. Mix and heat in a double boiler. Just before serving beat in half a cup of whipped or plain cream. Double the amount of horseradish if a very sharp sauce is wanted. Serve with beef.
A thickened, mildly enriched horseradish sauce built on a brown sauce base rather than the cold cream version more common today. The whole thing hinges on the final step: once the cream goes in, the sauce must not boil.
- Brown sauceThis means a basic espagnole or a well-made brown roux gravy — beef stock thickened with browned butter and flour, seasoned and strained. A cup of good beef gravy or a reduced demi-glace does the same job.
- Cracker flourFinely ground cracker crumbs, sifted almost to a powder. Plain unsalted crackers pulsed in a food processor give the right thing; dried fine breadcrumbs are the stated alternative. Their job is body, not flavour.
- SaltspoonfulA saltspoon is a quarter teaspoon, so half of one is an eighth of a teaspoon of pepper. Adjust upward if your gravy is unseasoned.
- Made mustardPrepared mustard from the jar, not dry powder. An English or Dijon mustard suits beef; avoid sweet yellow mustard, which fights the sugar already in the recipe.
- The horseradishFreshly grated root soaked an hour in vinegar is what the recipe assumes. Bottled horseradish is already packed in vinegar, so drain it and skip the soak, and use it generously — jarred product is milder than a root grated ten minutes ago.
- Heat, and when to stopA double boiler keeps the sauce below boiling, which matters twice over: horseradish loses its pungency with heat, and cream can curdle in an acidulated sauce if it boils. Warm the base through, beat in the cream off direct heat, and serve at once.
- Whipped or plain creamWhipped cream folded in gives a lighter, foamier sauce that must go to the table immediately; plain heavy cream gives a stable sauce you can hold a few minutes over warm water.
- YieldAbout a pint once the cream is in — enough for six to eight servings alongside roast or boiled beef.