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CHAPTER X: Sauce

HOW TO ADD YOLKS OF EGG TO A SAUCE Any of these sauces may be enriched by adding yolks of eggs or butter. The yolks, well beaten, will curdle, if they be stirred into the sauce while it is boiling. Wait until the sauce is finished and it is time to serve it. Have it standing in boiling water, or on some part of the range where it will not boil. Put a few spoonfuls into the egg, mix thoroughly, then stir into the rest of the sauce. Continue to stir until the sauce thickens a little, which shows that the egg is cooked. Then serve at once.

DRAWN BUTTER SAUCE 1/3 cup of butter 1/4 teaspoonful of pepper 2 tablespoonfuls of flour 1 cup of cold water 1/4 teaspoonful of salt Melt half the butter in a small saucepan; add the flour and seasonings and cook until frothy; add the water and stir constantly until the mixture thickens and boils; let boil three or four minutes, then gradually beat in the rest of the butter, a little at a time.

CAPER SAUCE (For boiled lamb) Prepare a drawn butter sauce, using lamb broth or water as the liquid. When ready to serve add one or two tablespoonfuls of capers drained from the liquid in the bottle. A teaspoonful of lemon juice may be added if desired. EGG SAUCE (For boiled fish) To a cup of drawn butter sauce add a hard-cooked egg, cut in thin slices or chopped fine.

MOCK HOLLANDAISE SAUCE (For boiled and baked fish, cauliflower, etc.) 1 tablespoonful of butter 1/2 cup of white stock 1 tablespoonful of flour Yolks of 2 eggs 1/4 teaspoonful of salt 1/4 cup of butter 1/4 teaspoonful of pepper Juice of 1/2 a lemon Use the butter, flour, seasonings and stock in making a sauce in the usual manner. The stock should be flavored with onion, etc. Cream the four tablespoonfuls of butter and beat the yolks into it, then gradually beat the mixture into the sauce. Finish with the juice of half a lemon. BROWN SAUCE There is another general variety of sauce that differs from the white sauce principally in color. The liquid in this sauce may be vegetable puree, fish, or meat broth, but it is usually beef broth made dark by browning the ingredients of which it is made in hot fat. For this sauce, cook the fat until browned but not burned; add, for a high-flavored sauce, one or two slices of onion, two slices of carrot, a bit of parsley and half a stalk of celery, all chopped rather coarse; let these brown in the fat, stirring constantly that they may not burn; now add three level tablespoonfuls of flour, and the usual quantity of salt and pepper and continue stirring and cooking until the flour assumes a reddish brown tint; then add the cold liquid, and stir and cook until smooth and boiling, then strain. You will note that the proportions remain the same as for the white sauce, save that more flour is used. By the long cooking in the hot fat the conversion of the starch in the flour is carried farther than in the white sauce and the thickening property of the starch is lessened, thus more flour is required.

For a brown tomato sauce proceed as in making the brown sauce, but use tomato puree as the liquid.