Minced Mutton

A quick way to use up leftover roast mutton, thickened with hard-boiled egg yolks rather than flour. The whole dish comes together in a few minutes over low heat.

• Keep the heat lowThe sauce is carried by mashed yolk and cream alone, with no starch to stabilise it. Warm it gently and do not let it boil, or the cream will split and the sauce turn oily.
• The mutton is already cookedThis is a reheating recipe, not a cooking one. Chopped cold roast lamb or mutton needs only to be brought hot through, two or three minutes; longer and it dries and toughens.
• Mash the yolks properlyPush the six yolks through a sieve or work them to a smooth paste with the mustard before any liquid goes in. Lumps of yolk added to cream will not disperse later.
• "Mixed mustard"Mustard powder made up to a paste with cold water, as opposed to dry mustard from the tin. A scant teaspoon of prepared English mustard is the nearest equivalent.
• Which wineRecipes of this kind usually intend a fortified wine, most often sherry or Madeira. A quarter cup is a good deal for two cups of meat, so add it at the end and taste as you go.
• CayennePeriod recipes commonly measured cayenne by the grain rather than the spoonful. Start with a pinch; it should sharpen the mustard, not announce itself.
• Yield and servingEnough for four on toast as a light supper or luncheon dish. Toast made from a firm white loaf holds up better than sandwich bread under a cream sauce.
• The leftover whitesSix egg whites are left over. Chop them finely and scatter over the finished dish, or keep them for a meringue or an angel cake.