Horseradish Sauce

The ingredient list was set in two newspaper-style columns and has been scrambled by transcription; read it as ¼ cup heavy cream, 3 tablespoons grated horseradish, ¼ teaspoon salt, a sprinkle of cayenne or pepper, and 1 tablespoon vinegar. It is a cold whipped-cream sauce, not a cooked one.

• The hingeWhip the cream to stiff peaks before the acidic mixture goes in, exactly as written. Vinegar beaten into loose cream makes it much harder to build and hold volume.
• Heavy creamModern heavy or whipping cream at 36 percent fat behaves as intended. Ultra-pasteurised cream whips more slowly and holds less air; chill the bowl and beater if that is all you have.
• Grated horseradishThe original most likely means fresh root, grated shortly before use. Its heat comes from volatile compounds that fade fairly quickly once the root is cut, so grate it close to the moment you need it, and work where the fumes can escape.
• If you use prepared horseradishBottled horseradish is already packed in vinegar and salt. Drain it well, use about 2 tablespoons, and cut the added vinegar to a teaspoon or less, tasting as you go.
• Cayenne"A sprinkle" is roughly a pinch, well under ⅛ teaspoon. Fresh horseradish carries plenty of its own bite; the cayenne is for a low background warmth.
• Yield and holdingWhipped, ¼ cup of cream roughly doubles, and with the horseradish and vinegar beaten in you should end up with something in the region of ½ to ¾ cup — a spoonful or two each for four to six people alongside ham. It weeps within an hour or two, so whip it close to serving and keep it cold.
• Beyond hamThe same sauce is standard with cold roast beef, boiled beef and smoked or poached fish. Serve it in a separate bowl rather than spooning it over hot meat, which collapses the foam.