American Sauce

Split open the bodies of two cooked lobsters, take out all the creamy parts, rub them through a sieve, and keep them aside for further use. Wipe well the shells, break them into pieces and chop them up coarsely on the table with the thick end of a knife. Fry in some oil, carrots, celery, parsley, shallots, and minced onions, add to these the chopped shells and let cook all together until their moisture is reduced, then moisten slightly above their height with white wine and mirepoix (No. 419); let this liquid boil up for two minutes, then move it on a more moderate fire, and add some thyme, bay leaf, and basil. Let the whole cook from twenty to twenty-five minutes, then strain it forcibly through a sieve into a bowl, and leave it to settle for a quarter of an hour, afterward removing all the fat, pour off the top gently into a sautoire, pressing it through a fine sieve, and let it reduce to a half-glaze. Mix in with it about a third of its quantity of tomato sauce, reduce it once more without ceasing to stir until it becomes short and succulent, by mixing in three or four spoonfuls of sherry wine. Strain it now into another saucepan, work in the butte, and finish with a dash of cayenne pepper, and two spoonfuls of the creamy part from the bodies already strained. This sauce should be served as quickly as it is made; in any way it must be kept stirred until the very last moment.