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Almond Horseradish Sauce
Blanch and chop very fine twenty-one Jordan almonds. Press from the vinegar three tablespoonfuls of horseradish; add to it the yolk of one egg, half teaspoonful of salt, and the almonds; mix well, and then stir in one cupful of whipped cream, that is, one cupful after it is whipped.
A cold folded sauce, closer to a horseradish cream than to a cooked gravy. The whole thing takes ten minutes and holds badly, so make it just before it goes to the table.
- Jordan almonds here mean nuts, not candyA Jordan almond was a large, flat, sweet almond prized for its size, and that is what is wanted here rather than the sugared confection of the same name. Use whole raw almonds; twenty-one of them comes to a couple of tablespoons or so once chopped.
- BlanchingCover the almonds with boiling water for about a minute and the skins slip off between finger and thumb. Dry them before chopping or they will smear rather than cut.
- The horseradishThe recipe assumes grated horseradish packed in vinegar, which is what a jar of prepared horseradish still is. Press it dry in a sieve or a twist of cloth; leftover vinegar will thin the cream and break the sauce.
- Fold, do not stir"Stir in one cupful of whipped cream" was loose usage. Whip the cream to soft peaks and fold it into the horseradish base in two additions, or you will lose the volume the sauce depends on.
- Raw yolkNothing in this sauce is cooked. If you are serving anyone pregnant, elderly, very young or immune-compromised, use a pasteurized egg.
- TimingServe within the hour. Salt and acid draw water out of whipped cream, and after a few hours in the refrigerator the sauce is likely to weep and lose its volume.
- Yield and servingAbout 1 1/4 cups, enough for six to eight. It suits cold roast beef, boiled beef, tongue or smoked fish.
Horseradish beaten into cream is a northern European habit, long standard with boiled beef in Germany and Austria and with roast beef in England, where the sharpness of the root is blunted by fat rather than by cooking. The almonds are the older gesture: ground nuts were the standard thickener and enricher of medieval and early modern European sauces, before flour and butter roux took over.