Herbs, etc — Do not be appalled at the number of ingredients, like
thyme, mace, parsley, etc., called for in a recijDe. A few cents will
buy enough of all these things to last for a year, and the good cook
aims to keep a small sujpply of all flavoring herbs on hand; but if
you do not have them ail, very good results may be produced with
less.
Thickening. — The most common thickening for sauce is Jloiir.
The quantity generally used is one ounce, or a heaping tablespoon, to
95
90 SAUCES FOK FISH, SHELL=FISH AND MEATS
a pint of liquid; though 2 or 3 times that is needed to make a sauce
thick enough to adhere to \^hat it is poured over. Corivstarch or ar-
row-rooi is often used instead of flour, and makes a smooth and more
delicate sauce. All sauces containing flour or any other form of
starch for thickening, must hoU, and must' be stirred uniil it boils,
or the starch will settle to the bottom and make lumps, instead of
thickening the whole. Although the starch swells, and thickens the
liquid even before the boiling point is reached, even in this pulver-
ized form the starch needs to cook ten minutes at least, to he made
digestible; it should be remembered that all starch needs at least 10
to 20 minutes cooking.
There is some difPerence in the quality of flour and it does not
thicken the same at one time as another. Dry flour must never be
mixed with hot liquid unless it is intended to form lumps; but it
must flrst be stirred to a smooth jDaste with cold liquid, and then the
hot poured over it, or it must be mixed with a little melted fat over
the fire when hot, or cold liquid can be gradually added. As a gen-
eral rule, the following is the best way to mix all flour sauces: Melt
the fat, stir in the flour, and when they are well mixed, and there are
no lumps, add liquid gradually, on or off the fire, stirring continu-
ously till all boils. Sometimes the flour is cooked in the fat until it
takes a brown color, more or less dark. Sauces thus made have a
fine flavor, and are smooth and free from grease.
All the different kinds of brown sauces are made by using brown
stock, browning the butter, and using various seasoning materials.
As flour, when cooked into brown roux does not thicken quite as
much as when uncooked, rather more is needed.
Eggs are also used to thicken sauces, sometimes the yolk only,
sometimes both yolk and white, and both with and without the addi-
tion of flour. They must be M^ell stirred and never allowed to heat
to boiling, as the yolk then hardens, and will not mix with the sauce:
but they must be heated enough to slightly coagulate the albumen,
or the sauce does not thicken. To pour boiling water very gradually
over the eggs in a basin is often sufficient. The safest way to cook
an egg sauce is in a basin or pitcher standing in a pan of boiling
water, or in a hcmi marie made on purpose; but an ordinary sauce-
pan can be used if care is exercised. On the least appearance of
" curdling," the sauce should be lifted from the fire, poured into a
, cold basin, and stirred.
'^j^M\^ v\-. Coloring for Sauces — It may be said that sauces should as a rule
be of some decided color. In order to get these decided colors, ar-
tificial coloring matter is often used. Brown is the most common
SAUCES FOK FISH, SHELL^FISH AND MEATS 9T
Page 69
Presented as published in 1902. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Herbs, etc — Do not be appalled at the number of ingredients, like thyme, mace, parsley, etc., called for in a recipe. A few cents will buy enough of all these things to last for a year, and the good cook aims to keep a small supply of all flavoring herbs on hand; but if you do not have them ail, very good results may be produced with less.
Thickening. — The most common thickening for sauce is flour. The quantity generally used is one ounce, or a heaping tablespoon, to
a pint of liquid; though 2 or 3 times that is needed to make a sauce thick enough to adhere to what it is poured over. Corivstarch or arrow-rooi is often used instead of flour, and makes a smooth and more delicate sauce. All sauces containing flour or any other form of starch for thickening, must boil, and must be stirred until it boils, or the starch will settle to the bottom and make lumps, instead of thickening the whole. Although the starch swells, and thickens the liquid even before the boiling point is reached, even in this pulverized form the starch needs to cook ten minutes at least, to be made digestible; it should be remembered that all starch needs at least 10 to 20 minutes cooking.
There is some difference in the quality of flour and it does not thicken the same at one time as another. Dry flour must never be mixed with hot liquid unless it is intended to form lumps; but it must first be stirred to a smooth paste with cold liquid, and then the hot poured over it, or it must be mixed with a little melted fat over the fire when hot, or cold liquid can be gradually added. As a general rule, the following is the best way to mix all flour sauces: Melt the fat, stir in the flour, and when they are well mixed, and there are no lumps, add liquid gradually, on or off the fire, stirring continuously till all boils. Sometimes the flour is cooked in the fat until it takes a brown color, more or less dark. Sauces thus made have a fine flavor, and are smooth and free from grease.
All the different kinds of brown sauces are made by using brown stock, browning the butter, and using various seasoning materials. As flour, when cooked into brown roux does not thicken quite as much as when uncooked, rather more is needed.
Eggs are also used to thicken sauces, sometimes the yolk only, sometimes both yolk and white, and both with and without the addition of flour. They must be well stirred and never allowed to heat to boiling, as the yolk then hardens, and will not mix with the sauce: but they must be heated enough to slightly coagulate the albumen, or the sauce does not thicken. To pour boiling water very gradually over the eggs in a basin is often sufficient. The safest way to cook an egg sauce is in a basin or pitcher standing in a pan of boiling water, or in a bain marie made on purpose; but an ordinary saucepan can be used if care is exercised. On the least appearance of " curdling," the sauce should be lifted from the fire, poured into a cold basin, and stirred. '^j^M\^ v\-. Coloring for Sauces — It may be said that sauces should as a rule be of some decided color. In order to get these decided colors, artificial coloring matter is often used. Brown is the most common