SAUCES AND SYRUPS.

Almond Milk. Time—¾ hour.

¼ lb. ground almonds, 1 pint water.

Put the ground almonds in a saucepan with the water, and stew slowly about ¾ hour, stirring occasionally. Strain the milk through a piece of muslin.

Bread Sauce. Time—½ hour.

1 roll (stale), ½ pint clear stock; pepper, salt, ground mace to taste.

Soak the crumb of the roll in water, then strain away the water thoroughly; beat the bread to a cream, put it in a saucepan with the stock and seasoning. Bring it to the boil, then stir 2 or 3 minutes longer.

Caper Sauce (for Boiled Mutton). Time—½ hour.

½ pint liquor, 1 tablespoonful flour, pepper, salt, 3 teaspoonfuls chopped capers.

Boil ½ pint of the liquor in which the meat has been cooked, then stir the flour in carefully (as on page ix., hint 2). Add the seasoning and capers. If required for fish, this sauce must be made with fish-liquor or milk, instead of the liquor from the meat.

Cheap Sauce for Boiled Fish. Time—20 minutes.

1 dessertspoonful cornflour, 2 tablespoonfuls milk, ½ pint fish-liquor, 1 tablespoonful chopped parsley; salt to taste.

Mix the cornflour to a smooth paste with the milk, then add the fish-liquor; stir over the fire till the sauce boils, then add the chopped parsley and salt.

Clarified Sugar. Time—¼ hour.

¼ lb. lump sugar, 1 gill water, egg-shells.

Put the sugar into the cold water with the egg-shells, and stir frequently over the fire till all the sugar is dissolved and a thick syrup formed; strain well and boil up again.

Egg Sauce.

2 hard-boiled eggs, 1 oz. butter, ½ oz. flour, 1½ gill milk, pepper and salt.

Melt the butter in a stew-pan, mix in the flour, and add the milk, and cook 3 minutes after it boils, stirring it all the time. Add the finely chopped whites of eggs, pepper and salt. The sieved yolk to be used for decorating.

German Sauce. Time—¼ hour.

2 yolks of eggs, 1 wineglassful brandy, 1 dessertspoonful castor sugar.

Put the yolks into a stew-pan with the brandy and sugar; whisk this over the fire until it becomes a thick froth; do not let it boil, or the eggs will curdle.

Jam or Marmalade Sauce. Time—¼ hour.

1 gill water, 2 oz. lump sugar, 2 tablespoonfuls jam or marmalade, a few drops of lemon-juice.

Reduce the sugar and water by boiling to half the quantity, add the lemon-juice and jam, and heat all thoroughly.

Lemon Sauce. Time—¼ hour.

2 tablespoonfuls flour, 1 or 2 eggs, ½ pint boiling water, juice of 1 lemon.

Mix the flour, lemon-juice and eggs together, stir in the water; stir over the fire till the sauce has thickened. Add salt or sugar as required.

Mayonnaise Sauce. Time—½ hour.

1 yolk of egg, pepper and salt to taste, 1 gill sweet oil, tarragon vinegar.

Beat up yolk and seasoning; drop in the oil very gradually, stirring all the time, so that the paste gradually thickens. Mix to a thick cream with tarragon vinegar.

Tartare Sauce is made by the addition of 1 dessertspoonful chopped capers, 1 teaspoonful finely chopped parsley, 1 teaspoonful made mustard, or a pinch of cayenne.

Melted Butter. Time—20 minutes.

1 oz. butter, ½ oz. flour, 1½ gill cold water.

Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour gradually, then add the water, stirring all the time; let it boil well and thicken.

Anchovy sauce or chopped parsley can be added to taste.

Mint Sauce. Time—½ hour.

3 dessertspoonfuls chopped mint, 2 dessertspoonfuls brown sugar, 1 teacupful vinegar.

Wash the mint, pick it from the stalk, and chop it fine; dissolve the sugar in the vinegar, then add the chopped mint.

Onion Sauce. Time—1 hour.

3 onions, ½ pint liquor, 1 oz. flour, 1 oz. dripping, pepper and salt.

Peel the onions, chop them up, boil till tender with a little salt, strain them; place them in a saucepan with the liquor, the flour and dripping mixed to a paste, the pepper and salt; stir well till the sauce is quite thick.

Piquant or Sharp Sauce.

½ gill vinegar, ½ pint white stock or pot-liquor, 1 oz. dripping, ¾ oz. flour, 1 shalot, 1 gherkin. Pepper and salt.

Melt the dripping in a stew-pan, add the vegetables cut up small, and fry them brown, then add the vinegar and boil. Stir in the flour and stock and cook 3 minutes after it boils. Add the seasoning, strain and serve.