The Brown Sharp Sauce

In a small stew-pan, put a small bit of butter, a small carrot cut into dice, a few shalots the same, some parsley roots, some parsley, a few slices of ham, a clove, a little thyme, the half of a bay-leaf, a few grains of pepper-corn and allspice, with a little mace. Let the stew-pan now be put on a slow fire, till it begins to be of a fine brown all round; then keep stirring with a wooden spoon; pour into the stew-pan four spoonfuls of white vinegar, and a small bit of sugar. Let this reduce nearly a glace. Then moisten with some Espagnole and a little consomme, that you may be enabled to take the fat off from the sauce; season with cayenne and a little salt. Taste whether there be salt enough, but mind, it is not to be too acid ; skim off the fat, and strain the sauce through a tammy, and serve up.

How to Make Roux

White Roux

Put a good lump of butter into a stew-pan, let it melt over a slow fire; when melted, powder it over with flour, enough to make a thin paste; keep it on the fire for a quarter of an hour, fry it white ; pour it into an earthen pan to use it when wanted.

Brown Roux

Put into a stew-pan a piece of butter proportionate to the quantity of roux you want to prepare. Melt it gently; then put flour enough to make a paste; you must fry it on a brisk fire, and then put it again over a very slow fire, till it be of a nice colour; but mind this is to be obtained only by slow degrees. When of a light brown, you pour it into an earthen pan, and keep it for use. It keeps a long while.

* In France these broths are generally made in an earthen pot, but such pots cannot be found in England.

† We are unable to find an equivalent in English for the French term roux. It is an indispensable article in cookery, it serves to thicken sauces; the brown is for sauces of the same colour ; and the colour must be obtained by slow degrees, otherwise the flour will burn and give a bitter taste.

How to Cook Italian Sauce

White Italian Sauce

After having turned some mushrooms, throw them into a little water and lemon-juice to keep them white. Formerly it was customary to use oil for these sauces, as on account of its being much lighter, it would rise always to the top, whereas in thick sauces butter does not. Put into a stew-pan two-thirds of sauce tournee, and one-third of consomme; and two spoonfuls of mushrooms chopped very fine, and especially of a white colour, half a spoonful of shalots likewise chopped, and well washed in the corner of a clean towel. Reduce this sauce, season it well, and send it up.

Brown Italian Sauce

It is requisite in a kitchen to have what is commonly called an assiette, which is a dish with four partitions, intended for the reception of fine herbs. You must always have ready some parsley chopped very fine, some shalots the same ; if the mushrooms were chopped beforehand they would become black; therefore only chop them when you have occasion for them; the fourth partition is intended for the reception of bunches of parsley and green onions. The chopping and mincing of the above is the business of the apprentice, if there be one under the head cook; if not, of the junior kitchen-maid.

Take two spoonfuls of chopped mushrooms, one spoonful of shalots, one ditto of parsley.* Throw the whole into a stew-pan with two-thirds of Espagnole sauce, and one-third of consomme. Some people add white wine to the sauce. In France, where there is a choice of light white wines, it might be done easily, but in England, where Champaign is the only wine that can be used, it would be too dear; besides, the sauce may be made very good without any wine whatever, if you know how to work it well, to its proper degree, with a little salt, and still less pepper. Brown sauces are not to be made thick. When the sauce is done enough; you must shift it into another stew-pan, and put it au bain marie. If you were not to skim this sauce with particular care, you might skim off all the parsley, which must remain in it.

* This sauce will have a better taste, if you fry the finer herbs in a little butter, and moisten them after with the Espagnole, and consomme.

Sauce & Matelotte For Fish

Melt some brown roux, into which throw a few onions cut into slices: keep it stirring over the fire till the onions be dissolved in the roux. Then moisten with the wine in which your fish has been stewed, and which, by the by, must be red wine. Add some parures, or trimmings of mushrooms, with a bunch of parsley and green onions, well seasoned with spices; bay-leaves, thyme, sweet basil, cloves, allspices, etc. Let the flour be well done. Remember to throw in a few spoonfuls of gravy of veal. Now taste whether the sauce be properly seasoned, and strain it through a tammy. Then take a few small glazed onions . and mushrooms, ready done, likewise a few small quenelles, and put them into the sauce. When you are ready to serve up, you must add the juice of a lemon, and two spoonfuls of essence of anchovies. Work the sauce well, that it maybe quite mellow. Then cover your fish with the sauce.