Jasper County Democrat, Volume 14, Number 7, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 April 1911 — Cookery points [ARTICLE]

Cookery points

Good Saucea. There is hardly any branch of cookery which does the cook more credit than the preparation of good saucea. To obtain the best results she rauat study rbe art both <n theory and 't> practice. A cook who can make good sauces is never at a loss id cases o 1 emergency, for a delicate sance is capable of converting a pln'u di<b of eithe* fish, flesh or fowl into a d.-unty entre* and a plainly ia»«>ked vegetable into s high class entremets de legume. In many households the preparation of such a "simple'" sauce as me»ied butter is left to an ordinary maid, an* the result is often a compound which more closely resembles underdone paste than sauce blanche. It is the little details of the kitchen—of whir** the sauce In question is a good exam-ple—w-hlch bring discredit or the reverse on both mistress and cook. When properly made ineited batter is one of the most useful sauces prepared in a modern kitchen, owing to the variety of which it is capable. The failure in making It is usually due to the fact tbat an entirely wrong method is adopted, which admits of insufficient cooking of the flour and a too scanty supply of butter. Hollandaise Sauce. There is no sauce which gives a more decided piquancy to a dish than well made hollandaise. There are several ways of preparing it but to make hollaudaise as it should be the process is not a very easy one. The following is a good recipe: Reduce two tablespoonfuls of vinegar in a saucepan with a pinch of salt and pepper until only one teaspoonful remains; draw the pan to the side of the stove, where the heat is only verv moderate, and poor in two tablespoonfuls of cold water and the yolks of two eggs (taking care that no portion of the white adheres to them) and stir with a wooden spoon, watching the eggs closely, and directly they show signs of thickening take the pan at once from the stove and stir in quickly one ounce of fresh butter. When it has quite melted place the pan again on the stove, but only for a few seconds, to reheat the mixture, then take it off and add another ounce of butter, and when It is worked in reheat as before and continue in the same way until four ounces of butter have been amalgamated with the yolks of the eggs. After adding the second and third portion of batter pour in a dessertspoonful of cold water, and when the last ounce of batter has been stirred in add another dessertspoonful of water. So doing will make the sauce less liable to cardie. When ready the sauce should be of the same consistency as a thick mayonnaise. Melted Butter. To make melted butter sauce put Into a saucepan two ounces of butter, and when it has melted add by degrees one ounce of flour and stir with a wooden spoon until a smooth paste Is formed, taking care that the roux acquires no color. Pour in by degrees half a pint of warm milk or milk and water, working the mixture quickly all the time with the spoon. Place the pan on a hot part of the stove, so tha* the sauce may boil up. and continue to stir until it is thick and creamy: then add salt and pepper and let it simmer for ten minutes. Pour it through a fine strainer into a hot sauce boat and Just before serving add a small piece of fresh butter, stirring it lightly into the sauce. In the event of the sauce being required for fish, fish broth which has been flavored with vegetables and herbs may be used with advantage in place of the milk, but in this case a tablespoonfni or two of cream should be added the last thing. Beamaise Sauce. Bearnaise sauce, which is usually much appreciated when served with a filet de boeuf, or veal cutlets, is merely hollandaise with a teaspoonful of finely chopped tarragon, a small quahtity of chervil and a few drops of tarragon vinegar added the last thing before being served. It is well to note tbat a delicate sauce of the above description would be likely to curdle if poured Into a tureen which has been made very hot Gherkin Sauce. Gherkin sauce, which is often preferred. when a sauce of this description is required, to caper sauce, may be made by adding some chopped gherkins to some good white sauce which has been sharpened with a few drops of the pickle in which the gherkins were preserved and a small quantity of tarragon vinegar.

Anchovy Saueo. For a rich anchovy sauce make half a pint of melted butter and add half an ounce of fresh butter which has been worked up with two teaspoonfuls of essence of anchovy and stir in three the color, or. if preferred, fish stock may be used instead of milk. ■■ ■ i Maitre d’Hotel Sauce. Maltre d’hotel sauce can be quickly made in the same way as anchovy sauce by substituting one ounce of maitre d’botel butter for the anchovy butterr but for this milk without water should be used for the white sauce. - I "