Page:Australian enquiry book of household and general information.djvu/40

this is done, dredge a little flour into the pan, pepper and salt, and place it over a clear fire, stirring the flour, etc., about with a spoon, and when it bubbles up, pour in a cupful of boiling water, stirring all the time. Strain through a gravy strainer, and pour round the joint, or serve separately.

White Gravy.—This is a good gravy to serve with almost any dish made with white meat—such as fowl, veal, etc. Cut up 2 1bs. of lean veal, and a few slices of lean ham. Put this into a stew pan with any trimmings of fowl—the head, legs, etc., a small bunch of herbs, an onion cut fine, a blade of mace, salt, and some pepper corns. Cover with water, and let it stew for three hours very gently. Strain, and set by till cold, when all fat can be removed. This makes a good foundation for minces, hash, etc.

A rich Gravy for Hashes, Ragouts, etc.—Take about 1 lb. of gravy beef, or from the shin, cut into thin slices, dredge with flour,and fry a pale brown in butter or good dripping in the bottom of the saucepan, then pour in about three cups of boiling water. Let it boil up and add a slice of lean bacon and a little onion chopped fine, a small bunch of herbs, a blade of mace and a couple of cloves. Let it simmer by the side of the fire, and when required for use strain through a hair sieve and add a tablespoonful of any bought sauce preferred; then it is ready to be poured over the hash or served in a tureen, as required. If the flavouring sauce is added while it is on the fire it will be useless, as the flavour goes off in the steam.

For fowls the gravy can be made from the heads, gizzards, livers, necks, and feet, treated as the above with the addition of a slice of toasted bread for thickening, and at the last the liver should be taken out, pounded, and returned to the gravy.

Melted butter.

I.

Ingredients: 2 tablespoonsful of butter, 1 tablespoonful of flour, half a cup of water, salt to taste.

Mode: Melt the butter in a saucepan, dredge in the flour and add the water.

II.

Melt 1 tablespoonful of butter over the fire, blend 2 teaspoonfuls of flour in a cupful of water and stir into the butter, let it boil 1 minute and add the yolks of 2 eggs and the juice of 1 lemon.

Melted Butter made with Milk.—Put about 1 pint of milk on to boil, and into it 1 teaspoonful of butter and a little salt. Blend 1 tablespoonful of flour in a little cold milk, and when boiling stir it in and let it boil 1 minute.

Maitre d’Hotel Butter.

Ingredients: Butter, parsley, salt, pepper, lemon juice.

Mode : Beat up the butter with the parsley (chopped), and add the salt, pepper, and lemon juice.

Plain Parsley Sauce.

Ingredients: Stock, parsley, and flour.

Mode: Take some stock or some of the liquor in which meat, fowl, or fish has been boiled, bring it to the boil, add some chopped parsley, and thicken with a little flour blended with water. A small lump of butter may be added. Boil three minutes.

To be eaten with boiled mutton, veal, fish, or fowl.

Caper Sauce to Imitate, for Boiled Poultry.—Boil some parsley very slowly to let it become of a bad colour, then cut it up but do not chop it fine; put it into melted butter, with one tablespoonful salt and one dessertspoonful vinegar. Boil up and then serve.

Mayonnaise Sauce.

Ingredients: 3 or 4 eggs, 3 teaspoonfuls salad oil, 1 teaspoonful vinegar, pepper, salt.

Mode: Strain the yolks of the eggs into a basin, and set it in a cool place—in the ice chest if you have one. Let it stand an hour or two, and then take a spoon and begin to stir round and round (not to beat). Add salt, stirring well; then a few drops at a time of the salad oil. The quantity