A guide to modern cookery by A. Escoffier
3. Excess of oil in proportion to the number of yolks, the
2871 words | Chapter 53
assimilating power of an egg being limited to two and one-half oz.
of oil (if the sauce be made some time in advance), and three oz.
if it is to be used immediately.
_Means of Bringing Turned Mayonnaise Back to its Normal State._—Put
the yolk of an egg into a basin with a few drops of vinegar, and mix
the turned Mayonnaise in it, little by little. If it be a matter of
only a small quantity of Mayonnaise, one-half a coffeespoonful of
mustard can take the place of the egg-yolk. Finally, with regard to
acid seasoning, a whiter sauce is obtained by the use of lemon juice
instead of vinegar.
127—CLEARED MAYONNAISE SAUCE
Take the necessary quantity of Mayonnaise and gradually add to it, per
one and one-half pints of the sauce, one-half pint of cold and rather
firm melting aspic jelly—Lenten or ordinary, according to the nature of
the products for which the sauce is intended.
_Remarks._—It is this very Mayonnaise, formerly used almost exclusively
for coating entrées and cold relevées of fish, filleted fish, escalopes
of common and spiny-lobster, &c., which I have allowed the Lenten
Chaud-froid (see remarks No. 76) to supersede.
128—WHISKED MAYONNAISE
Put into a copper basin or other bowl three-quarters pint of melted
jelly, two-thirds pint of Mayonnaise, one tablespoonful of tarragon
vinegar, and as much rasped or finely-chopped horse-radish. Mix up the
whole, place the utensil on ice, and whisk gently until the contents
get very frothy. Stop whisking as soon as the sauce begins to solidify,
for it must remain almost fluid so as to enable it to mix with the
products for which it is intended.
This sauce is used principally for vegetable salads.
129—RAVIGOTE SAUCE, OR VINAIGRETTE
Put into a bowl one pint of oil, one-third pint of vinegar, a little
salt and pepper, two oz. of small capers, three tablespoonfuls of fine
herbs, comprising some very finely chopped onion, as much parsley,
and half as much chervil, tarragon, and chives. Mix thoroughly. The
Ravigote accompanies calf’s head or foot, sheep’s trotters, &c.
Two or three tablespoonfuls of the liquor with which its accompanying
solids have been cooked, _i.e._, calf’s head or sheep’s trotters
liquor, &c., are often added to this sauce when dishing up.
130—REMOULADE SAUCE
To one pint of Mayonnaise add one large tablespoonful of mustard,
another of gherkins, and yet another of chopped and pressed capers,
one tablespoonful of fine herbs, parsley, chervil, and tarragon, all
chopped and mixed, and a coffeespoonful of anchovy essence.
This sauce accompanies cold meat and poultry, and, more particularly,
common and spiny lobster.
131—GREEN SAUCE
Take the necessary quantity of thick Mayonnaise and spicy seasoning,
and add to these, per pint of sauce, one-third pint of herb juice,
prepared as indicated hereafter (No. 132).
This is suitable for cold fish and shell fish.
132—VINCENT SAUCE
Prepare and carefully wash the following herbs:—One oz. each of
parsley, chervil, tarragon, chives, sorrel-leaves, and fresh pimpernel,
two oz. of water-cress and two oz. of spinach. Put all these herbs into
a copper bowl containing salted, boiling water. Boil for two minutes
only; then drain the herbs in a sieve and immerse them in a basin
of fresh water. When they are cold they are once more drained until
quite dry; then they must be finely pounded with the yolks of eight
hard-boiled eggs. Rub the purée thus obtained through a sieve first,
then through tammy, add one pint of very stiff Mayonnaise to it and
finish the sauce with a dessertspoonful of Worcestershire sauce.
=Cold English Sauces=
133—CAMBRIDGE SAUCE
Pound together the yolks of six hard-boiled eggs, the washed and dried
fillets of four anchovies, a teaspoonful of capers, a dessertspoonful
of chervil, tarragon, and chives, mixed. When the whole forms a fine
paste, add one tablespoonful of mustard, one-fifth pint of oil, one
tablespoonful of vinegar, and proceed as for a Mayonnaise. Season with
a little cayenne; rub through tammy, applying pressure with a spoon,
and put the sauce in a bowl. Stir it awhile with a whisk to smooth it,
and finish with one teaspoonful of chopped parsley.
It is suited to cold meats in general; in fact, it is an Anglicised
version of Vincent Sauce.
134—CUMBERLAND SAUCE
Dissolve four tablespoonfuls of red-currant jelly, to which are
added one-fifth pint of port wine, one teaspoonful of finely-chopped
shallots, scalded for a few seconds and pressed, one teaspoonful
of small pieces of orange rind and as much lemon rind (cut finely,
_Julienne-fashion_, scalded for two minutes, well-drained, and cooled),
the juice of an orange and that of half a lemon, one teaspoonful of
mustard, a little cayenne pepper, and as much powdered ginger. Mix the
whole well.
Serve this sauce with cold venison.
135—GLOUCESTER SAUCE
Take one pint of very thick Mayonnaise and complete it with one-fifth
pint of sour cream with the juice of a lemon added, and combine with
the Mayonnaise by degrees; one teaspoonful of chopped fennel and as
much Worcester sauce.
Serve this with all cold meats.
136—MINT SAUCE
Cut finely, _Julienne-fashion_, or chop, two oz. of mint leaves. Put
these in a bowl with a little less than one oz. of white cassonade
or castor sugar, one-quarter pint of fresh vinegar, and four
tablespoonfuls of water.
Special sauce for hot or cold lamb.
137—OXFORD SAUCE
Make a Cumberland sauce according to No. 134, with this difference:
that the _Julienne_ of orange and lemon rinds should be replaced by
rasped or finely-chopped rinds, and that the quantities of same should
be less, _i.e._, two-thirds of a teaspoonful of each.
138—HORSE-RADISH SAUCE
Dilute one tablespoonful of mustard with two tablespoonfuls of vinegar
in a basin, and add one lb. of finely-rasped horse-radish, two oz.
of powdered sugar, a little salt, one pint of cream, and one lb. of
bread-crumb steeped in milk and pressed. Serve this sauce very cold.
It accompanies boiled and roast joints of beef.
=Compound Butters for Grills and for the Completion of Sauces=
With the exception of those of the shell-fish order, the butters,
whose formulæ I am about to give, are not greatly used in kitchens.
Nevertheless, in some cases, as, for instance, in accentuating the
savour of sauces, they answer a real and useful purpose, and I
therefore recommend them, since they enable one to give a flavour to
the derivatives of the Velouté and Béchamel sauces which these could
not acquire by any other means.
With regard to shell-fish butters, and particularly those of the common
and spiny lobster and the crayfish, experience has shown that when they
are prepared with heat (that is to say, by melting in a _bain-marie_ a
quantity of butter which has been previously pounded with shell-fish
remains and afterwards strained through muslin into a basin of
iced-water where it has solidified) they are of a finer colour than the
other kind and quite free from shell particles. But the heat, besides
dissipating a large proportion of their delicacy, involves considerable
risk, for the slightest neglect gives the above preparation quite a
disagreeable taste. To obviate these difficulties I have adopted a
system of two distinct butters, one which is exclusively calorific and
prepared with heat, and the other which is prepared with all the creamy
parts, the trimmings and the remains of common and spiny lobsters,
without the shells, pounded with the required quantity of fresh butter
and passed through a sieve. The latter is used to complete sauces,
particularly those with a Béchamel base to which it lends a perfect
savour.
I follow the same procedure with shrimp and crayfish butters, sometimes
substituting for the butter good cream, which, I find, absorbs the
aromatic principles perhaps better than the former. With the above
method it is advisable to pass the butter or the cream through a very
fine sieve first and afterwards through tammy, so as to avoid small
particles of the pounded shell being present in the sauce.
139—BERCY BUTTER
Put into a small stewpan one-quarter pint of white wine and one oz. of
finely-chopped shallots, scalded a moment. Reduce the wine by one-half,
and add one-half lb. of butter softened into a cream; one teaspoonful
of chopped parsley, two oz. of beef marrow cut into cubes, poached in
slightly salted water and well drained, the necessary table-salt, and,
when dishing up, a little ground pepper and a few drops of lemon-juice.
This butter must not be completely melted, and it is principally served
with grilled beef.
140—CHIVRY OR RAVIGOTE BUTTER
Put into a small saucepan of salted, boiling water six oz. of chervil,
parsley, tarragon, fresh pimpernel, and chives, in equal quantities,
and two oz. of chopped shallots. Boil quickly for two minutes, drain,
cool in cold water, press in a towel to completely remove the water,
and pound in a mortar. Now add one-half lb. of half-melted butter, mix
well with the purée of herbs, and pass through tammy.
This butter is used to complete Chivry sauce and other sauces that
contain herb juices, such as the Venetian, &c.
140a—CHÂTEAUBRIAND BUTTER
Reduce by two-thirds four-fifths pint of white wine containing four
chopped shallots, fragments of thyme and bay, and four oz. of mushroom
parings. Add four-fifths pint of veal gravy, reduce the whole to half,
rub it through tammy, and finish it away from the fire with eight oz.
of Maître d’Hôtel butter (No. 150) and half a tablespoonful of chopped
tarragon.
141—COLBERT BUTTER
Take one lb. of Maître d’Hôtel butter (No. 150) and add six
tablespoonfuls of dissolved, pale meat glaze and one teaspoonful of
chopped tarragon.
Serve this sauce with fish prepared à la Colbert.
142—RED COLOURING BUTTER
Put on to a dish any available remains of shell-fish after having
thoroughly emptied and well dried them in the oven. Pound them until
they form a fine powder, and add their weight of butter.
Put the whole into a saucepan and melt in a _bain-marie_, stirring
frequently the while. When the butter is quite clarified strain it
through muslin, twisting the latter over a tureen of iced-water in
which the strained butter solidifies. Put the congealed butter in a
towel, press it heavily so as to expel the water, and keep cool in a
small bowl.
_Remarks._—A very fine and decided red colour is obtained by using
paprika as a condiment for sauces intended for poultry and certain
butcher’s meats, in accordance with the procedure I recommend for the
Hongroise. But only the very best quality should be used—that which is
mild and at the same time produces a nice pink colour without entailing
any excess of the condiment. Among the various kinds of paprika on the
market I can highly recommend that of Messrs. Kotangi, which I have
invariably found satisfactory.
143—GREEN COLOURING BUTTER
Peel, wash, and thoroughly shake (so as to get rid of every drop of
water) two lbs. of spinach. Pound it raw and then press it in a strong
towel, twisting the latter so as to extract all the vegetable juice.
Pour this juice into a sautépan, let it coagulate in a _bain-marie_,
and pour it on to a serviette stretched over a bowl in order to drain
away the water. Collect the remains of the colouring substance on the
serviette, making use of a palette-knife for the purpose, and put these
into a mortar; mix with half their weight of butter, strain through a
sieve or tammy, and put aside to cool. This green butter should in all
cases take the place of the liquid green found on the market.
144—VARIOUS CULLISES
Finely pound shrimp and crayfish shells, and combine with these the
available creamy parts and spawn of the common and spiny lobsters;
add one-quarter pint of rich cream per lb. of the above remains, and
strain, first through a fine sieve and then through tammy. This cullis
is prepared just in time for dishing up, and serves as a refining
principle in certain fish sauces.
145—SHRIMP BUTTER
Finely pound any available shrimp remains, add to these their weight of
butter, and strain through tammy. Place in a bowl and put aside in the
cool.
146—SHALLOT BUTTER
Put eight oz. of roughly minced shallots in the corner of a clean
towel, and wash them quickly in boiling water. Cool, and press them
heavily. Then pound them finely with their own weight of fresh butter
and strain through tammy.
This butter accentuates the savour of certain sauces, such as Bercy,
Ravigote, &c.
147—CRAYFISH BUTTER
Pound, very finely, the remains and shells of crayfish cooked in
Mirepoix. Add their weight of butter, and strain through a fine sieve,
and again through tammy, so as to avoid the presence of any shell
particles. This latter precaution applies to all shell-fish butters.
148—TARRAGON BUTTER
Quickly scald and cool eight oz. of fresh tarragon, drain, press in
a towel, pound in a mortar, and add to them one lb. of butter. Strain
through tammy, and put aside in the cool if it is not to be used
immediately.
149—LOBSTER BUTTER
Reduce to a paste in the mortar the spawn, shell, and creamy parts of
lobster. Add their equal in weight of butter and strain through tammy.
150—BUTTER A LA MAÎTRE D’HÔTEL
First manie and then soften into a cream one-half lb. of butter. Add a
tablespoonful of chopped parsley, a little salt and pepper, and a few
drops of lemon-juice.
Serve this with grills in general.
151—MANIED BUTTER
Mix, until perfectly combined, four oz. of butter and three oz. of
sifted flour. This butter is made immediately before the time of
dishing up, and is used for quick leasons like the Matelotes, &c.
The sauce to which manied butter has been added should not boil if
this can possibly be avoided, as it would thereby acquire a very
disagreeable taste of raw flour.
151a—MELTED BUTTER
This preparation, which is used principally as a fish sauce, should
consist of butter, only just melted, and combined with a little
table-salt and a few drops of lemon-juice. It should therefore be
prepared only at the last minute; for, should it wait and be allowed to
clarify, besides losing its flavour it will be found to disagree with
certain people.
152—BUTTER A LA MEUNIÈRE
Put into a frying-pan the necessary quantity of butter, and cook it
gently until it has acquired a golden tint and exudes a slight smell
of nut. Add a few drops of lemon-juice, and pour on the fish under
treatment, which should have been previously sprinkled with _concassed_
parsley.
This butter is proper to fish “à la Meunière” and is always served on
the fish.
153—MONTPELLIER BUTTER
Put into a saucepan containing boiling water equal quantities of
watercress leaves, parsley, chervil, chives, and tarragon (six oz. in
all), one and one-half oz. of chopped shallots, and one-half oz. of
spinach leaves. Boil for two minutes, then drain, cool, press in a
towel to expel water, and pound in a mortar with one tablespoonful of
pressed capers, four oz. of gherkins, a garlic clove, and the fillets
of four anchovies well washed.
Mix this paste with one and one-half lbs. of butter; then add the yolks
of three boiled eggs and two raw eggs, and finally pour in, by degrees,
two-fifths pint of oil. Strain through a fine sieve or through tammy,
put the butter into a basin, and stir it well with a wooden spoon so as
to make it smooth. Season with table-salt and a little cayenne.
Use this butter to deck large fish, such as salmon and trout; but it is
also used for smaller pieces and slices of fish.
_Remarks._—When this butter is specially prepared to form a coat on
fish, the oil and the egg yolks are omitted and only butter is used.
154—BLACK BUTTER
Put into a frying-pan the necessary amount of butter, and cook it until
it has assumed a brown colour and begins to smoke. At this moment add
a large pinch of _concassed_ parsley leaves and spread it immediately
over the object to be treated.
155—HAZEL-NUT BUTTER
Put eight oz. of shelled hazel-nuts, for a moment, in the front of
the oven, in order to slightly grill their skins and make them easily
removable. Now crush the nuts in a mortar until they form a paste, and
add a few drops of cold water with a view to preventing their producing
any oil. Add their equivalent in weight of butter and rub through tammy.
156—PISTACHIO BUTTER
Put into boiling water eight oz. of pistachios, and keep them on the
side of the fire until the peel may be easily removed. Drain, cool in
cold water, clean the pistachios, and finely pound while moistening
them with a few drops of water.
Add two oz. of butter and pass through tammy.
157—PRINTANIER BUTTER
These butters are made from all early-season vegetables, such as
carrots, French beans, peas, and asparagus heads.
When dealing with green vegetables cook quickly in boiling, salted
water, drain, dry, pound with their weight of butter, and rub through
tammy.
With carrots: Mince and cook with consommé, sugar, and butter until the
diluent is quite reduced. After cooling they are pounded with their own
weight of butter and rubbed through tammy.
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