Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management/Chapter IX
GRAVIES, SAUCES AND FORCEMEATS.
CHAPTER IX.General observations on Gravies and Sauces, with directions in regard to the foundation or standard Sauces, &c.
Sauces and Gravies.—Until the end of the eighteenth century cookery was a neglected art in England, and sauces were practically unknown. A celebrated Frenchman who lived in that age humorously described us as "a nation with one sauce." History has not recorded the name of that particular sauce; but it could not have been the ancient sauce of the Romans, which tradition has handed down to us under the name of "Garum." This sauce is made from anchovy brine, and is largely used by the Turks in the preparation of their national dish, "Pilau," but the presence of the strong flavour of anchovy, however desirable in itself, would prevent its use in many dishes. Possibly "melted butter" filled the double office of "sweet" and "savoury"; and it would be difficult in the present day to find any individual who passes muster as a plain cook, whose knowledge of sauces is as restricted as that of the nation a hundred years ago. The unit must now be multiplied by something like 650 to arrive at an approximate estimate of the sauces and gravies in use at the present day.
Importance of Sauces.—Brillat-Savarin, speaking of this branch of cookery, says: "One can learn to cook, and one can be taught to roast, but a good sauce-maker is a genius born, not made." Alexis Soyer, referring to this subject, writes: "Sauces are to cookery what grammar is to language"—a most apt comparison, for grammars have been adapted in a hundred different ways to suit the genius of the languages they dominate. And so with sauces; they form an essential part of cookery, yet the innumerable variations of each class have to be skilfully adapted to the dishes with which they are amalgamated or served, in order to give some necessary flavouring or produce some desired effect. Every cook should endeavour to attain proficiency in this branch of cookery, a task by no means so difficult as the number of sauces would lead us to suppose, for, if the few which have for their base either oil, wine or fruit, are excluded, the remainder are simply variations of the two foundation sauces, white and brown.
Use of Sauces and Gravies.—Each sauce must possess a distinct flavour and character of its own, and add either richness, piquancy, or flavour without losing its own identity; but unless purposely employed to disguise the absence of flavour in some insipid substance, they should never be allowed to overpower the natural flavour of dishes of game, poultry, meat, etc., with which they are served. The excellence of many entrées depends almost entirely on the sauces which enter largely into their composition. Boiled fish would be insipid without an appropriately flavoured sauce. Some dishes of boiled meat, and many simple puddings are almost unpalatable without their customary sauces; while a good gravy is indispensable with meat, poultry, and game.
Difference between Sauces and Gravies.—Gravy is simply the juices of meat, diluted and seasoned but not thickened, except the slightly-thickened brown gravy, which ought really to rank as a thin sauce.
Sauce.—Sauce has been defined as a LIQUID SEASONING, thickened by means of one of the following liaisons (or mixtures of yolk of eggs, cream, etc., used for thickening or binding white soups and sauces):—
- Roux—white.
- Roux„ fawn.
- Roux„ brown.
- Eggs and cream.
- Butter and cream.
- Blended butter and flour.
- Blood.
- Arrowroot, cornflour, Fecule.
Roux.—The literal translation of this word is "russet," but in a culinary sense it is a mixture of equal quantities of butter and flour cooked over a slow fire, or in a cool oven, until the desired colour is acquired. There are three varieties of roux: white, fawn, and brown; and this form of thickening is generally employed in making good sauces. It may be made in small quantities as required, or in larger quantities, which, if closely covered, will keep good for months. When roux is made for immediate use it should be allowed to cool slightly before adding the liquid to it. When using perfectly cold roux, the liquid should be added to it more gradually: in both cases the sauce must be constantly stirred until it boils, and then allowed to simmer until it attains the required consistency. A heaped-up tablespoonful of roux will thicken 1 pint of liquid. Directions for the preparation of the respective liaisons (sauce thickenings) will be found in the following pages.
THE BASES OR FOUNDATIONS OF SAUCES.
The following liquids form the bases of most of the sauces:—
1. White Stock.—Nearly all the good white savoury sauces have for their foundation white stock and milk, used in varying proportions.
2. Brown Stock.—All good brown savoury sauces are made from stock, more or less rich according to the purpose for which they are intended.
3. Fish Stock.—Fish sauces usually have for their foundation about equal quantities of fish stock and milk.
4. Milk.—Milk forms the basis of nearly all the plain white sauces, both sweet and savoury, also of bread sauce.
5. Water.—Strictly speaking, all melted butter sauces should be made only with water; a little of the broth in which fish or meat has been boiled is admissible, and is also an improvement to caper sauce; but when milk is added to the broth, as is frequently the case, to improve the colour, the foundation becomes white sauce, not melted butter.
6. Oil.—Mayonnaise sauce, and others of a similar character known as salad sauce, are composed almost entirely of oil as their basis.
7. Fruit.—Apple, cranberry, gooseberry, etc.
VARIETIES OF SAUCES.
Sauces may be broadly divided into two classes, white and brown; each class being further subdivided into sauces made by a long, slow process, and quickly-made sauces.
FOUNDATION OF STANDARD SAUCES.
(a) White.—Béchamel forms the foundation of all the good white sauces; it is made by the slow process, which extracts the full flavour of the substances employed.
(b) Plain White Sauce.—Nearly all the white sauces employed in middle-class cookery have for their foundation a plain white sauce made by the quick process. Their flavour depends mainly on the substances added to them, such as parsley, celery, chocolate, vanilla, orange-essence, etc.
(a) Brown.—Espagnole.—This sauce and the Béchamel have been aptly described as "Adam" and "Eve." France adds to them the Veloutée and Allemande, and calls the group the "sauces mères," or "mother sauces." The Espagnole forms the basis of all good brown sauces, and these, like the white sauces, derive their distinctive names from the substances added to the foundation sauce. The rich exquisite characteristic flavour of Espagnole sauce is due partly to the lean bacon or ham which forms an indispensable part of it, and partly to the long, slow frying process to which the flour and other ingredients are subjected.
(b) Plain Brown Sauces.—These sauces are always less quickly made than the plain white sauces, for no matter how simple they may be, the flour must be fried brown before adding the liquid. A little caramel may be introduced to IMPROVE the colour, but it imparts nothing to the flavour, whereas frying develops the full flavour of both the flour and vegetables used in making brown sauces.
STOCK FOR GRAVY.
Gravy, pure and simple, is usually described as "the juices of the meat"; and it has been said that good gravy is an evidence of bad roasting or baking. But experience teaches us that the best gravy accompanies a joint which has been roasted before an open fire and well basted during the process, as is the custom in the north of England. Notwithstanding the argument that if the juices of the meat are in the gravy the joint must suffer, the north-country meat, when cut, is found to be full of gravy. Long before science had discovered the coagulating properties of albumin, it was the custom to put plenty of dripping into the tin before the fire, and as soon as it was hot the joint was hung on the "jack" and well basted. Without knowing the "why and wherefore," the most ignorant housewife would have explained that this method KEPT THE GRAVY IN. As the meat cooked before the clear bright fire it became crisp and brown; and each time it was basted some of the brown particles on the surface of the joint were carried down into the dripping and settled on the bottom of the tin, to be afterwards converted into gravy. From the above facts, we draw the conclusion that a browned surface and frequent basting produce good gravy. Meat baked in the oven has not quite the same flavour and nourishment as when roasted, but a juicy joint and good gravy are possibilities under the following conditions: the joint must be well basted with melted dripping or other fat before being put into the oven; the oven must be kept fairly hot until the meat is well browned all over; in the later stages of cooking the oven door should not be entirely closed, for meat cannot become crisp and brown in an oven full of steam; the joint must be frequently basted. Gravy in its most simple form is made by adding boiling water to the sediment which remains in the meat tin when the fat has been carefully poured off. It should be seasoned to taste, boiled up, stirring meanwhile to loosen the brown particles which adhere to the sides of the tin, well skimmed, and strained over or round the meat. Any bones that have been removed from the meat may be boiled to form the basis of the gravy, but nothing else must be introduced. Beef gravy must contain only salt and pepper; and mutton gravy the same ingredients, and a few drops of caramel when the gravy is very light in colour. Veal gravy, also, should be made from the bones, and after being mixed with that in the meat tin, should be slightly thickened with flour and butter kneaded together, or flour mixed smoothly with a little water. Gravies served with game, roast rabbits, etc., may be made from beef, beef or game bones, or from stock. Clear stock must be used for clear gravies, but with this exception, any good second stock will serve. An economical cook will always contrive to provide the basis of gravies, sauces, and soups out of the bones and trimmings of poultry and meat, except, of course, the clear soups and gravies, which must have a good clear stock for their foundation.
STOCK FOR SAUCES.
Béchamel, Veloutée, Allemande, and sauces of a similar character, must have for their foundation white stock made from chicken or veal, or the bones and trimmings of the same. The stock for Espagnole sauce, and those sauces of which it forms the basis, may be made from any kind of meat, trimmings, bones, livers, and gizzards of game and poultry; it must be rich, of good colour, but not necessarily very clear. The second stock (No. 7,) well reduced, would be suitable for this purpose.
Note.—If the stock is poor it can be enriched by the addition of a small quantity of "Lemco" Meat Extract.
CONSISTENCY OF SAUCES.
The consistency of a sauce varies according to its use. For a coating sauce, that is, a sauce thick enough to mask a chicken, cutlets, etc., over which it is poured, the proportions are 1½ ozs. of flour to 1 pint of liquid, when made by the slow process, during which the sauce becomes considerably reduced, but when made by the quick process nearly 2 ozs. of flour must be allowed to 1 pint of liquid. Sauces to be served separately in a sauceboat or poured round the base of a dish, should be made a little thinner, but it is always better to err on the side of overthickening, it being much easier to reduce the consistency by adding a little more stock or milk, than to increase the consistency by reducing the quantity. The latter can only be done by boiling the liquid rapidly in an uncovered pan, which is not always convenient at the time of serving dinner. Reducing by rapid boiling is a method which may be usefully employed in dealing with stock too poor to make a suitable foundation for a good soup or sauce. As the stock is reduced by evaporation, its flavour and richness become concentrated, and if frequently skimmed it gains considerably in brightness and colour.
TIME REQUIRED FOR COOKING.
Sauces made by the slow process are allowed to simmer for 2 or 3 hours, or until all the unabsorbed fat comes to the surface. Frequent stirring is necessary, also occasional skimming to remove the fat as it rises. The ordinary, or quickly-made sauces, should not have the liquid added until the flour and butter have been cooked together for 3 or 4 minutes, or, when flour kneaded with butter is used, or flour moistened with milk or stock is used, the liquid to which they are added should be allowed to simmer for at least 5 minutes after coming to the boil, otherwise the sauce has an unpleasant taste of raw flour.
Sometimes sauces made by the long process are over-cooked and become oily. In this case a little cold stock, milk or water, can be added, and the sauce stirred until it boils, when it will again become smooth, but it must then immediately be removed from the fire.
PREPARATIONS OF INGREDIENTS.
To avoid repetition, the vegetables used in the following recipes are spoken of as "prepared," meaning that the carrots have been scraped, the turnips peeled, and the onions peeled.
A bouquet-garni consists of a sprig or two of parsley, a bay-leaf, a sprig of thyme, a sprig of marjoram, a sprig of basil, and a blade of mace, all tied together in a little bouquet. Any of these herbs may be omitted and others substituted, according to taste.
As regards the quantities given in the recipes, they have been kept as uniform as possible; and in most cases provide sufficient sauce to fill a sauce-tureen, or for pouring round an entrée or pudding.
THICKENINGS FOR SAUCES.
White Roux.—In making white roux, equal quantities of butter and flour are stirred in a stewpan over a slow fire for 10 or 15 minutes, but without allowing the roux to take any colour. If for immediate use, the roux must cool slightly before adding the liquid.
Fawn Roux.—For fawn or blonde roux, take equal quantities of butter and flour, and cook slowly over the fire or in a cool oven until the mixture acquires a pale fawn colour.
Brown Roux.—This third variety is usually called "stock roux," because where roux is being constantly used a large quantity of it is made and kept in stock. The proportion of butter and flour are the same as for white and fawn roux. The nut-brown colour is obtained by a long, slow process of frying or roasting, during which much of the flavour characteristic of well-made brown sauce is developed.
Egg Liaison.—This thickening is composed of yolks of eggs beaten up with a small quantity of cream, milk, or white stock. The sauce to which this liaison (or thickening) is added must require no further cooking. One to two tablespoonfuls of hot sauce should be mixed with the eggs and cream, and the whole then strained into the sauce, which should be just below boiling point. To remove the raw taste of the eggs, it is necessary to cook and stir the sauce by the side of the fire for a few minutes, but it must not be allowed to boil, or the eggs may curdle.
Butter and Cream Liaison.—When butter and cream are employed for thickening, they are added in equal proportions to the sauce JUST BEFORE SERVING: re-heating would spoil the flavour of the sauce.
Kneaded Butter Liaison.—This form of liaison is exceedingly useful when no roux is at hand, and a little additional thickeing is required. Butter will absorb about its own weight in flour, and the two are kneaded together on a plate until all the flour is absorbed, or, in other words, thoroughly moistened by the butter. This liaison should be added to the sauce in small portions and stirred until it is smoothly mixed with it.
Blood Liaison.—This liaison is used principally to thicken sauces for game and poultry entrées. The blood of poultry or game should be mixed with a little vinegar, to prevent coagulation. It should be strained and added gradually to the sauce a few minutes before serving.
Arrowroot, Cornflour, Fecule Liaison.—Before adding any of these substances to the sauce, they must be smoothly mixed with a little cold stock, milk, or water. The liaison is stirred into the boiling sauce, and simmered for not less than 2 minutes to cook the starch.