Method.—Put the sugar and water into a saucepan, and simmer for 10 minutes, then add the rest of the ingredients, bring to the boil, strain, and serve.
Time.—About 15 minutes. Average Cost, 4d. to 5d.
360.—WINE SAUCE. (Fr.—Sauce au Vin.) (Economical.)
Ingredients.—½ a pint of water, 1 large glass of sherry, 1 tablespoonful (level) of sugar, 1 teaspoonful of arrowroot.
Method.—Mix the arrowroot with a little of the water and boil the remainder, pour it on to the arrowroot, stirring all the time. Return to the saucepan, add the wine and sugar, boil up, and serve. The colour may be improved by the addition of a few drops of carmine or cochineal.
Time.—About 10 minutes. Average Cost, 3d. to 4d. for this quantity.
361.—WHITE SAUCE FOR PUDDINGS.
Ingredients.—¾ of a pint of milk, 1 dessertspoonful of cornflour, sugar to taste, 2 or 3 thin strips of lemon-rind, salt.
Method.—Blend the cornflour smoothly with a little cold milk, and put the remainder into a saucepan. Add the lemon-rind and a pinch of salt, simmer gently for 10 or 15 minutes, then strain over the blended cornflour, stirring meanwhile. Return to the saucepan, sweeten to taste, simmer gently for 5 minutes, and use as required. Any other flavouring may be substituted for the lemon-rind.
Time.—About 20 minutes. Average Cost, 2d. to 2½d.
362.—ZWETSCHEN SAUCE. (Prune Sauce.)
Ingredients.—½ a lb. of French prunes, 1 glass of port or sherry, 1 tablespoonful of lemon-juice, the finely grated rind of ½ a lemon, ½ a teaspoonful of powdered cinnamon, sugar to taste.
Method.—Simmer the prunes until tender, in just enough water to cover them. When cool, crack, and preserve the kernels. Replace the fruit and kernels in the stewpan, add sugar to taste, cinnamon, lemon-rind and lemon-juice, cook gently for 10 minutes, and pass through a fine hair sieve. Re-heat, add the wine, and a little water if too thick, and use as required.
Time.—About 1 hour. Average Cost, 8d.
Cinnamon (Fr. cinnamome).—The cinnamon tree, Laurus cinnanomum, is a valuable and beautiful member of the Lauraceae, or laurel family. Its trunk is short and straight, with wide spreading branches, and a smooth, ash-like bark. It attains a height of 20 to 30 feet. The leaves are oval-shaped, 3 to 5 inches long; the flowers are in panicles, with six small petals of a pale-yellow colour. The fruit, which resembles an acorn, is soft and insipid, and of a deep-blue. It incloses a nut, the kernel of which germinates after falling. The leaves, fruit and root of the cinnamon all yield a volatile oil, oil of cinnamon. The bark of the tree the thinner bark is the most esteemed furnishes the well-known cinnamon used by cooks and confectioners. From the fragrant fatty substance of the fruit candles were formerly made exclusively for the King of Ceylon. Cinnamon is employed in medicine as a carminative and stomachic remedy.
