Mrs Beetons Sauces Revisited
Béchamel or French White Sauce
1.1lt (2 pints) White Stock
600ml (1 pint) Cream
1 Small Bunch Parsley
1 Bouquet Garni of Savoury Herbs
3-4 Mushrooms
2 Cloves
˝ Bay Leaf
1 tbsp Arrowroot
Salt, to taste
Place the stock into a saucepan, with the parsley, cloves, bay leaf, herbs and mushrooms.
Add a seasoning of salt, but no pepper, as that would give the sauce a dusty appearance and should be avoided.
Bring to the boil and simmer 'long enough to extract the flavour of the herbs, etc'.
Strain, return to the boil and reduce by half.
Mix the arrowroot smoothly with the cream.
Place into a saucepan and simmer very gently for 5 minutes over a low heat.
Pour the cream into the reduced stock, continue to simmer slowly for 10 minutes, until thickened.
If the sauce is too thin, increase the heat and stir constantly until it thickens.
This is the foundation of many kinds of sauces, especially white sauces.
Always make it thick, as you can easily thin it with cream, milk, or white stock.
BECHAMEL, or FRENCH WHITE SAUCE
367. INGREDIENTS - 1 small bunch of parsley, 2 cloves, 1/2 bay-leaf, 1 small faggot of savoury herbs, salt to taste; 3 or 4 mushrooms, when obtainable; 2 pints of white stock, 1 pint of cream, 1 tablespoonful of arrowroot.
Mode - Put the stock into a stewpan, with the parsley, cloves, bay-leaf, herbs, and mushrooms; add a seasoning of salt, but no pepper, as that would give the sauce a dusty appearance, and should be avoided. When it has boiled long enough to extract the flavour of the herbs, etc., strain it, and boil it up quickly again, until it is nearly half-reduced. Now mix the arrowroot smoothly with the cream, and let it simmer very gently for 5 minutes over a slow fire; pour to it the reduced stock, and continue to simmer slowly for 10 minutes, if the sauce be thick. If, on the contrary, it be too thin, it must be stirred over a sharp fire till it thickens. This is the foundation of many kinds of sauces, especially white sauces. Always make it thick, as you can easily thin it with cream, milk, or white stock.
Time - Altogether, 2 hours.
Average cost, 1s. per pint.
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