Page:Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management.djvu/300

256 Method.—Melt the butter in a stewpan, stir in the flour, and cook for 3 or 4 minutes, then add the milk and stir until it boils. Cut the hard boiled egg into dice (or rub the yolk through a wire sieve if needed to decorate the fish), add it, together with any necessary seasoning, to the sauce. Beat the yolk of the raw egg slightly, add to it gradually 2 or 3 tablespoonfuls of the sauce, and when thoroughly mixed stir into the remainder of the sauce and cook very gently for 2 or 3 minutes. It must not boil, or it will curdle.

Time.—25 to 30 minutes. Average Cost, 4d.

Ingredients.—½ a pint of melted butter, No. 202, 2 tablespoonfuls of chopped fennel.

Method.—Make the melted butter as directed. Wash the fennel well, pick it from the stalks, put it into boiling water, and boil until tender. Drain well, chop finely, and add it to the boiling sauce. Use as required.

Time.—Altogether 35 to 40 minutes. Average Cost, 3d. to 4d. for this quantity.

Ingredients.—¾ of a pint of fish stock, 1 glass of sherry or Madeira wine, 2 ozs. of butter, 1½ ozs. of flour, 1 onion sliced, 2 mushrooms sliced, ½ a teaspoonful of lemon-juice, ½ a teaspoonful of anchovy-essence, salt and pepper.

Method.—Melt the butter in a stewpan, fry the onion until slightly browned, add the mushrooms, stir in the flour, and cook the preparation until it acquires a nut-brown colour. Now add the stock, wine, lemon-juice, anchovy-essence, salt and pepper to taste. Simmer gently for about 20 minutes, pass through a fine strainer or tammy cloth, re-heat, and use as required.

Time.—From 40 to 50 minutes. Average Cost, 9d.

Ingredients.—½ a pint of Espagnole sauce, 1 pint of fish stock, 1 gill of claret, ½ a small onion, 1 clove of garlic, 2 cloves, 2 shallots, 1 bay-leaf, a few sprigs of parsley, 1 sprig of thyme, 2 ozs. of anchovy butter, pepper, salt, one pinch of castor sugar.