Melted butter is the foundation of most of the common sauces. Have a
covered sauce-pan for this purpose. One lined with porcelain will be
best. Take a quarter of a pound of the best fresh butter, cut it up,
and mix with it about two tea-spoonfuls of flour. When it is thoroughly
mixed, put it into the sauce-pan, and add to it four table-spoonfuls
of cold water. Cover the sauce-pan, and set it in a large tin pan of
boiling water. Shake it round continually (always moving it the same
way) till it is entirely melted and begins to simmer. Then let it rest
till it boils up.
If you set it on hot coals, or over the fire, it will be oily.
If the butter and flour is not well mixed it will be lumpy.
If you put too much water, it will be thin and poor. All these defects
are to be carefully avoided.
In melting butter for sweet or pudding sauce, you may use milk instead
of water.
TO BROWN FLOUR.--Spread some fine flour on a plate, and set it in
the oven, turning it up and stirring it frequently that it may brown
equally all through.
Put it into a jar, cover it well, and keep it to stir into gravies to
thicken and colour them.
TO BROWN BUTTER.--Put a lump of butter into a frying-pan, and toss it
round over the fire till it becomes brown. Then dredge some browned
flour over it, and stir it round with a spoon till it boils. It must be
made quite smooth.
You may make this into a plain sauce for fish by adding cayenne and
some flavoured vinegar.