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.