The word entrée is a French culinary term (universally known by the
nobility and gentry of Europe), signifying a corner, or made dish, in
which sauce is introduced, the importance of which is known in the
kitchens of the wealthy as forming the size and magnitude of a dinner.
Being considered as the principal dish upon which it is intended to dine
well, the wealthy epicure orders his cook to prepare a dinner of four,
six, or eight entrées, thus making a criterion for the second course,
which, in the opinion of real gourmets, is a secondary consideration of
delight, and very often left entirely to the cook. But when a lady of
moderate income is consulted, she very properly devotes all her
attention, good taste, and economy to the subject.
The entrées, however, which I am here about to describe, are very
economical; whilst those entrées of importance, which are so well known
for their excellence and unavoidable expense, I have left to those whose
means will better afford it, and content myself with here offering to my
readers those only with which I would be content in placing before my
friends at home.
My readers will find that certain made dishes, instead of being
expensive, tend to greater economy. Every ordinary cook might be perfect
in roasting and boiling a joint, but quite incapable of making a single
made dish to perfection, even from the remains of a joint. In a
tradesman’s family it often happens that he dines once or twice a week
from a Sunday joint, either in winter or summer; in the last it is
partly excusable, but, in the former, hot meat for such an important
meal is much more preferable, being more light than cold, and of course
digests more freely. To prove the truth of this argument, pickles are
continually used with cold meat to invigorate and open the appetite, and
facilitate digestion. I would always advise to take a little cold lunch,
and a hot late dinner, if circumstances permit, and _avoid_ as much as
possible a supper, particularly _a late one_.
SAUCES.--No. 136. For daily use I avoid making any foundation sauces,
but when I want to give a little party at home, I generally previously
provide a small quantity of white and brown sauce as follows:
Cut and chop a knuckle of veal, weighing about four pounds, into large
dice; butter the bottom of a large stewpan with a quarter of a pound of
butter, add two onions, a small carrot, a turnip, three cloves, half a
blade of mace, a bay-leaf, a sprig of thyme, and six of parsley tied in
a bunch; add a gill of water, place over a sharp fire, stirring round
occasionally, until the bottom of the stewpan is covered with whitish
glaze, when fill up with three quarts of water, add a good teaspoonful
of salt, and let simmer at the corner of the fire an hour and a half,
keeping well skimmed, when pass it through a hair sieve into a basin; in
another stewpan put a quarter of a pound of butter, with which mix six
ounces of flour, stirring over the fire about three minutes, take off,
keep stirring until partly cold, when add the stock all at once,
continually stirring and boiling for a quarter of an hour; add half a
pint of boiling milk, stir a few minutes longer, add a little chopped
mushrooms if handy, pass through a hair sieve into a basin, until
required for use, stirring it round occasionally until cold; the above
being a simplified white sauce.
For a brown sauce I use the same proportion as for the white, but having
beef instead of veal for the stock, which must be made brown by placing
four large onions cut in halves at the bottom of the stewpan, which must
be well buttered, placing the meat over, standing upon the fire, and
drawing down to a brown glaze before filling up; the thickening must
also be made brown, by stirring a few minutes longer over the fire, and
the milk omitted. Sometimes I make both stocks in the same stewpan, pass
one half for the white sauce, and put a couple of burnt onions into the
remainder, allowing it to simmer an hour longer, when pass and use for a
brown sauce.
No. 137. _Melted Butter._ Put two ounces of butter into a stewpan, with
which mix a good teaspoonful of flour, using a wooden spoon, add a
saltspoonful of salt, half a one of pepper, a little grated nutmeg, and
half a pint of water, stir over the fire until just upon the point of
boiling, when take off, add two ounces more butter, and half a
tablespoonful of vinegar, keeping it stirred until quite smooth, and the
butter well melted, when pass through a hair sieve or tammie if required
(you can also use milk instead of water for the above); it is then ready
for use. In making melted butter great attention ought to be paid to the
above directions, it being almost in daily use.
No. 138. _New and Economical Lobster Sauce._ Break up a fresh lobster,
use the solid flesh for salad or any other purpose, pound the soft part
and shell together (in a mortar) very fine, place the whole in a
stewpan, cover with a pint of boiling water, place over the fire, and
let simmer ten minutes, when pass the liquor through a hair sieve into a
basin, and use for making melted butter as in the last, to which add a
little cayenne pepper and a piece of anchovy butter (see page 33,
Kitchen of the Wealthy) the size of a walnut; if any red spawn in the
lobster, pound and mix it with a small piece of fresh butter, and add to
the sauce with a little lemon-juice when upon the point of serving; an
anchovy pounded with the shells of the lobster would be an improvement;
some of the flesh may be served in the sauce.
No. 139. _Lobster Sauce à la Crème._ Cut up a small lobster into slices,
the size of half-crown pieces, put into a stewpan, pound the soft and
white part with an ounce of butter, and rub it through a sieve; pour
three spoonfuls of melted butter, and two of cream, over the slices in
the stewpan, add half a blade of mace, a saltspoonful of salt, a
quarter ditto of pepper, and a little cayenne, warm gently, and when
upon the point of boiling add the butter and two spoonfuls of thick
cream, shake round over the fire until quite hot, when it is ready to
serve.
No. 140. _Lobster Sauce simplified._ Put the slices of lobster as above
into a stewpan, with four spoonfuls of milk, add a little salt, pepper,
cayenne, two cloves, and a quarter of a blade of mace, let boil, add a
piece of butter the size of a walnut, with which you have mixed a little
flour, shake round over the fire, and when getting thick, add half a
gill of cream; when quite hot it is ready to serve.
No. 141. _Shrimp Sauce_ is very excellent made by pounding half a pint
of shrimps with their skins, boiling ten minutes in three parts of a
pint of water, finishing as directed for lobster sauce (No. 138), and
always serving very hot.
No. 142. _Anchovy Sauce_ is made by adding a spoonful of Harvey sauce
and two of essence of anchovy, with a little cayenne, to half a pint of
melted butter; shrimps, prawns, or even blanched oysters may be served
in it.
No. 143. _Oyster Sauce._ Put two dozen of oysters into a stewpan with
their liquor, and two spoonfuls of water, add six peppercorns, and half
a blade of mace, blanch them until just set, drain the oysters upon a
sieve, catching the liquor in another stewpan, detach the beards from
the oysters, which put again into the liquor, place over the fire; when
beginning to simmer, add a piece of butter the size of a walnut, with
which you have mixed sufficient flour to form a paste, breaking it in
four or five pieces, shake round over the fire, when it thickens add a
gill of milk, season with a little cayenne, salt, pepper, and a few
drops of essence of anchovies, serve very hot.
_Another way._ Blanch and save the liquor as above, omitting the water;
reduce to half, add eight spoonfuls of melted butter made with milk,
season rather high, adding a teaspoonful of Harvey sauce and one of
essence of anchovy; it is then ready for use.
No. 144. _Caper Sauce._ Make half a pint of good melted butter, to which
add a tablespoonful of capers and a teaspoonful of their vinegar.
Observe, that all fish sauces are better too thick than too thin, the
fish being watery, the sauce would not envelope it if too thin.
No. 145. _To chop Onions, Herbs, &c._ Every practical cook knows how to
chop the above ingredients to perfection, but many plain cooks instead
of chopping, literally smash them with their knives, thus losing the
succulence and flavour, which becomes absorbed by the wood they are
smashed upon.
For onions, peel, and cut in halves lengthwise, then with a thin knife
cut each half in slices, leaving them jointed at the root; again cut
into slices contrarywise, and then from top to bottom, thus having cut
it into very small squares; then take the knife lightly with the right
hand, place two fingers of the left upon the point, and commence
chopping, lifting the knife entirely every stroke, not digging the point
into the board, and pressing heavily upon the handle, as is too commonly
the case; when chopped very fine put them into the corner of a clean
cloth, which rinse in water to wash them, squeeze quite dry in the
cloth, they will be then as white as possible, and quite ready for use.
Eschalots are chopped in the same manner, cutting first into small dice,
without cutting them in halves.
For parsley or herbs, previously wash very clean, take the stalks in
your left hand (when quite dry), pressing upon the leaves with your
fingers, holding the knife with your right hand, cutting as fine as
possible; chop as directed for the onions. By following the above
directions you will be enabled to chop them very fine, scarcely staining
the board; the above directions to some may appear superfluous, but the
difference made in the flavour of sauces, by their being well or badly
chopped, being so great, caused me to make these observations.
No. 146. _To make a Colouring or Browning from Sugar._ Put two ounces of
white powdered sugar into a middling-sized stewpan, which place over a
slow fire; when beginning to melt, stir round with a wooden spoon until
getting quite black, when set it in a moderate oven upon a trivet about
twenty minutes, pour a pint of cold water over, let dissolve, place in a
bottle, and use wherever directed in My Kitchen at Home.