2t0. - Matelote Sauce Simplified

Proceed as above respecting the onions, only add a fourth more butter, and fry them a little browner; then add a glass of sherry and two teaspoonfuls of flour, which stir round gently with a small wooden spoon; add to it about a pint of water, stir now and then till boiling, add three saltspoonfuls of salt, two of sugar, one of pepper, and a bouquet garni; simmer and skim, add a few drops of coloring to give it a nice brown color; when ready to serve, add a good table-spoonful of anchovy essence; it ought to adhere lightly to the back of the spoon, but not be too thick; sauce over or under, as directed; small pieces of glaze, if thickened with the eggs - (great care must be exercised, for if it should become too hot the eggs would curdle, and render the sauce useless;) then add half a pint of melted butter; stir all together over the fire.

271. - Oyster Sauce

Blanch three dozen oysters,which again put into the stewpan, with their liquor (after having detached the beards); add six peppercorns and half a blade of mace; place them over the fire, and 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, break it in four or five pieces; shake the stewpan round over the fire, and when upon the point of boiling, and becoming thick, add half a gill of milk, or more if required; season with a little cayenne, salt, pepper, and a few drops of essence of anchovies: serve very hot.

272. - Mussel Sauce

Proceed exactly the same as for oyster sauce, using only the liquor of the mussels (not the beards) instead of the oysters, and serving the mussels in the sauce; about four dozen would be sufficient.

278. - Cod Sauce

Take a bunch of parsley, chervil, two shalots, two cloves, a bay-leaf, some mushrooms, and a bit of butter, soak all together on the fire, adding a small spoonful of flour, and milk or cream sufficient to boil to the consistence of a sauce, and add to it some chopped pars-ley first scalded.

274. - Eel Sauce

Cut the eels into large pieces and put them into a stewpan with a few slices of bacon, ham, veal, two onions, with all sorts of roots; soak it till it catches, then add a glass of white wine and good broth, a little cullis, three or four tarragon leaves, chervil, a clove of garlic, two of spices, and a bay-leaf; simmer for an hour, skim it very well, and sift it in a sieve for use.

275. - Sauce For Fish

Twenty-four anchovies chopped; ten eschalots; two ounces of horseradish, scraped; four blades of mace; one lemon sliced; twelve cloves; quarter of an ounce of black pepper, whole; one gill of the anchovy liquor; one quart of best vinegar; one quart of water. Let the whole simmer on the fire until reduced to one quart, in a covered saucepan; strain and bottle for use. If required for long keeping, add a quarter of an ounce of cayenne pepper.

277. - Shrimp Sauce

Pick the heads and skins from some fresh shrimps and stew these offals for half an hour in a small quantity of boiling water to extract their flavor; then strain the liquor and make use of it in melting the butter in which the shelled shrimps are to be dressed; these are then to be put into the butter and liquor to simmer gently for about twenty minutes, in which time they will be sufficiently done, and their flavor is so delicate that neither anchovy sauce, mace, cayenne pepper, nor any other condiment than salt, should be put to them; add a little cream. •

A pint of unshelled shrimps will make a tureen of sauce large enough for four or five persons.