Mode.--Wash the liver, and let it boil for a few minutes; peel the lemon very thin, remove the white part and pips, and cut it into
very small dice; mince the liver and a small quantity of the lemon rind very fine; add these ingredients to 1/2 pint of smoothly-made
melted butter; season with a little salt, put in the cut lemon, heat it gradually, but do not allow it to boil, lest the butter should oil. Time.--1 minute to simmer.
Sufficient to serve with a pair of small fowls.
LIVER AND PARSLEY SAUCE FOR POULTRY.
463. INGREDIENTS.--The liver of a fowl, one tablespoonful of minced parsley, 1/2 pint of melted butter, No. 376.
Mode.--Wash and score the liver, boil it for a few minutes, and mince it very fine; blanch or scald a small bunch of parsley, of which there should be sufficient when chopped to fill a tablespoon; add this, with the minced liver, to 1/2 pint of smoothly-made melted butter; let it just boil; when serve.
Time.--1 minute to simmer.
Sufficient for a pair of small fowls.
LOBSTER SAUCE, to serve with Turbot, Salmon, Brill, &c. (Very Good.)
464. INGREDIENTS.--1 middling-sized hen lobster, 3/4 pint of melted butter, No. 376; 1 tablespoonful of anchovy sauce, 1/2 oz. of butter, salt and cayenne to taste, a little pounded mace when liked, 2 or 3 tablespoonfuls of cream.
Mode.--Choose a hen lobster, as this is indispensable, in order to render this sauce as good as it ought to be. Pick the meat from the shells, and cut it into small square pieces; put the spawn, which will be found under the tail of the lobster, into a mortar with 1/2 oz. of butter, and pound it quite smooth; rub it through a hair-sieve, and cover up till wanted. Make 3/4 pint of melted butter by recipe No. 376; put in all the ingredients except the lobster-meat, and well mix the sauce before the lobster is added to it, as it should retain its square form, and not come to table shredded and ragged. Put in the meat, let it get thoroughly hot, but do not allow it to boil, as the colour would immediately be spoiled; for it should be remembered that this sauce should always have a bright red appearance. If
it is intended to be served with turbot or brill, a little of the spawn (dried and rubbed through a sieve without butter) should be saved
to garnish with; but as the goodness, flavour, and appearance of the sauce so much depend on having a proper quantity of spawn,
the less used for garnishing the better.
Time.--1 minute to simmer. Average cost, for this quantity, 2s.
220
Seasonable at any time.
Sufficient to serve with a small turbot, a brill, or salmon for 6 persons.
Note.--Melted butter made with milk, No. 380, will be found to answer very well for lobster sauce, as by employing it a nice white colour will be obtained. Less quantity than the above may be made by using a very small lobster, to which add only 1/2 pint of melted butter, and season as above. Where economy is desired, the cream may be dispensed with, and the remains of a cold lobster left from table, may, with a little care, be converted into a very good sauce.
MAITRE D'HOTEL BUTTER, for putting into Broiled Fish just before it is sent to Table.
465. INGREDIENTS.--1/4 lb. of butter, 2 dessertspoonfuls of minced parsley, salt and pepper to taste, the juice of 1 large lemon. Mode.--Work the above ingredients well together, and let them be thoroughly mixed with a wooden spoon. If this is used as a sauce,
it may be poured either under or over the meat or fish it is intended to be served with.
Average cost, for this quantity, 5d.
Note.--4 tablespoonfuls of Bechamel, No. 367, 2 do. of white stock, No. 107, with 2 oz. of the above maitre d'hotel butter stirred
into it, and just allowed to simmer for 1 minute, will be found an excellent hot maitre d'hotel sauce.
THE MAITRE D'HOTEL.--The house-steward of England is synonymous with the maitre d'hotel of France; and, in ancient times, amongst the Latins, he was called procurator, or major-domo. In Rome, the slaves, after they had procured the various articles necessary for the repasts of the day, would return to the spacious kitchen laden with meat, game, sea-fish, vegetables, fruit, &c. Each one would then lay his basket at the feet of the major-domo, who would examine its contents and register them on his tablets, placing in the pantry contiguous to the dining-room, those of the provisions which need no preparation, and consigning the others to the more immediate care of the cooks.
MAITRE D'HOTEL SAUCE (HOT), to serve with Calf 's Head, Boiled Eels, and different Fish.
466. INGREDIENTS.--1 slice of minced ham, a few poultry-trimmings, 2 shalots, 1 clove of garlic, 1 bay-leaf, 3/4 pint of water, 2
oz. of butter, 1 dessertspoonful of flour, 1 heaped tablespoonful of chopped parsley; salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste; the juice of
1/2 large lemon, 1/4 teaspoonful of pounded sugar.
Mode.--Put at the bottom of a stewpan the minced ham, and over it the poultry-trimmings (if these are not at hand, veal should be substituted), with the shalots, garlic, and bay-leaf. Pour in the water, and let the whole simmer gently for 1 hour, or until the liquor
is reduced to a full 1/2 pint. Then strain this gravy, put it in another saucepan, make a thickening of butter and flour in the above proportions, and stir it to the gravy over a nice clear fire, until it is perfectly smooth and rather thick, care being taken that the butter does not float on the surface. Skim well, add the remaining ingredients, let the sauce gradually heat, but do not allow it to boil. If this sauce is intended for an entree, it is necessary to make it of a sufficient thickness, so that it may adhere to what it is meant to cover.
Time.--1-1/2 hour. Average cost, 1s. 2d. per pint.
Sufficient for rewarming the remains of 1/2 calf 's head, or a small dish of cold flaked turbot, cod, &c.
MAIGRE MAITRE D'HOTEL SAUCE (HOT). (Made without Meat.)
467. INGREDIENTS.--1/2 pint of melted butter, No. 376; 1 heaped tablespoonful of chopped parsley, salt and pepper to taste, the juice of 1/2 large lemon; when liked, 2 minced shalots.
Mode.--Make 1/2 pint of melted butter, by recipe No. 376; stir in the above ingredients, and let them just boil; when it is ready to serve.
Time.--1 minute to simmer. Average cost, 9d. per pint.
MAYONNAISE, a Sauce or Salad-Dressing for cold Chicken, Meat, and other cold Dishes.
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468. INGREDIENTS.--The yolks of 2 eggs, 6 tablespoonfuls of salad-oil, 4 tablespoonfuls of vinegar, salt and white pepper to taste, 1 tablespoonful of white stock, No. 107, 2 tablespoonfuls of cream.
Mode.--Put the yolks of the eggs into a basin, with a seasoning of pepper and salt; have ready the above quantities of oil and vinegar, in separate vessels; add them very gradually to the eggs; continue stirring and rubbing the mixture with a wooden spoon,
as herein consists the secret of having a nice smooth sauce. It cannot be stirred too frequently, and it should be made in a very cool place, or, if ice is at hand, it should be mixed over it. When the vinegar and oil are well incorporated with the eggs, add the stock and cream, stirring all the time, and it will then be ready for use.
For a fish Mayonnaise, this sauce may be coloured with lobster-spawn, pounded; and for poultry or meat, where variety is desired, a little parsley-juice may be used to add to its appearance. Cucumber, Tarragon, or any other flavoured vinegar, may be substituted for plain, where they are liked.
Average cost, for this quantity, 7d.
Sufficient for a small salad.
Note.--In mixing the oil and vinegar with the eggs, put in first a few drops of oil, and then a few drops of vinegar, never adding a large quantity of either at one time. By this means, you can be more certain of the sauce not curdling. Patience and practice, let us add, are two