Make your own sauces from scratch

If the simple joy of making a homemade meal is not sufficient enough reason for you to make your own sauce, at least consider the advantage of having a collection of sauce recipes handy for those times when you suddenly realize the recipe you are in the middle of calls for a sauce that you forgot to purchase at the store.

This is a collection of sauce recipes for such a time.

SAUCES

Basic Cream Sauce:

2 Tbsp. butter                                                    1 cup milk

2 Tbsp. flour                                                       ½ tsp. salt

Put butter and flour in upper part of double broiler (having water in lower part boiling) and blend thoroughly.  Add milk, a little at a time, stirring constantly until sauce thickens.  Cook five minutes and add seasonings.  Makes 1 ½ cups sauce.

Curry Sauce:

To flour for cream sauce add 1 tsp. curry powder and beat in one egg yolk after sauce is taken from fire.

Egg Sauce:

To cream sauce add 1 chopped egg and 1 tsp. lemon juice.

Shrimp Sauce:

To cream sauce add ½ cup cooked chopped shrimps, 1 tsp. lemon juice and 1 tsp. minced parsley.

Oyster Sauce:

1 pt. oysters                                       1 cup milk

3 Tbsp. Butter                                    ¾ cup oyster liquor

3 Tbsp. flour                                       Salt, pepper, and lemon juice

Scald oysters in their own liquor; chop coarsely.  Blend butter and flour in a saucepan without browning, add milk and oyster liquor gradually and stir until boiling.  Lower heat, cook five minutes.  Add seasonings and oysters and cook just long enough to heat oysters thoroughly.  Makes 2 ½ cups sauce.

Mint Sauce:

½ cup fresh mint leaves                                3 Tbsp. sugar

2/3 cup vinegar

Wash mint before stripping leaves from stalks, dry thoroughly and chop fine.  Add vinegar and sugar; let sauce stand until sugar is dissolved.  Serve with roast lamb.  Makes ¾ cup sauce.

Cucumber Sauce:

2 cucumbers                                      2 TBSP olive oil

½ tsp. onion juice                             1 tsp. vinegar

Salt & Pepper

Peal cucumbers; grate or chop fine; drain well to rid of all moisture possible; add onion juice, oil, vinegar and seasonings beaten together. Serve immediately.  This sauce isgood with either broiled or fried fish, or cold meats.  Makes 1/3 cup sauce.

Horseradish Sauce:

2 TBSP. butter                                   salt, pepper, and lemo n juice

2 TBSP. flour                                       2 TBSP Fresh grated horseradish

1 ½ cups milk or fish stock            1 egg yolk

Blend butter and flour in saucepan until smooth, add liquid a little at a time and stir until boiling.  Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice and cook five minutes.  Just before serving add horseradish and egg yolk.  Prepared horseradish may be substituted for fresh grated.  Makes 1 ¾ cups sauce.

Tarter Sauce:

1 cup mayonnaise                            1 tsp. finely chopped capers

1 tsp. mixed mustard                     1 tsp. finely chopped pickles

1 tsp. finely chopped parsley      ½ tsp. onion juice

Add all ingredients to mayonnaise in order given.  Stir well and serve cold.  Makes one cup sauce.

Tomato Sauce:

1 ½ cups canned tomatoes                          1 bay leaf

½ small onion                                                     2 TBSP. butter

1 sprig parsley                                                   2 TBSP. flour

Put together in saucepan tomatoes, onions, parsley, and bay leaf; cook gently for twenty minutes and rub through sieve, pressing all pulp possible through and scraping off all that clings to under side.  Melt butter, add flour and wen smooth the strained tomato slowly, stir until boiling, season and cook five minutes.  Some cooks add a little sugar to the sauce.  Makes 1 2/3 cups sauce.

Hollandaise Sauce:

1/2 cup butter                                                   1/3 cup boiling water

2 egg yolks                                                          ½ tsp. salt

2 tbsp. lemon juice                                          few grains cayenne

Divide butter into three portions.  Place one in upper part of double boiler with egg yolks and lemon juice.  Set over hot water and cook slowly, stirring constantly, until butter is melted.  Add second portion of butter and continue stirring. 

When sauce thickens add remaining butter and cook until mixture coats spoon.  Add boiling water gradually, cook one minute and season.  Watch carefully and do not overcook as this causes the sauce to curdle.  The water in lower pan should never be allowed to actually boil.  Makes nearly a cup of sauce.