OMMON "CREAM SAUCE"

Young housekeepers will be surprised to learn of the various
attractive, appetizing dishes which may be prepared by combining them
with a "cream sauce." After cooking vegetables until tender in salted
water, they should be drained and served with a cream sauce poured
over. The art of making a smooth, creamy sauce of the proper
consistency is easily acquired. A good rule for "common cream sauce"
is 1 cup of milk, water, or meat broth, thickened with 1 tablespoonful
to 1-1/2 tablespoonfuls of flour, or a combination of flour and
cornstarch. Mix flour, or cornstarch, with a small quantity of cold
milk or water, to a smooth paste, before adding it to liquid; add,
usually, one tablespoonful of butter. Place the mixture in a saucepan
and cook until the consistency of cream, add 1/2 teaspoonful of salt
just before removing from the fire, and dust pepper over when serving.
When mixing gravy to serve with roast beef or veal, omit butter. For a
thick sauce use either 2 or 3 tablespoonfuls of flour and the same
amount of butter. This thick sauce may be used to mix with meat for
croquettes in the proportion of 1 cup of sauce to 2 cups of chopped
cold roast lamb, beef, veal or chicken. Should a richer sauce be
desired, add 1 or more yolks of eggs to the cream sauce. Some of the
numerous dishes which might be served by the young housewife to vary
the daily bill of fare by the addition of "cream sauce," are: Small,
new potatoes, cauliflower, onions, cabbage asparagus tips, thinly
sliced carrots, celery, mushrooms, fish, oysters, chicken, veal and
sweetbreads. All of these, when coked, may be served on slices of
toasted bread, or served in Pattie-cases, with cream sauce, or served
simply with cream sauce.

PREPARATION OF SAVORY GRAVIES

The art of preparing savory gravies and sauces is more important in
connection with the serving of the cheaper meats than in connection
with the cooking of the more expensive cuts.

There are a few general principles underlying the making of all sauces
or gravies, whether the liquid used is water, milk, stock, tomato
juice or some combination of these. For ordinary gravy, 2 level
tablespoonfuls of flour or 1-1/2 tablespoonfuls of cornstarch, or
arrow root, is sufficient to thicken a cup of liquid. This is true
excepting in recipes where the flour is browned. In this case, about
1/2 tablespoonful more should be allowed, for browned flour does not
thicken so well as unbrowned.