Method.—Mix the Mayonnaise sauce, mustard, and cream in a basin; chop the tarragon and chervil leaves and put them with the greening into the Béchamel sauce, boil for a few minutes, and pass through a fine tammy-cloth. Let the preparation cool, and incorporate it with the cold sauce. Season to taste with a little salt and pepper, and finish by working in the juice of ½ a lemon. Serve cold.
Time. 1 hour.—Average Cost, 10d. to 1s. for this quantity.
Cayenne (Fr.: Poivre de Cayenne).—The name given to the powder prepared from several varieties of the capsicum, natives of the East and West Indies, and other hot climates. The pods of the capsicum, which are of a handsome scarlet, yellow, or greenish colour, are extremely pungent to the taste, and in the green state are used as a pickle. When ripe, the pods are ground into Cayenne pepper, the most acrid and stimulating of the spices. The fruit of various species of the capsicum is sold under the name of Chilies, the Mexican name for the capsicum; the capsicums preserved in acetic acid which is called "Chili Vinegar." Capsicum is used in medicine chiefly in the form of a tincture, as a stimulant or digestive, and as a remedy for relaxed throats. Cayenne judiciously used is a valuable condiment for improving the flavour of dishes.
195.—HORSERADISH SAUCE OR CREAM. (Hot.) (Fr.—Crême de Raifort [Chaude].)
Ingredients.—1 oz. of flour, 2 ozs. of butter, 1 pint of cream, 3 tablespoonfuls of finely-grated horseradish, 1 teaspoonful of vinegar, 1 pinch of salt, ½ a teaspoonful of sugar.
Method.—Blend the flour with the butter, boil the cream, and add it to the butter and flour; stir over the fire, and boil for 5 minutes taking great care not to let it curdle. Pass through a tammy-cloth or napkin. Add the horseradish, salt and vinegar, and mix well. Serve hot with boiled fish, or roast meat, etc.
Time.—20 to 30 minutes. Average Cost, 1s. 9d. to 2s.
The Horseradish (Fr.: Raifort) is a cruciform plant, common to most of the temperate countries of Europe. It grows abundantly in Britain, to which, however, it is not indigenous, nor has its original habitat been ascertained. It is a well-known condiment, with a pungent taste and odour, and is, also, used as a stomachic and diuretic medicine, and externally as a blister. The root of aconite also bears some resemblance to that of the horseradish; care should, therefore, be taken to prevent accidents arising from mistaking the two roots. In the case of aconite, the root externally is of a dark-brown colour, tapering in shape, and bitter when first tasted. The root of the horseradish has a less tapering form, its odour and taste are at first pungent and acrid, and its external colour is a dirty white. A volatile oil is present in the horseradish, but its volatility is so great that even when prepared for the table, it rapidly spoils by exposure to the air. For the same reason the root should not be preserved by drying, but be kept moist by burying it in sand.
196.—HORSERADISH SAUCE (Hot). (Fr.—Sauce Raifort [Chaude].) (A more Economical Method.)
Ingredients.—2 tablespoonfuls of grated horseradish, ½ a pint of Béchamel sauce, ½ a teaspoonful of castor sugar, ½ a teaspoonful of vinegar, cayenne, and salt.
Method.—Boil up the sauce, moisten the horseradish with the vinegar, add it to the sauce with the other ingredients. Make the sauce thoroughly hot, but do not boil, after the vinegar is added, or it will curdle.
Time.—About 20 minutes. Average Cost, 4d. to 6d.
