Recipe - A Pale Clear Sauce

2 tablespoon Butter
1 tablespoon Flour
2 cup Stock

OPTIONAL
1 Whole peeled onion
Some white leek or scallion
Tough parts of mushrooms
Salt and fine white pepper
as desired

Not to start a sauce war, but this is just my take on the basic sauce scene
based on reading many cook books (written before and after Escoffier), and
just some rule of thumb ideas that seem to work for me.

Melt butter and mix with flour with a fork. Add warm stock (chicken, veal,
vegetable, whatever), and whisk smooth. Add optionals if you wish. Simmer,
uncovered, skimming off scum as needed. Cornstarch can be substituted for
flour by using 1.5 C stock and adding 0.5 C water mixed with cornstarch
after adding stock. Whisk well in either case. The solids can be added then
for the reduction. Strain the solids out before using. This sauce should be
pale and clear. White wine in a modest amount (substitued for stock) with
some tarragon leaves is nice with fowl. Some like a garlic clove.
Posted to JEWISHFOOD digest V96 #54

Date: Thu, 17 Oct 1996 18:03:41 0600

From: rbparker@henning.cfa.org (Ron Parker)