ed they give a finer flavor
than the canned mushroom, and may be used to great advantage in dark
sauces.

The French _chef_ classes all white sauces as _blonde_, and calls the
jar of very smooth thick white sauce, which he keeps ready made as a
foundation for most of the family of light sauces, his _blonde_ or
_veloute_. This explanation is given because directions are often found
in French recipes to "take half a pint of veloute" or of "blonde." The
mistress of a private house may not find it wise or necessary to keep a
supply of sauce ready made, although to one who has to supply a variety
of sauces each day it is indispensable; but the day before a
dinner-party sauces can be so made, and covered with a film of butter to
prevent skin forming, and can then be heated in a bain-marie when
required for use. Almost every _chef_ has his favorite recipe for
veloute, or white sauce, but they differ only in points that are little
essential; the foundation is always the same, as follows: Put two ounces
of butter in a thick saucepan with two ounces of flour (tablespoonfuls
approximate the ounce, but weight only should be relied on for fine
cooking). Let these melt over the fire, stirring them so that the
butter and flour become well mixed; then let them bubble together,
stirring enough to prevent the flour sticking or changing color. Three
minutes will suffice to cook the flour; add a pint of clear hot white
stock that has been strained through a cloth. This stock must not be
poured slowly, or the sauce will thicken too fast. Hold the pint-measure
or other vessel in which the stock may be in the left hand, stir the
butter and flour quickly with the right, then turn the broth to it _all
at once_. Let this simmer an hour until very thick, then add a gill of
very rich cream, stir, and the sauce is ready.

This is undoubtedly the best way to make white sauce, which is to serve
as a foundation for others, or is intended to mask meat or poultry, the
long, slow simmering producing an extreme blandness not to be attained
by a quicker method. But circumstances sometimes prevent the previous
preparation of the sauce, in which case it may be made exactly in the
same way, only instead of a pint of broth, but three gills should be
poured on the butter and flour, and a gill of thick cream stirred in
when it boils; the sauce is finished when it again reaches the
boiling-point.

This is the foundation for the following "grand" sauces: Poulet