Sauce Piquante is a traditional British recipe, based on Mrs Beeton's recipe of 1861, for a classic spiced sauce made from a butter, ham and vegetable glaze re-constituted with stock and flavoured with vinegar and spices. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Sauce Piquante.
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This is a traditional British recipe redacted from the redoubtable Mrs Beeton's 1861 volume Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management, the classic Victorian cookbook.
Original Recipe
SAUCE PIQUANTE, for Cutlets, Roast Meat, &c.
513. INGREDIENTS.—2 oz. of butter, 1 small carrot, 6 shalots, 1 small bunch of savoury herbs, including parsley, 1/2 a bay-leaf, 2 slices of lean ham, 2 cloves, 6 peppercorns, 1 blade of mace, 3 whole allspice, 4 tablespoonfuls of vinegar, 1/2 pint of stock (No. 104 or 105), 1 small lump of sugar, 1/4 saltspoonful of cayenne, salt to taste.
Mode.—Put into a stewpan the butter, with the carrot and shalots, both of which must be cut into small slices; add the herbs, bay-leaf, spices, and ham (which must be minced rather finely), and let these ingredients simmer over a slow fire, until the bottom of the stewpan is covered with a brown glaze. Keep stirring with a wooden spoon, and put in the remaining ingredients. Simmer very gently for 1/4 hour, skim off every particle of fat, strain the sauce through a sieve, and serve very hot. Care must be taken that this sauce be not made too acid, although it should possess a sharpness indicated by its name. Of course the above quantity of vinegar may be increased or diminished at pleasure, according to taste.
Time.—Altogether 1/2 hour. Average cost, 10d.
Sufficient for a medium-sized dish of cutlets.
Seasonable at any time.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
60g butter
1 small carrot, thinly sliced
6 shallots, thinly sliced
1 small bunch of savoury herbs (must include parsley)
1/2 bayleaf
2 slices of ham, finely minced
2 cloves
6 black peppercorns
1 blade of mace
3 allspice berries
4 tbsp vinegar
300ml stock
1 small lump of sugar
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
salt, to taste
Method:
Combine the butter, carrots and shallot in a pan then add the bayleaf, herbs and minced ham. Cover and sweat gently over low heat then remove the cover and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the base of the pan is coated with a brown glaze.
Continue stirring as you add the remaining ingredients, bring to a simmer and cook gently for 15 minutes. Skim off any fat from the surface then strain the sauce through a fine-meshed sieve. Serve very hot.
