White Matelotte Sauce is a traditional British recipe, based on Charles Elmé Francatelli's recipe of 1861, for a classic white sauce with oysters, button mushrooms and white wine thickened with an egg yolks and cream liaison. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: White Matelotte Sauce.
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This is a classic recipe for a Victorian version of White Matelotte Sauce that's derived from the chef, Charles Elmé Francatelli' 1861 volume, The Cook's Guide and Housekeeper's & Butler's Assistant. Below you will find both the recipe in its original form and a modern redaction.
Original Recipe
No. 87.—WHITE MATELOTTE SAUCE.
Scald, beard, and drain two dozen oysters, and put their liquor in a stewpan with a glassful of French white wine, some mushroom juice, and half a pint of white sauce of any kind; stir this over the fire to reduce by boiling for a quarter of an hour, and then add three yolks and half a gill of cream, a little anchovy, a pinch of sugar, the juice of half a lemon; stir again over the fire to set the leason, and strain the sauce into a small stewpan containing the oysters, and a little number of button mushrooms. This sauce is intended specially for what is termed Matelotte Normande; but it is also well adapted for many other kinds of dressed fish.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
24 oysters
200ml white wine
2 tbsp mushroom juice
300ml white sauce (any kind will do)
3 egg yolks
70ml cream
2 tsp anchovy essence
1 pinch of sugar
span property="v:amount"juice of 1/2 lemon
6 button mushrooms, fried
Method:
Heat a pan until hot, add the oysters, cover with a lid and scald for 5 minutes, shaking the pan from time to time to prevent them from burning. Remove the oysters, allow to cool then beard and drain. Shuck the oysters and reserve their liquor. Combine the oyster liquor with any pan juices then strain into a large pan.
Add the wine, mushroom juice, white sauce and stir as you bring to a boil. Continue boiling for 15 minutes. In the meantime, whisk together the egg yolks and cream in a bowl. Take the sauce off the heat and pour about 200ml into the egg mixture to temper. Whisk to combine then add back to the pan.
Return to the hob then whisk in the anchovy essence, sugar and lemon juice. Stir and continue cooking until thickened then strain into a small pan then add the cooked oysters and the mushrooms. Serve with Matelotte Normande or any kind of dressed fish.
