Is the foundation for several well-known white French sauces. It will be observed that the first step is always the same - equal proportions of butter and flour stirred together over the fire until the flour is cooked; then milk is added for white sauce, veal or chicken stock for bech-amel, water for butter sauce. On these foundations are several variations: eggs and oil make butter sauce into Hollandaise; mushrooms and eggs make it into veloute or allemande; a glass of white wine makes it poulette.

When butter sauce, or white sauce is to be served simply, more butter may be added in proportion to the quantity of flour; the butter will only make the sauce more rich, not thicker or thinner; the flour should be one tablespoonful, or ounce, to half a pint of liquid. A recipe for very rich white sauce is given in the first part of this book. That sauce cannot be improved upon for instant use, but butter or white sauce made very rich, will break if left standing many minutes. The best proportions for a sauce that is to be kept hot, is one ounce of butter, one ounce of flour to half a pint of liquid. If wanted richer than this, stir in one or two ounces of butter at the last moment.

Butter Sauce, Simple

One ounce of butter, one ounce of flour; put the butter in a small, thick saucepan, marbleized, or iron (never use tin for sauce); when melted put in the flour, stirring it, let it bubble, stirring all the time till it is a fine yellow, it takes one minute usually; then pour in half a pint of hot water and a saltspoonful of salt. Using milk instead of water makes it a simple white sauce.