BREAD SAUCE

Pour quite boiling, on half a pint of the finest bread-crumbs, an equal measure of new milk; cover them closely with a plate, and let the sauce remain for twenty or thirty minutes; put it then into a delicately clean saucepan, with a small saltspoonful of salt, half as much pounded mace, a little cayenne, and about an ounce of fresh butter; keep it stirred constantly over a clear fire for a few minutes, then mix with it a couple of spoonsful of good cream, give it a boil, and serve it immediately. When cream is not to be had, an additional spoonful or two of milk must be used. The bread used for sauce should be _stale_, and lightly grated down into extremely small crumbs, or the preparation will look rough when sent to table. Not only the crust, but all heavy-looking or imperfectly baked portions of it, should be entirely pared off, and it should be pressed against the grater only so much as will reduce it easily into crumbs. When stale bread cannot be procured, the new should be sliced thin, or broken up small, and beaten quite smooth with a fork after it has been soaked. As some will absorb more liquid than others, the cook must increase a little the above proportion should it be needed. Equal parts of milk and of thin cream make an excellent bread sauce: more butter can be used to enrich it when it is liked.

Bread-crumbs and new milk, each 1/2 pint (or any other measure); soaked 20 to 30 minutes, or more. Salt, small saltspoonful; mace, half as much; little cayenne; butter, 1 oz.; boiled 4 to 5 minutes. 2 to 4 spoonsful of good cream (or milk): 1 minute. Or: bread-crumbs, 1/2 pint; milk and cream, each 1/4 pint; and from 2 to 4 spoonsful of either in addition.

_Obs._—Very pale, strong veal gravy is sometimes poured on the bread-crumbs, instead of milk; and these, after being soaked, are boiled extremely dry, and then brought to the proper consistence with rich cream. The gravy may be highly flavoured with mushrooms when this is done.