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Drawn Butter

A historical recipe from Domestic French Cookery, 4th ed., by Sulpice Barué (1836).

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A historical recipe

Domestic French Cookery, 4th ed., by Sulpice Barué (1836). Project Gutenberg eBook #34837.

From an old book: a historical recipe, not current advice. Its methods, additives and storage may be unsafe by today's standards.

France

Known as a French recipe, with similar versions prepared across other nations.

Ingredients 4 ingredients

  1. a tumbler of water
  2. two ounces of butter
  3. a half pint of boiling water
  4. a glass of white wine

Cook safely

Keep children and pets away from the hob and the oven, and keep oven gloves and a lid within reach.

  • Boiling water and steam. Turn pan handles inward, away from the edge of the hob. Lift lids away from you, and pour hot water away from your body: steam burns too.
  • Sharp knives. Cut on a board that doesn't slip (a damp cloth under it helps), and curl the fingers of the hand that holds the food.

Method

  1. Put into a small pan a table-spoonful of flour and a tumbler of water, with salt to your taste, and a little pepper.
  2. Stir it till it boils.
  3. Then withdraw it from the fire, and add two ounces of butter and a few drops of cold water, with a little lemon-juice, or vinegar.
  4. Set it on the stove, or near the fire, and keep it warm till it is wanted.
  5. You may thicken it while boiling with mushrooms, cut small;
  6. or after it is done with hard eggs chopped fine, pickled cucumbers chopped, or capers.
  7. MELTED BUTTER--another way.
  8. Put into a sauce-pan a quarter of a pound of butter.
  9. When quite melted over the fire, throw in a large spoonful of flour, and add a half pint of boiling water, and salt to your taste.
  10. Boil it a few minutes, and then put in a tea-spoonful of cold water.
  11. If intended as sauce for a pudding, stir in at the last a glass of white wine, and half a grated nutmeg.

Plating

Cookware for this recipe

  • Saucepan
  • Chef's knife
  • Cutting board
  • Grater
  • Wooden spoon
Source Public domain in the USA
Credit

From Domestic French Cookery, 4th ed., by Sulpice Barué (1836). Digitised by Project Gutenberg, eBook #34837 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/34837). Public domain in the USA; its status may differ elsewhere.

What was changed: As printed, from the book's text; Project Gutenberg's header and licence removed. Ingredient lines were read out of the text by a program. A historical recipe, not current advice.