Flavored Butter

I ran across these flavored butter recipes in a vintage cookbook and thought you would enjoy them.  I also included the information about steaks because it's just plain fun reading.  This takes us back to the days when you purchased your meat at a butcher shop.  

STEAKS

The selection of steak depends entirely upon the number of persons to be served. A steak cannot be classed as a cheap meat; the portions of bone and trimming makes this meat a rare luxury in these times of high prices.

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Yet there come times when the men folk want steak—and steak it must be. There are three kinds of meats that are cut into steaks; namely, the loin, rump and round. All three will make delicious eating if properly prepared.

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The round steak has the least waste, and if steaks are taken from the first three cuts they should be tender and juicy, providing they are cut sufficiently thick and are properly cooked.

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The rump steak is fully as tender and palatable as loin and it contains about one-third less waste. The sirloin is the choicest cut in the whole carcass and it contains a proportionately large amount of waste.

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Have the butcher cut the round steak one-half inch thick and then pound it with a meat ax to break the tough tissues. Place on a platter and brush with salad oil and let stand for one-half hour. Now broil in the usual manner, turning every four minutes. Lift to a hot platter and spread with choice meat butters given below.

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Rump steak should be cut two inches thick and the bone and fat trimmed. Now nick and score the edge of the fat and brush with salad oil, and then broil the same as for round steak.

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The sirloin steak should be cut two inches thick. Have the butcher remove the chine bone and then the flank end. Let him add a piece of suet to the flank end; then put it through the food chopper for hamburg steak. It is a mistake to cook the flank with the sirloin. Brush the steak with salad oil and then broil. Lift to a hot platter.

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Place one pint of water and one tablespoonful of salt in the bottom of the broiling pan to prevent the fat drippings from taking fire. Turn the meat every four minutes, so that it makes the cooking even. To test the meat when broiling press with a knife; if it is soft and spongy it is raw. Watch carefully and when just beginning to become firm it is rare. Allow four minutes for medium and six minutes for well done.

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Do not turn the meat with a fork. The intense heat has sealed or seared the surface and caused the meat to retain its juices, and if you use a fork to turn it you will puncture or make an opening so that these juices will escape.

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A two-pound steak will be cooked rare in twelve minutes, medium in fifteen minutes and well done in eighteen minutes. Always lift to a hot platter.

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FRENCH BUTTER

Two tablespoons of finely chopped chives,

One tablespoon of finely chopped leeks,

One tablespoon of finely chopped tarragon,

Juice of one-half lemon,

Two tablespoons of melted butter,

One-half teaspoon of salt,

One-half teaspoon of paprika.

Work to a smooth paste.

French and Italian and Swiss cooks frequently serve a vegetable garnish with steaks. It is prepared as follows:

One green pepper, chopped fine,

Two leeks, chopped fine,

Eight branches of parsley, chopped fine,

Two onions, chopped fine,

Ten branches of tarragon, chopped fine,

One-half cup of chives, chopped fine.

Place four tablespoonfuls of shortening or vegetable oil in a frying pan and add the herbs and cook very slowly until soft, taking care not to brown. Now season with salt, pepper and dress on a hot platter in a little mound at the bottom of the steak. Garnish with a slice of lemon.

LONDON BUTTER

One tablespoon of melted butter,

One tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce,

One-half teaspoon of salt,

One-half teaspoon of pepper,

One tablespoon of lemon juice.

Mix and then pour over the steak.

SWISS BUTTER

One tablespoon of grated onion,

One tablespoon of finely minced parsley,

One-half teaspoon of salt,

One-quarter teaspoon of paprika,

One and one-half tablespoons of butter.

Work to a smooth paste.

ITALIAN BUTTER

One green pepper, chopped very fine,

One teaspoon of paprika,

One-half teaspoon of salt,

Two tablespoons of butter.

Work to a smooth paste and then spread on the meat.

COUNTRY STYLE GREEN APPLE PIE

In the Hollow, we would call this an Upside Down Apple Pie and would make it with whatever type of apple happened to be available.  I often wondered who planted all those apple and pear trees we would visit as a child.  The trees were huge and had been around for a generation.  Unfortunately, the homesteads were already lost to time.  Maybe they came from John Chapman.  Who's John Chapman?  He's better known as Johnny Appleseed!    

COUNTRY STYLE GREEN APPLE PIE

Pare the apples and then cut into thin slices. Now place a layer of apples in a pudding pan and sprinkle each layer with

Two tablespoons of flour,

Six tablespoons of brown sugar,

One-quarter teaspoon of cinnamon.

Repeat this until the pan is full. Now place a crust on top and bake in slow (325 degrees) oven for forty minutes. To serve: Run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the crust. Invert the plate over the pie and turn the pie upside down upon the plate. Cover with fruit, whip and cut into wedge-shaped pieces and serve with custard sauce.

Here a sauce, there a sauce...

Vintage recipes are often tried and true.  Why not try one of these recipes next time you are tempted to purchase one in the grocery store.  Not only are these less expensive, but you will have control over the ingredients. 

CARAMEL SAUCE

One cup of brown sugar,

Four tablespoons of water,

One tablespoon of butter.

Place in a frying pan and cook until caramelised, then add one and one-half cups of water. Bring to a boil and then add four tablespoons of cornstarch dissolved in five tablespoons of water. Stir until the mixture thickens and cook for five minutes, then add one teaspoon of vanilla and use.

FRUIT SAUCE

Place in a saucepan

One cup of crushed fresh fruit,

One cup of brown sugar,

One cup of water.

Cook until the fruit is soft and then cool. Rub through a fine sieve and then add

Three tablespoonfuls cornstarch

dissolved in

Three tablespoons of water.

Bring to a boil and cook for five minutes.

VANILLA SAUCE

Place in a saucepan

One-half cup of sugar,

One-half cup of white corn syrup,

One-half cup of water,

Two tablespoons of cornstarch.

Stir to dissolve and then bring to a boil and cook three minutes. Now add

One tablespoon of vanilla extract.

LEMON SAUCE

Place in a saucepan

Grated rind of one lemon,

Two cups of water,

Four tablespoons of cornstarch.

Dissolve the starch and then bring to a boil. Cook slowly for five minutes and then add

One cup of sugar,

Juice of two lemons.

Beat to thoroughly mix and then serve.

Baked Green Peppers

Growing up in the hollow, we had Stuffed Green Peppers often during the summer.  It was a great way to use up green peppers at the height of the garden harvest.  When I ran across this vintage recipe using bacon and bread crumbs, I was intrigued that I had never heard of it before.  We always used ground beef in our stuffed peppers.  But, this recipe sounds delicious and I thought you would enjoy it.

BAKED GREEN PEPPERS

Allow one large pepper for each person. Cut a slice from the top and remove the seeds and then place in cold water until needed. Now mince fine four onions and then cook until tender but not brown, in four tablespoons of shortening. Place in a bowl and then add

Two ounces of bacon, diced and cooked to a light brown,

One and one-half cups of fine bread crumbs,

Two teaspoons of salt,

One teaspoon paprika,

One-half teaspoon thyme,

Three-quarters cup of milk,

One well-beaten egg.

Mix and then fill into six large peppers. Place in a greased baking pan and add one-half cup of water. Bake for forty minutes in a moderate oven. Five minutes before removing from the oven place a strip of bacon over each pepper. When nicely browned, serve.

Mustard and Onion Sandwiches

Hardly a Summer passes when I don't remember Mom feeding me mustard and onion sandwiches.  She would toast up two slices of white bread, spread mustard on both sides and add onion slices.  I never missed the meat.  Back in the hollow, I didn't realize it was because we had run out out of food before payday.  Mom found a way to make a meal stretch without making us feel deprived.  Almost once a week we would have SOS on toast.  SOS you ask?  It's a white gravy with ground beef or chipped beef crumbled in for good measure.  If times were really good, she would serve it with green peas on top.  As a child, I hated green peas.  I've come to accept them as an adult.  But, back in the hollow, Daddy tried to make me eat them one night at supper.  I made a production of picking a pea up off the plate, placing it carefully on my spoon, and then putting it in my mouth.  Then I took a big gulp of milk and swallowed it whole while making a disgusting face and shaking all over.  After the third pea, Daddy gave up and told me to leave the table.  He'd be rolling in the floor with laughter if he saw me willingly eating them today.

Got Sauce?

I found these recipes in a vintage cookbook and thought you would enjoy them. .

SAUCES

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CUCUMBER SAUCE—Pare two good sized cucumbers and cut a generous piece from the stem end. Grate on a coarse grater and drain through cheese cloth for half an hour. Season the pulp with salt, pepper and vinegar to suit the taste. Serve with broiled, baked or fried fish. .

GHERKIN SAUCE—Put a sprig of thyme, a bay-leaf, a clove of garlic, two finely chopped shallots, and a cayenne pepper, and salt into a saucepan, with one breakfast cup of vinegar. Place pan on fire and when contents have boiled for thirty minutes, add a breakfast cup of stock or good broth. Strain it through a fine hair sieve and stir in one and one-half ounces of liquefied butter mixed with a little flour to thicken it. Place it back in the saucepan and when it boils stir in it a teaspoonful or so of parsley very finely chopped, two or three ounces of pickle gherkins, and a little salt if required.

GIBLET SAUCE—Put the giblets from any bird in the saucepan with sufficient stock or water to cover them and boil for three hours, adding an onion and a few peppercorns while cooking. Take them out, and when they are quite tender strain the liquor into another pan and chop up the gizzards, livers, and other parts into small pieces. Take a little of the thickening left at the bottom of the pan in which a chicken or goose has been braised, and after the fat has been taken off, mix it with the giblet liquor and boil until dissolved. Strain the sauce, put in the pieces of giblet, and serve hot. .

GOOSEBERRY SAUCE—Pick one pound of green gooseberries and put them into a saucepan with sufficient water to keep them from burning, when soft mash them, grate in a little nutmeg and sweeten to taste with moist sugar. This sauce may be served with roast pork or goose instead of apple sauce. It may also be served with boiled mackerel. A small piece of butter will make the sauce richer.

HALF-GLAZE SAUCE—Put one pint of clear concentrated veal gravy in a saucepan, mix it with two wine-glassfuls of Madeira, a bunch of sweet herbs, and set both over the fire until boiling. Mix two tablespoonfuls of potato flour to a smooth paste with a little cold water, then mix it with the broth and stir until thick. Move the pan to the side of the fire and let the sauce boil gently until reduced to two-thirds of its original quantity. Skim it well, pass it through a silk sieve, and it is ready for use.

HAM SAUCE—After a ham is nearly all used up pick the small quantity of meat still remaining, from the bone, scrape away the uneatable parts and trim off any rusty bits from the meat, chop the bone very small and beat the meat almost to a paste. Put the broken bones and meat together into a saucepan over a slow fire, pour over them one-quarter pint of broth, and stir about one-quarter of an hour, add to it a few sweet herbs, a seasoning of pepper and one-half pint of good beef stock. Cover the saucepan and stir very gently until well flavored with herbs, then strain it. A little of this added to any gravy is an improvement.

HORSERADISH SAUCE—Place in a basin one tablespoonful of moist sugar, one tablespoonful of ground mustard, one teacupful of grated horseradish, and one teaspoonful of turmeric, season with pepper and salt and mix the ingredients with a teacupful of vinegar or olive oil. When quite smooth, turn the sauce into a sauceboat, and it is ready to be served.

LEMON BUTTER—Cream four level tablespoons of butter and add gradually one tablespoon of lemon juice mixing thoroughly.

LEMON SAUCE FOR FISH—Squeeze and strain the juice of a large lemon into a lined saucepan, put in with it one-fourth pound butter and pepper, and salt to taste. Beat it over the fire until thick and hot, but do not allow to boil. When done mix with sauce the beaten yolks of two eggs. It is then ready to be served. . 

LOBSTER BUTTER—Take the head and spawn of some hen lobsters, put them in a mortar and pound, add an equal quantity of fresh butter, and pound both together, being sure they are thoroughly mixed. Pass this through a fine hair sieve, and the butter is then ready for use. It is very nice for garnishing or for making sandwiches.

MAITRE D'HOTEL BUTTER—Cream one-fourth cup of butter. Add one-half teaspoon salt, a dash of pepper and a tablespoon of fine chopped parsley, then, very slowly to avoid curdling, a tablespoon of lemon juice. This sauce is appropriate for beefsteak and boiled fish. . SAUCE A LA METCALF—Put two or three tablespoonfuls of butter in a saucepan, and when it melts add about a tablespoonful of Liebig's Extract of Beef; season and gradually stir in about a cupful of cream. After taking off, add a wine-glassful of Sherry or Madeira.

PARSLEY AND LEMON SAUCE—Squeeze the juice from a lemon, remove the pips, and mince fine the pulp and rind. Wash a good handful of parsley, and shake it as dry as possible, and chop it, throwing away the stalks. Put one ounce of butter and one tablespoonful of flour into a saucepan, and stir over fire until well mixed. Then put in the parsley and minced lemon, and pour in as much clear stock as will be required to make the sauce. Season with a small quantity of pounded mace, and stir the whole over the fire a few minutes. Beat the yolks of two eggs with two tablespoonfuls of cold stock, and move the sauce to the side of the fire, and when it has cooled a little, stir in the eggs. Stir the sauce for two minutes on the side of the fire, and it will be ready for serving.

POIVRADE SAUCE—Put in a stewpan six scallions, a little thyme, a good bunch of parsley, two bay-leaves, a dessert-spoonful of white pepper, two tablespoons of vinegar and two ounces of butter, and let all stew together until nearly all the liquor has evaporated; add one teacupful of stock, two teacupfuls of Spanish sauce. Boil this until reduced to one-half, then serve.

ROYAL SAUCE—Put four ounces of fresh butter and the yolks of two fresh eggs into a saucepan and stir them over the fire until the yolks begin to thicken, but do not allow them to cook hard. Take sauce off the fire and stir in by degrees two tablespoonfuls of tarragon vinegar, two tablespoons of Indian soy, one finely chopped green gherkin, one small pinch of cayenne pepper, and a small quantity of salt. When well incorporated keep sauce in a cold place. When cold serve with fish.

SAUCE FOR FISH—Simmer two cups of milk with a slice of onion, a slice of carrot cut in bits, a sprig of parsley and a bit of bay-leaf for a few minutes. Strain onto one-quarter cup of butter rubbed smooth with the same flour. Cook five minutes and season with a level teaspoon of salt and a saltspoon of pepper. .

SHRIMP SAUCE—Pour one pint of poivrade sauce and butter sauce into a saucepan and boil until somewhat reduced. Thicken the sauce with two ounces of lobster butter. Pick one and one-half pints of shrimps, put them into the sauce with a small quantity of lemon juice, stir the sauce by the side of the fire for a few minutes, then serve it.

SAUCE FOR FRIED PIKE—Peel and chop very fine one small onion, one green pepper, half a peeled clove, and garlic. Season with salt, red pepper and half a wine-glassful of good white wine. Boil about two minutes and add a gill of tomato sauce and a small tomato cut in dice shaped pieces. Cook about ten minutes.