Brown Thickening for Sauces is a traditional British recipe, based on Charles Elmé Francatelli's recipe of 1861, for a classic thickening for sauces made from a blend of clarified butter, butter and flour that's cooked down until browned and bottled for use. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Brown Thickening for Sauces.
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This is a classic recipe for a Victorian version of Brown Thickening for Sauces 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. 9.—BROWN THICKENING FOR SAUCES
Put a pound of butter into a stewpan upon a slow fire to dissolve an throw up the milk it contains in the form of skum; remove this with a spoon, and then pour off the pure oiled butter into another clean stewpan; add to this a pound of butter into another clean stewpan; add to this a pound of sifted flour, and, after having well mixed both together with a wooden spoon, continue stirring the thickening over a slow fire for about an hour, for the purpose of baking it of a very light brown or fawn colour; it must then be poured into an earthern pan to be kept ready for use.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
450g butter
450g butter
450g pain flour, sifted
Method:
Melt 450g butter in a large pan until liquid. Continue cooking gently until the protein solids float to the surface. Skim these with a spoon then pour off the pure clarified butter into a clean pan. Add a further 450g of butter then beat in the sifted flour with a wooden spoon, a little at a time.
Continue stirring and cooking over a low heat for about 60 minutes, or until the mixture thickens and the flour cooks to a very light brown or fawn colour. Take off the heat and allow to cool then pour into bottles and store in the refrigerator until needed.