Celery Sauce is a traditional British recipe, based on Mrs Beeton's recipe of 1861, for a classic sauce of celery in white stock and cream flavoured with mace and herbs. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Celery Sauce.
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This is a traditional British recipe redacted from the redoubtable Mrs Beeton's 1861 volume Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management, the classic Victorian cookbook.
Original Recipe
CELERY SAUCE, FOR BOILED TURKEY, POULTRY, &c.
387. INGREDIENTS.—6 heads of celery, 1 pint of white stock, No. 107, 2 blades of mace, 1 small bunch of savoury herbs; thickening of butter and flour, or arrowroot, 1/2 pint of cream, lemon-juice.
Mode.—Boil the celery in salt and water, until tender, and cut it into pieces 2 inches long. Put the stock into a stewpan with the mace and herbs, and let it simmer for 1/2 hour to extract their flavour. Then strain the liquor, add the celery and a thickening of butter kneaded with flour, or, what is still better, with arrowroot; just before serving, put in the cream, boil it up and squeeze in a little lemon-juice. If necessary, add a seasoning of salt and white pepper.
Time.—25 minutes to boil the celery. Average cost, 1s. 3d.
Sufficient, this quantity, for a boiled turkey.
This sauce may be made brown by using gravy instead of white stock, and flavouring it with mushroom ketchup or Harvey's sauce.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
6 heads of celery
600ml white stock
2 blades of mace
1 small bunch of savoury herbs
1 tbsp butter mixed with 1 tbsp plain flour to a smooth paste (for use as a thickening) or 2 tsp arrowroot
300ml cream
1 tsp lemon juice
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
Method:
Bring a pan of lightly-salted water to a boil, add the celery and cook for about 20 minutes, or until tender. Drain the celery then chop into pieces about 5cm long.
Place the white stock in a pan then add the mace and herbs. Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes before straining through a fine-meshed sieve. Pour the liquid into a pan, add the celery then whisk in the butter and flour thickening (or the arrowroot), adding a small piece at a time. Bring to a simmer and cook until smooth and thickened.
Just before serving, add the cream and lemon juice then bring to a boil. Take off the heat and adjust the seasoning to taste. Serve hot
