HFF 4.12: Get Saucy

The Challenge: Get Saucy--Make a sauce, relish, or topping.

The Recipe: Sauce d'Oignon/Onion Sauce from A New System of Domestic Cookery

The Date/Year and Region: 1844, Philadelphia [from 67th London edition; 1st London edition 1805]

How Did You Make It: Boiled half a onion in 1 cup of milk. Attempted to crush the onion, then boiled it a second time in 2 Tbsp butter, with a splash of the milk. Added a splash of white wine vinegar, and served hot.

Time to Complete: About 40 minutes

Total Cost: All ingredients on hand already.

How Successful Was It?: Tasted fine--basically just of onion. I served it over chicken and mashed potatoes, and thought it was very tasty. The texture was a bit chunky, however. I think if I were trying this again, I'd cut the onion much finer to start, and try to have an appropriately-sized mortar and pestle for the crushing. The boiled onion pieces were so soft that neither a knife, nor any of the other implements I tried was very effective on them. 

How Accurate Is It?: The texture, as noted was less sauce-like than I think it is intended to be. I used skim milk and a local yellow sweet onion, though I think a white onion would work very well. As none of the other proportions were given, I just sort of guessed. I think it turned out pretty well, though I probably could have gotten by with less milk and a little more vinegar.

Onion sauce on chicken and potatoes.