Drawn Butter

Original Recipe

Melted butter is the foundation of most of the common sauces. Have a covered saucepan for this purpose. One lined with porcelain will be best. Take a quarter of a pound of the best fresh butter, cut it up, and mix with it about one tablespoonful of flour. When it is thoroughly mixed, put it into the saucepan, and add to it half a teacupful of hot water. Cover the saucepan and set it in a large tin pan of boiling water. Shake it round continually (always moving it the same way) till it is entirely melted and begins to simmer. Then let it rest till it boils up. If you set it on too hot a fire it will be oily. If the butter and flour are not well mixed, it will be lumpy. If you put in too much water, it will be thin and poor. All these defects are to be carefully avoided. In melting butter for sweet or pudding sauce, you may use milk instead of water.