White Onion Sauce?

Wandering Bob said:
In that case do check out that Delia recipe - it looks straightforward and, as usual, her instructions are clear. Hopefully you have access to the two mustards she proposes …?
Click to expand...

We have two mustards available here. English mustard and that French rubbish. :laugh:
 
Herbie said:
I've just looked up sauce flour and it is rather interesting. It was developed by a Delia fan who watched her on TV making white sauce and explaining the need for fat. This flour does not need fat to make the sauce! https://www.deliaonline.com/ingredient/sauce-flour
Click to expand...

I'm not sure that I believe that. I've been using general purpose flour for over a year now and, using Delia's method, I've never seen a lump. Probably hype.
 
Yorky said:
I came across this many years ago and thought it may complement Yorkshire fried chicken. However, I really don't know how to make it. I'm thinking of starting with a base béchamel sauce but do I fry the onions, boil them or just add them raw? Is there anything else that I should add (in addition to seasoning)? Perhaps sliced mushrooms? I will likely serve the chicken with mashed potatoes and garden peas or shredded cabbage.

Any ideas?
Click to expand...
We have onion sauce with roast pork and roast lamb , probably a couple of time a month. My wife cooks it, but I think she softens (but not browns) the chopped onions in butter, then incorporates them in a bechamel sauce. Other than seasoning she adds nothing else.

Wandering Bob said:
I grew up in Lancashire (the other side of the hill) and my mother used to make a 'bread sauce' to go with roast chicken. I'm sure that was a white sauce with softened onion - but how + when she incorporated the bread, I can no longer remember. But it did go very well with the chicken - which is your plan, I think. If you're curious about that bread sauce, I'll try and get more information
Click to expand...
Yes, we have that with roast chicken too, and with turkey or game birds. We make it by simmering an onion studded with cloves in a pan of milk, then adding breadcrumbs. A grate of nutmeg can enhance both sauces.
 
Wandering Bob said:
Do you know what 'sauce flour' is? I've not come across it before.
Click to expand...

Yorky said:
I've asked this question before. It's just flour, plain.
Click to expand...

Screen Shot 2018-08-08 at 12.25.13.png

Its white flour made from specific wheat which is milled superfine. You can add it directly to a liquid gravy to thicken it (which you can't really do with ordinary flour). The flour used according to the blurb on Carr's website is made from:

Selected wheats that by nature do not form glutinous lumps with the addition of liquids, making Carr's Sauce Flour particularly suitable for sauces without added fat
Click to expand...
 
morning glory said:
View attachment 18220

Its white flour made from specific wheat which is milled superfine. You can add it directly to a liquid gravy to thicken it (which you can't really do with ordinary flour). The flour used according to the blurb on Carr's website is made from:
Click to expand...
I've had very mixed results with that. And not very well mixed sauces!
 
Maybe it is too late, but having looked up a few recipes (in old recipe books) and had a think, this is what I would do.

Simmer the chopped onions in milk (or a mixture of milk and chicken stock) until cooked soft. You could add peppercorns, bay (which you do not have?) and cloves to the milk.
Strain off the milk/stock and use that to make your Delia Smith white sauce in the normal way.
Add the onions back in and heat through. If you want a smooth sauce then blitz with a hand blender.

I think you need at least two large onions for a pint of sauce. Cooked onions are quite mild...use more if you want.
 
morning glory said:
Maybe it is too late, but having looked up a few recipes (in old recipe books) and had a think, this is what I would do.
Click to expand...

No it's not too late. I don't even have the chicken yet! It'll be next week when I get around to it.

We have bay (assuming you're talking of the leaves). I usually make about 200 ml of sauce (just for myself) so one onion should be sufficient (Although I may use shallots). I don't want a smooth sauce but I don't really want big chunks of onion so I'll chop them very fine.
 
Yorky said:
No it's not too late. I don't even have the chicken yet! It'll be next week when I get around to it.

We have bay (assuming you're talking of the leaves). I usually make about 200 ml of sauce (just for myself) so one onion should be sufficient (Although I may use shallots). I don't want a smooth sauce but I don't really want big chunks of onion so I'll chop them very fine.
Click to expand...

I just saw a recipe in an old book which suggests two large onions for 1/2 pint (250 ml) of white sauce. It might be worth cooking two so you can add one and taste then add more if needed. I assume onions/shallots are cheap. They do become very mild when cooked.
 
morning glory said:
I just saw a recipe in an old book which suggests two large onions for 1/2 pint (250 ml) of white sauce. It might be worth cooking two so you can add one and taste then add more if needed. I assume onions/shallots are cheap. They do become very mild when cooked.
Click to expand...

Onions/shallots cost buttons but I really don't want a heavy onion taste. I'll give it a try with one (80 mm dia or a few shallots) first and see how it goes. I'll probably chuck some garlic in also.
 
I'm going to give it a go today. One onion plus 6 garlic cloves, mustard, salt and pepper. As your suggestion MG, I'll simmer in about 200 ml milk and then use the milk for the basic sauce.

I shall report later, hopefully with pictures.
 
I used one 80 mm diameter white onion and 6 cloves of garlic finely chopped and brought to the boil in 220 ml fresh milk. Simmered for 6 minutes then sieved (I ended up with 200 ml milk). Added a knob of butter and a tablespoon of sieved plain flour to the milk and brought back to the boil over a medium heat whisking continuously.After the sauce thickened I seasoned with salt and black pepper and added a teaspoon of English mustard powder. After thoroughly mixing I returned the onions and garlic to the sauce and simmered very gently for around 10 minutes stirring occasionally.

I've had better!

1 s.jpg


2 s.jpg


The onion caused the sauce to become much thicker than expected, in fact the remainder was almost solid in the sauce boat.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom