Sauce Italienne

Like most of Menon’s sauces, this is thickened with a coulis – a purée that could be based on concentrated meat essences thickened with a roux of fat and flour, or on vegetables like dried peas or lentils. Sauce italienne foreshadows today’s classic brown sauces, based on espagnole sauce instead of a coulis.

In a casserole put a slice of ham, three or four mushrooms, two or three shallots, half a clove of garlic, a quarter of a bay leaf, and a good tablespoon of