by Nancy Armitage
To someone that is unaware, sauces might seem quite elementary. For me personally, I think they are the sweet spot of a gourmet meal. I remember having an outstanding luncheon at the Lobster Pot restaurant in Provincetown, MA. My husband & I were sitting at this lovely seaside restaurant on the bay. We were offered 4 sauces to choose from, for our beautiful meal. At this white-tablecloth restaurant, I was quite impressed by this gesture of the waiter, I love good sauces. There was a Sesame Seed Cream dressing, Roquefort Salad dressing, & 2 different Steak sauces, which were all amazing! This is how they served meals in the Gilded Age, there was a sauce for every dish in every dinner course served (10-16 different courses).
Often, at our family “Sunday Night Dinners”, my sons, Murphy & Desmond, or I will create a fun new sauce to accompany our delicious BBQ meal. Especially during Covid-19 lockdown (2020+), our family was creating a lot of beautiful gourmet food. Sometimes, 3 or 4 sauces we would make. For various “Mixed Grill” meats, sausages, chicken & fish, to enhanced our dinner table. Murph’s Chimichurri sauce was exceptional with a steak dinner, or Herb “Compound” Butter Dipping Sauce for a lobster birthday dinner. In 2020, I started a family cookbook in a composition notebook. That night, Murphy was making a boysenberry teriyaki marinade for chicken. I thought “I’ve got to write this down…very creative chefs are cooking in our kitchen”. It sounded so weird but was so delicious.
The reality of gourmet fine cooking, it’s the sauces that are the icing on the cake. Many years ago, my son, Taylor, was a waiter/server at a gourmet steakhouse. The waiters had to sign a paper stating they would not give away any secrets of the kitchen. Of course, I asked about the incredible sauces they had, no waiter would tell me any information. I remember their Lobster Egg Roll with a Balsamic – Syrup Drizzle, that was incredible! One thing my son did tell me, was that the restaurant had 5 base sauces, that turned into 20 sauces. These sauces were made everyday.
This multitude of sauces…. is a French tradition started by the great Monsieur Auguste Escoffier himself. These 5 base sauces…. are referred to as the “5 Mother Sauces” (that all the other sauces are made from), The 5 Mother Sauces are: 1. Hollandaise sauce (a lemony cream sauce) 2. Tomato Sauce 3. Bechamel sauce (a cream sauce with cheese) 4. Espanole Sauce (a rich flavorful brown tomato-based sauce, sometimes spicy) & 5. Veloute Sauce (with 3 ingredients of butter, flour, & stock.) So these 5 sauces, are made first in the kitchen; everyday first thing by the 2nd chef or the sauce cook.
My son, Taylor, remembers this steakhouse making about 20 sauces for their full menu everyday. We remembered a couple of the tasty sauces: 1. French Beurre Blanc sauce (a butter cream sauce with wine) made with butter, vinegar, white wine usually Muscadet & shallots for fish or ahi tuna, 2.Rich Brown Sauce for veal, 3. Madeira wine sauce, & 4. thick red wine sauce (cabernet wine) for steak, & 5. a herb sauce. These sauces were made everyday; a lot of work I must say.
The Huntington family’s In-House staff: How many mouths did the Huntingtons fed in all the Huntington mansions?
The Huntington’s Mansion Kitchen at No. 2 57th St. NYC had to be a very busy kitchen indeed. Lets talk about the people that worked & lived there. Most years in the early 1900’s, the Collis and Arabella Huntingtons had from 16-20 In-House servants at this NYC address. These numbers did not include Mrs. Huntington’s ladies’ maid (Miss Jeanne Reifer) & her personal secretary (Miss Caroline Campbell), Mr. Huntington’s valet (Mr. Alfonzo Gomez) & his personal secretary, Mr. Varnum or later Mr. Hapgood. During the festive holidays, the Huntingtons would hire 4-6 more cooks, maids or footmen to help out during their large holiday “entertainments” & the Huntington’s houseguests. Did the Houseguests have a valet or a maid, that also needed to be housed & fed. So the kitchen fed something like 25-27 in-house staff.
So where did they house all these people. Well, the Huntingtons owned No. 2 East 57th St. NYC, NY, the main mansion, & they also owned next door: No. 4 East 57th St. which was attached to the main mansion. On the 2nd floor of No. 4 was the Huntington Library of Collis Huntington. There could have been servant rooms most likely down stairs at No. 4. The Huntington’s also owned No. 8 East 57th St. NYC, NY, (2 doors down), so many of the servants could have possibly lived on that property, too. So my point, talking about the Huntingtons in-house staff – the Huntington’s Head Cook fed over 25 in-house servants – 3 meals a day – 75 meals & dishes to clean up too. In 1916 & 1917 the Huntington’s Head Cook was named: Esther Fallgren. But she had a large crew of kitchen staff to help her, but it must have been quite a undertaking. Also, Miss or Mrs. Fallgren, head cook also fed all the Huntingtons, their family, friends, & house guests, & all Huntington “entertainments”. I will guarantee that soups & sauces were always cooking in the Huntington’s New York City kitchen.
Huntington family’s “Entertainments”:
In the early days of 1890’s, sauces & soups were homemade everyday. In the Gilded Age, a wealthy family’s kitchen had to be run like a restaurant to function. The Huntingtons hosted many “entertainments’ at their luxury mansion. They hosted dinners with Presidents of the United States like Taft, Roosevelt, & Ulysses S. Grant. They hosted Sunday Night dinners & family reunions. They had weekly & monthly “At-Home Teas” every Tuesday. For the Christmas holidays, the Huntingtons hosted a lot of their family for 1 month at a time, as houseguests.
In the 1890’s & early 1900’s, when the Collis Huntington’s entertained it was quite lavish entertaining; with 10-16 courses at dinner banquets. Those dinners could have possibly been catered, so not to tax their in-house kitchen staff. It was also in vogue to hired a special French chef & his team for a special dinner feast to impress one’s guests. If Delmonico’s catered a Huntington they might have brought their own plates & flatware. Less clean-up for the Huntington’s staff. Or the Huntington’s had the event at Delmonico’s in NYC.
Huntington’s Savory Sauces:
Notice in 1919, (below) that the Huntingston’s head cook was allowed to take advantage of sauces that were bottled & sold at their local New York City gourmet market: Park & Tilford.
In the Huntington’s Mansion No. 2 East 57th St. NYC, NY: I found a handful of sauces listed on invoices in the Huntington’s kitchen pantry. Some sauces I had never heard of before. Listed on Huntington grocery lists & stored in the larder (pantry). They were all in jars & bottles (1919) & here is a list of them: Sauce Robert or Robert Sauce, Oscar Sauce, Harvey Sauce, Anchovy Sauce, Meyers Putz, Heinz Relish, L & P Sauce (Lee & Perrins), Heinz Chili Sauce & Tabasco Hot Sauce. So let me investigate some of these sauces & find out what the Huntington’s might have used them for & find some of the sauce recipes.
Harvey Sauce was popular in the Gilded Age. It is from England, a spicy savory brown gravy sauce. It was used to put on fish & seafood; it consisted of anchovies with strong English vinegar, India soy (which I’m not sure what that is), Mushroom Catsup [I’ll have to find a recipe for that one], garlic cloves, & cayenne pepper.
Oscar Sauce is for “Steak Oscar” which is a gourmet dinner entrée. This sauce is used on a sizzling filet mignon with lemony Béarnaise sauce drizzle on top. topped with sauté mushrooms & asparagus spears with crabmeat crowning the top ; maybe garnished with some baby chives or herbs sprinkle on the top. The blender Bearnaise Sauce includes unsalted butter, sautéed minced shallots, 3 fresh French tarragon sprigs, white wine vinegar, lemon juice, egg yolks, & kosher salt.
Heinz Relish (a spicy veggie sauce) or Gilded Age “Chow-Chow Sauce’; also English chutney sounds similar to Heinz Relish. But the Heinz Relish recipe is a mixture of green tomatoes, red & green peppers, onions, salt, vinegar, & white sugar. With these sweet spices in a cheesecloth bag to be taken out of the mixture later: whole cloves, whole allspice, celery seed, & mustard seed. Heinz is a American company established in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This American sauce used a lot in the 1920’s & beyond. But, also at that time people who had a victory garden would easily make this sauce or pickle the veggies. These gardeners would have tons of peppers, tomatoes, & onions. So at the end of summer, they would make up a sauce like this.
Heinz makes a Dill Relish (since 1869) which is a savory relish: made with pickled cucumbers, cabbage, salt, celery seed/powder, vinegar, dillweed, with red bell pepper & garlic. Used for tuna salad sandwiches, Deviled eggs, American hamburgers, & hot dogs .
They have a Heinz sweet relish: pickled cucumber, cabbage, vinegar, red bell pepper & turmeric. A sweet relish for tuna fish sandwiches, hamburgers & hot dogs, also my family loves it.
Espanole Sauce
Espanole is one of the “5 Mother Sauces” of a large French kitchen. I will also add Espanole Sauce as one of the Huntington’s sauce, too. A full-bodied classic brown sauce; it is typically started with a mirepoix (sautéed onions, celery, & carrots in butter). Thicken with a roux (flour & butter) & add a brown beef stock & tomatoes. A roux is equal parts of flour & fat. So after sautéing the mirepoix, add roux to it to thicken. Also, adding the flavorful beef stock called “Demi-glace” concentrate makes it amazing & delicious. Adding garlic, bay leaf, & mixed peppercorns. Some old Gilded Age recipes call for cayenne pepper, making the Espanole Sauce, a spicy sauce. Used on chicken, beef, or enchiladas.
Robert Sauce (1899)
Huntington Mansion No. 2 East 57th St. NYC, NY
This is a adapted recipe from Cassell’s Dictionary of Cookery, 1899, which I was able to see in the rare book library at the H.E. Huntington Library, San Marino, California. Cassell’s states that the original recipe was used to enhance Filet Mignon Steak, but you can use this flavorful sauce for Chicken & Veal, also.
Sauté:
Butter, size of walnut
2 onions, finely chop
1 wine glass of vinegar
Simmer for 4 mins.
Add:
1 oz. Brown thickening [Kitchen Bouquet] or 1 t. Wondra fine flour
1/2 pint (1 cup) beef or chicken broth or water
1/4 t. Liebig’s extract [meat extract]
pinch pepper or white pepper & salt
Cook for 20 minutes.
Add:
1 T. mustard [Dijon]
1 t. Mushroom catsup
1 t. Anchovy essence [Anchovy paste at Italian or gourmet markets]
1 t. port wine (sometimes added)
From Book: Cassells Dictionary of Cookery (1899)
Historical Note: In December of 1919, Mr. & Mrs. H. E. Huntington’s (Arabella) Mansion at No. 2 East 57th St. NYC, NY. In the household records, they had this sauce listed as one of their household condiments.
Robert Sauce (1922)
This rich French sauce (a brown mustard sauce) was adapted from the cookbook published in 1922: called The French Chef in private American families by Xavier Raskin.
For venison or all kinds of meats:
2 T. clarified butter or [bacon drippings]
1 c. brown stock
2 T. onions, diced [caramelized in the bacon fat or oil]
1 T. meat glaze or gravy
[thyme]
1 t. dry English mustard [whole grain]
drops of lemon juice
2 1/2 T. pastry flour [finely sifted Wondra flour]
2 T. sauterne wine or tarragon vinegar
[freshly minced parsley]
Cook onion in butter until amber colored. Add sauterne & reduce to glaze. Add & blend flour, stirring & dilute with cold stock. Add mustard & spice [herbs].
Huntington’s San Marino Ranch
Truffle Cream Sauce with Minced Ham (for Beef or Chicken or vegetables)
In March 1914, these ingredients were all on a Huntington’s grocery list (H. Jevne Co. gourmet market in Pasadena, CA ). They listed the ingredients all together for the Huntington Mansion on the San Marino Ranch. This truffle cream sauce could have been made & drizzled over numerous dishes. They could have used it over French Cote de Boeuf or Roasted Chicken (instead of a mushroom sauce), asparagus spears, vegetables, or pasta like fettuccini noodles or ravioli, or a tomato salad.
2 T. Black truffles in oil, minced
unsalted or sweet butter
2 T. Shallots or 1/2 minced onion
2 Garlic cloves, minced & cook until soft
1 T. Beef extract
1 T. French Brandy or Myers Rum
Butter to finish
1 t. French Dijon mustard
pinch salt & mixed peppercorns or white pepper
1/4 C. drizzle heavy cream (cook some more)
Virginia Ham, minced cubes
In a saucepan, add butter & truffle oil from the truffle jar, add minced shallots, then add garlic & minced truffles & cook for a minutes. Add beef extract, brandy or rum, & Dijon mustard. finish with butter. Add heavy cream. Add salt & pepper. Finish with minced ham. Recipe by Nancy Armitage
Anchovy Essence or Anchovy Sauce “Anchoiade” in France
This is a delicious French Provençale sauce used to drizzle over veggies or peppers stuffed with goat cheese & basil. In the Gilded Age, it might have been served with Leg of Lamb with other sauces offered to the guests, like a favorite Mint Sauce or Horseradish sauce (Horseradish with champagne vinegar, mustard powder, sour cream and mayonnaise) served at country clubs with way.
1 T. olive oil
2 t. butter
6 anchovy fillets, sauté
Made quickly in a blender or hand blender, add:
2 coddled eggs (boiled 40-60 seconds)
2 garlic cloves
3 t. lemon juice
mixed peppercorns
1/2 c. olive oil (to finish)
Once you sauté the anchovy fillet, add to blender with all the ingredients, finishing with the 1/2 c. olive oil. Keep refrigerated.
Huntington Sweet Sauces:
The Huntington’s serves some sweet sauces for desserts like Hard Sauce on Christmas Plum Pudding, Royal Pudding, & on Charlotte Russe. Also “Creme Anglaise” (Sweet Vanilla Sauce) served over a warm Bread Pudding with Apples. Creme Anglaise is a vanilla sauce is made of milk, sugar, vanilla extract, & cornstarch. Some other sauces that the Huntington’s kitchen used often were Brandied peaches, Rum Sauce, Bourbon Caramel Sauce over Bread pudding or ice cream, or Lemon Sauce or Orange Sauce over Bundt Cake or Lemon Pound Cake or Rum Cake. Royal Icing or Lemon Royal icing drizzled on sugar cookies, shortbread, scones, or tea cake.
During the Thanksgiving, Christmas, & New Year’s the Huntington’s did a lot of entertaining. Often, huge amounts of 50 lb. flour & 50 lb. sugar were ordered at the store each month. Probably to make Christmas Cakes, Pound Cakes, Tea Cakes, Lemon cake, Tipsy Cakes or Rum Cake. Some of these could have been gifts for friends or employees, or family for Christmas presents, also.
At the San Marino Ranch, Christmas pudding, scone,s or buttermilk biscuits; with sauces to pour over the cakes & sauces to be used on the side of the cakes. Christmas cakes & small orange or lemon tea cakes could have been given away at Christmas as gifts with a jar of San Marino Ranch Honey or San Marino Ranch Orange Marmalade.
Inside the Huntington's Story 