Raisin Sauce

Recipe No. 507 from the U.S. Army’s WWII cookbook — Sauces. Quantities are exactly as printed, for 100 servings; a scaled-down 8-serving version is in the notes.

Ingredients

• Raisins — 1½ pounds
• Water, hot (for raisins) — as needed
• Cider or pineapple juice — 1 gallon
• Water — 1 gallon
• Salt — 1 ounce
• Pepper — ¼ ounce
• Sugar, brown — 1 pound
• Cornstarch — 6 ounces
• Water, cold (for cornstarch) — as needed
• Butter — 1 pound
• Lemon juice — 4 lemons
• or — as needed
• Vinegar — as needed

Directions

Key ingredients

Cornstarch

1. Wash raisins. Cover with hot water; soak until plump.
2. Mix cider or pineapple juice and water; add raisins, salt, pepper and brown sugar; heat.
3. Mix cornstarch and a little cold water; add to raisin mixture. Heat to boiling point; boil 5 minutes or until thick; stirring constantly.
4. Add butter and lemon juice or vinegar; mix well.

Notes

SCALED TO 8 SERVINGS (the original is ÷12.5): Raisins — 2 oz Water, hot (for raisins) — to taste Cider or pineapple juice — 1¼ cups Water — 1¼ cups Salt — about ½ tsp Pepper — a pinch Sugar, brown — 1¼ oz Cornstarch — ½ oz Water, cold (for cornstarch) — to taste Butter — 1¼ oz Lemon juice — ⅓ lemons or — to taste Vinegar — to taste

Serve hot with baked ham or tongue.

— TM 10-412, Army Recipes (War Department, 15 August 1944), recipe No. 507, Sauces. Army measures: 1 No. 56 dipper = 1 qt; 1 No. 55 dipper = 1¾ qt; 1 mess kit cup = 1½ pints.