No. 1089 Epinards à la Française.
When your spinach is well chopped put it into a stewpan with a quarter of a pound of fresh butter, stir over the fire till quite hot, then add a tablespoonful of flour; season with a little pepper, salt, sugar, and grated nutmeg, mix well, then add half a pint of good stock, stir ten minutes over the fire, add a quarter of a pound more butter, after taking it from the fire; when melted pour it out upon your dish and serve as before. The old system was to make a roux, which frequently got rather overdone, and gave the spinach more the flavour of sauce, thus destroying the aroma; but the flour, if added proportionably, gives no flavour, and slightly thickens.