Curried Gravy

Ingredients

• 2 to 6 onions
• 1 garlic clove
• 4 to 5 eschalots
• good butter
• 1.5 pint good gravy
• 2 ounces rasped coconut
• 1 to 2 apple
• 3 to 4 dessertspoonsful curry-powder
• 1 dessertspoonful flour
• salt
• 1 small cupful good cream
• acid

Instructions

1. Slice the onions, garlic, and eschalots as desired.
2. Fry them gently in a little good butter until they are coloured equally a fine yellow-brown.
3. Lift them onto a reversed sieve to drain.
4. Put the drained onions into a clean saucepan and add the gravy with the rasped coconut and apple if using.
5. Simmer softly for half to three quarters of an hour, or until the onion is sufficiently tender to be pressed through a strainer.
6. For a delicate currie, work the gravy through the strainer; for a common one, this is not necessary.
7. Once the gravy has been strained and again comes to a boil, mix the curry-powder and flour with a small cupful of good cream into a smooth batter, or first blend with arrow-root or flour if acid fruit has been boiled in the gravy.
8. Add the cream mixture to the gravy along with salt as required.
9. Simmer for fifteen to twenty minutes.
10. Just before dishing, add acid—fresh lemon-juice or chili vinegar if lemon is not at hand.