Creamed Chipped Beef

butter	4 T
yellow onion	1/4 c chopped
flour	1/4 c
light cream	2 c
dried beef	4 to 5 oz
rosemary	1 t
white pepper	to taste
paprika	1/8 t
powdered cayenne pepper	to taste
dry sherry	2 T
salt	to taste
lemon juice	1 T

For light cream, half cream and half milk may be used. Ground beef, separately browned, may be used instead of dried beef.

Lightly sauté the chopped onion in the butter over moderate heat. Add the flour and continue to stir for 5 minutes. Add the cream in small portions while stirring. After all the cream is added, continue stirring over moderate heat until the sauce is smooth and comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer the sauce for several minutes. Grind the rosemary and add it and the white pepper, paprika, cayenne, dry sherry and lemon juice to the sauce. Simmer for several minutes then adjust the seasoning. Add the dried beef, stir it in well and simmer for five minutes. Serve over toast.

This was adapted from a recipe in Foods of the World by Time Life Books and a dish prepared by Mr. Dan Nester of Houston, Texas.

Recipe from An Eclectic Cookbook (Copyright © 1987, John S. Garavelli), page 6–2.