The Secret's in the Sauce...
By Cynthia Bowan
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I love the movie, Fried Green Tomatoes. Perhaps it is because the late wonderful Jessica Tandy reminds me so much of my grandmother. But I always have to laugh when Cicely Tyson says one of her lines: "The secret's in the sauce…"
Ah, truer words were never spoken, and not just in that context.
Sometimes, a sauce can make or break a dish, so to speak. Think of what a good hollandaise or béarnaise does, or how about a hot fudge sauce? Can you imagine an ice cream sundae without spoonfuls of a decent one?
There are very few culinary mishaps that cannot be repaired or disguised by the use of a good sauce, gravy, dressing, frosting or icing, pie filling…When your cheesecake cracks, you can either panic or cover the top with pie filling of choice. That's just one example. Have things like this ever happened to me? Well, does a wild bear eat berries in the woods? <GBG>
Several years ago, my hubby and I invited his brother Brad and wife
Nan over for dinner for the first time. I wanted everything to be perfect, of course, and a bad case of nervousness didn't help.
At that time, we had a fantastic butcher shop in town, so I made a special trip to the shop, and bought an expensive roast.
This was also the time frame when baking bags became popular. You placed meat and seasonings inside one of the plastic baggies, sealed it, put it on a baking sheet and punched some holes in the top with a fork.
We had a couple appetizers; a glass of wine, great conversation…and then the oven timer went off. I excused myself, went into the kitchen, and found a disaster. The holes in the bag had sealed themselves, and the beautiful, costly roast had been boiling for who knows how long!
All I could think of was "don't panic". My second thought was "get Merrill in here". So I leaned around the living room door, and sweetly said, "Honey, could you come in here a minute?"
The poor man walked in to a woman who grabbed him and whispered "YOU HAVE GOT TO THINK OF SOMETHING"!!
Well, at least one of us was calm.
Merrill sliced the roast as thin as possible, and we then concocted a sauce that could never be recreated. Opening the refrigerator, we pulled out all sorts
of things, from a couple bottles of fondue sauces, to some A-1 sauce, to I vaguely remember, apricot preserves and chili sauce. We mixed and blended and all of a sudden, had a miracle.
Merrill went back into the other room to be with our company while I put the finishing touches to dinner and got everything on the table. When Brad and Nan walked into the dining room, they were greeted by homemade rolls, fresh steamed vegetables, rice pilaf, and a platter of beautifully sliced roast beef, with a lovely red-ish sauce spooned decoratively down the middle.
They raved over the meal, I was asked for the recipe and of course said I'd be happy to share it…and then I conveniently forgot about it.
Ever since then, I have realized the blessing of good sauces. I now have many in my collection, from a Meyer Lemon Aioli, which adds to the blessings of fresh springtime asparagus, to a wonderfully almond-scented dessert sauce for fruit.
And yes, I do share these recipes so that others will Enjoy! them as well. So whether you are looking for a way to add a special touch to a dish, or hide a problem, try one of the following. And as always, CYH - consider yourself hugged.
Hot Fudge Sauce
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, (2 squares)
1 T. butter
1/3 c. boiling water
2 T. light corn syrup
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
Place the chocolate, butter and boiling water in a 1 1/2 quart saucepan. Cook
over low heat, stirring until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Mix in
the corn syrup and sugar. Raise heat to moderate and stir occasionally until it
comes to a boil. Stop stirring and let boil moderately for exactly 8 minutes.
Remove from heat and immediately place saucepan briefly in cold water to stop
the boiling. Stir in the vanilla. Use the sauce while it is still warm, or let
it cool and reheat over hot water.
This may be refrigerated and reheated. It must be served warm as it hardens when
it becomes cold. Also, the quality of this depends on the quality of chocolate you use. Try using Giardelli or Godiva, or any other good quality chocolate…
Belle Aurora Sauce
2 T. butter
2 T. flour
1 c. cream
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2-3 c. mixed fruits, canned or fresh
slivered almonds
Combine butter, flour, cream, and sugar in saucepan. Cook over medium heat
until smooth and creamy, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in
extracts. Pour hot over fruit. Top with slivered almonds. Cover and chill
well before serving.
Easy Zabaglione (custard)
5 egg yolks
1 whole egg
3 T. sugar
1/4 c. Marsala wine (dry sherry may be substituted)
Combine the yolks, egg and sugar in the top of a double boiler set over
simmering water. Do not let the water touch the pan bottom. Whisk
constantly until the mixture is pale yellow and fluffy. Add the Marsala and
continue whisking until the mixture has thickened enough to hold its shape.
Spoon into individual bowls or wine glasses and serve immediately. Serves 4
to 6. This is marvelous when served over fresh strawberries or other fruit.
Meyer Lemon Aioli
2 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 egg yolk
1 Meyer lemon, zested and juiced
1 c. olive oil
In a mortar, pound the garlic and salt to form a paste. Stir in the egg yolk,
lemon zest, and juice until integrated. Add the olive oil in a slow trickle to
the side of the mortar until completely combined. Note: regular lemons also
work in this recipe. Just make sure you have a really good olive oil. Yield: 4 servings
Basic Hollandaise Sauce
3 egg yolks
2 T. water
1 c. melted butter
2 tsp. lemon juice
salt
Place yolks and water in top of double boiler over hot, not boiling, water.
Beat with whisk until eggs have the consistency of heavy cream. Remove from
heat.
Add butter gradually, beating constantly. Beat in lemon juice. Correct
seasoning to taste with salt.
Mock Hollandaise Sauce (Low Cholesterol)
1 c. Hellmann's Real Mayonnaise
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
2 egg whites
1/4 tsp. salt (optional)
2 T. lemon juice
In a small saucepan with wire whisk beat all ingredients until smooth. Stirring constantly, cook over medium-low heat until thick (do not boil). Serve over vegetables or fish.
Makes 1 1/2 c. 5 mg cholesterol per T.
No-Fail Microwave Hollandaise Sauce
1/2 c. (1 stick) butter
3 large egg yolks
1 1/2 T. fresh lemon juice, or to taste
Put butter in a safe 4-cup measure. Microwave 20 sec. on high, until butter is
soft but not melted. (This may take up to 60 seconds if the butter is cold from
the fridge.)
In a small bowl, mix yolks and lemon juice Add mixture to softened butter. Let
set for 1 minute. Microwave on high, stopping to whisk every 15 sec. The mixture WILL be lumpy for the first two whippings. Sauce is done when smooth and thick. Do not over
work.
By Cynthia Bowan
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Hot Fudge Sauce |
Belle Aurora Sauce |
Easy Zabaglione (custard) |
Meyer Lemon Aioli
Basic Hollandaise Sauce |
Mock Hollandaise Sauce (Low Cholesterol) |
No-Fail Microwave Hollandaise Sauce
