Sauces!
June 27th 2009 23:45
Lots of Sauces
This week I pulled out some of my favorite cookbooks, looking for the one that had my mustard recopies, which I didn't find, but I did find a small, but outstanding cookbook that I got back in 1976, it was put out by Benson & Hedges, the cigarette company (yes, I used to smoke) and had recipes by Craig Claiborne, who was one of the greatest collectors of food. Anyway, as I was reading through the book I thought what a great idea it would be to not put some of the recipes in this blog, but some of the sauces.
This book and many other have sauces that are so versatile and so tasty that it would be criminal to let them get lost, and to have them only associated with one recipe is so wrong. So, I'm going to dedicate this post to recipes for sauces, with suggestions for using them, or you can make that decision yourself. Use your imagination.
Sauce 1:
A basic sauce that is good on fish, eggs, or vegetables, Mustard Hollandaise (I love Hollandaise, with Mustard even more). If you've never made one, don't be afraid, be brave, be daring, enjoy and have fun.
Please note, since I'm in the U.S. I use Fahrenheit when specifying temperatures, if your somewhere that uses Celsius, please check to see what the equivalent is for you.
This makes 6 or more servings.
3 Tablespoons dry mustard
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon sugar
½ pound butter
2 egg yolks
1 Tablespoon water
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
Place the mustard in a small bowl and add salt, sugar and water. Mix and let it stand for at least 10 minutes, more is better, as it needs to develop its flavor.
Preheat your oven to 200 degrees
Place the butter in a 1 quart glass measuring cup (one that has a lip would be great, as you're going to want to pour the butter later) and set it carefully in the oven to melt. You can do this in a microwave but the oven seems to be better as it melts the butter more slowly.
When the butter is melted, remove the measuring cup, be sure to use a pot holder. Turn off the oven. Using a heavy kitchen spoon, or small ladle, skim off any foam or scum that has formed from the top of the butter. Carefully pour off the clear golden liquid. (You have just made clarified butter in case you hadn't figured that out yet.) Discard the white milky substance from the bottom. There should be about ¾ cup of clarified butter.
In a heavy saucepan, combine the egg yolks with the water. Place the saucepan over a flame tamer or an asbestos type pad and start whisking the yolks rapidly with the water. Whisk thoroughly until the mixture becomes thick and foamy, somewhat like a custard, about 5 to 10 minutes. DO NOT let the mixture become too hot or it will break and curdle, this is a bad thing. Remove the saucepan from the head, and beating vigorously, gradually add the melted butter. Add the lemon juice. Stir in the mustard according to your taste. Be careful when adding the lemon juice, stir very vigorously when doing so or the sauce will break. When you've added the mustard, taste as you add, don't add it all at once. If you want a plain Hollandaise don't add the mustard.
Sauce 2:
Aioli (Garlic Mayonnaise)
This is one of my favorite things to make. It is versatile, can be used with sandwiches, like roast beef, you can use it with anything that can take both garlic and mayonnaise, use your imagination, go wild, it works with meats, chicken, eggs, fish, artichokes, carrots, cauliflower, potatoes, chick peas, you can even, if you're brave, spread it thinly on toast squares and add some roasted red peppers, pepperoni, or other meat.
3 egg yolks
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon prepared mustard, preferably Dijon or Düsseldorf (dark, rich, grainy)
1 Tablespoon finely minced garlic, or more according to your taste (this is raw garlic, not cooked so be careful not to overdo, raw garlic is strong and can be very sharp.
1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 Cups Olive Oil (use a good one, don't be cheap when buying Olive Oil, it makes a difference)
Tabasco sauce to taste (again, this is hot, so if you aren't into spicy, watch it.
Place the yolks in a mixing bowl and add salt, pepper, mustard, garlic and vinegar.
Start beating with a wire whisk or an electric blender and gradually add the oil (you can also use a regular blender, but be careful, use a slow speed, you want to incorporate the oil not whip it). When the mixture starts to thicken, the oil may be added in ever increasing quantities. Continue beating until all the oil is used. Add the Tabasco. Is a thinner mayonnaise is desired beat in a teaspoon of cold water.
Sauce 3:
Mustard-Dill Sauce.
This is a great sauce, you can use it with shrimp, fish, Carpaccio (this is raw beef and not all that popular anymore but it's great if you get good aged beef and shave it. You can use cooked beef, but don't over cook it, medium rare at the most. It is also good on Gravlax (salt and sugar cured salmon, a recipe that I'll give you some other time). Oh, this is good with some vegetables too, but be sure you use it with something that goes with mustard and dill. Eggs would also work, hard boiled.
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon wine vinegar
3 Tablespoons prepared mustard, Dijon, Düsseldorf, dark grainy mustard. Do not use plain yellow mustard, you won't like this if you do.
A few drops of Tabasco
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Cup oil, preferably a light olive oil or a combination of olive oil and peanut, vegetable or corn oil
Lemon juice, optional (I like it)
¼ Cup finely chopped fresh dill
Place the yolk in a mixing bowl and add the viengar, 1 tablespoon mustard, Tabasco, salt and pepper to taste. Beat vigorously for a second or two with a whisk or electric beater.
Start adding the oil gradually, bating continuously with the whisk or electric beater. Continue beating and adding oil until all of it is used.
Taste the sauce and add more salt to taste and the lemon juice if desired.
Beat in the remaining mustard and the dill. If all the sauce is not used immediately, beat in a table spoon of water. This will help stabilize the sauce.
Please note that this sauce can be served with all the listed above choices but is best with colt steamed shellfish, or cold poached or steamed fish, or hard boiled eggs.
Sauce 4:
Hot Pepper Sauce
OK, this is a sauce that you really have to think about when you decide to use it. I've used it with beef, chicken and almost all other meats. It is great on a cold beef sandwich, but it is HOT. If you like lamb and ever make a lamb stew, then this sauce is wonderful especially if you add it to your stew. I've added this to beef stew, black bean and chicken soup, and other flavors that can stand the heat and strong flavor.
Place 2 or 3 Tablespoons of cayenne pepper in a small bowl and add enough boiling water to make a thin paste. Add salt to taste. Serve at room temperature. Be careful, it's hot!
Sauce 5:
Noc Mam Sauce.
If you've read my blog very often you know that I love Vietnamese food. This is one of the sauces that goes with almost any Vietnamese dish. It will go good with chicken soup, stews, beef, almost anything. Experiment with this one. It is surprisingly versatile.
This will make about 1 ½ cups.
1 Cup fish sauce (available in most Asian stores, some grocery stores and on-line)
1 Tablespoon finely chopped peeled ginger
2 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes or a little cayenne to taste
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
¼ Cup water.
Combine all the ingredients and stir to blend.
It's that easy. This will keep refrigerated for a week or longer. Serve in individual bowls with almost any Vietnamese dish, stew, whatever strikes your fancy.
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Comment by Jason King
Sydney Table
Salty Popcorn
Total Randomness
I love the aioli one and YUM to the Noc Mam sauce - this will definately be made soon.
Comment by FoodMage
Janice