One of the secrets of classic French cooking that I learned in culinary school was the importance of a good sauce. Sauces were originally conceived as a way to cover up the smell and taste of meat that was less than fresh. Most of us don't have to worry about spoiled meat these days, but a well-executed sauce can really liven up even the blandest of foods. Sauces also don't have to be the fatty, cream-and-butter based sauces that we usually associate with French cooking, such as Hollandaise and Bernaise sauces. Instead, you can get a lot of flavor with minimal added calories by making pan sauces. Below I'm going to describe 3 of my favorite sauces. You may be wondering why exact amounts aren't given. It's because I just eyeball it and then taste, taste, taste. That's another secret I learned in culinary school: in every professional kitchen you'll find a giant box of plastic spoons that the chefs use to taste every dish multiple times before it's served. You really don't need exact recipes for these sauces. Start with a little of each ingredient, taste it, add more as needed (remember: it's easier to add than to subtract), and always trust your own tastebuds.
1. Soy/ginger/garlic sauce.
Start with about a tablespoon of brown sugar. Add some soy sauce, some rice vinegar, and some grated ginger and grated garlic. Taste. If it's too salty, add more vinegar and some water. If it's too sour, add a little more sugar. When it taste right to you, it's ready. After you've cooked your meat (I like this on chicken and fish), pour this sauce into the pan and scrape up the brown bits. Bring to a boil and let cook until the sugar starts to thicken. This will yield a nice syrupy sauce.
2. White wine and garlic
Remove the meat from the skillet or pan and deglaze the pan with about a cup of white wine, scraping up the brown bits. Then add some minced garlic and your favorite fresh herb. For poultry and fish, I like tarragon. For pork, I like sage or basil. (For beef, you should make this sauce with red wine instead of white.) Let that come to a boil and reduce by about half. Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper if needed. Finally, melt a couple of teaspoons of butter into the sauce. It really rounds out the flavor and enhances the mouth feel without adding a lot of calories.
3. Blueberry sauce
Fruit sauces are as important to dessert as pan sauces are to main courses. My favorite fruit sauce is blueberry sauce because it cooks up so quickly. You can use it on pancakes, waffles, ice cream, and cake. If you keep frozen blueberries on hand, you can whip up this sauce at a moment's notice. The blueberries don't need to be thawed because they're so small.
Put about half a cup of frozen blueberries in a saucepan. Sprinkle them with sugar, a little cornstarch, some cinnamon, and a dash of salt (cinnamon and salt really enhance the sweetness of the berries). Add water and a squirt of lemon juice. Stir to coat everything evenly and bring to a boil. Taste it at this point and adjust the seasonings as necessary. Let it boil until the sauce reaches the desired degree of thickness.
Next time you're cooking a plain piece of meat and want to add some more flavor, try one of my pan sauces. And then make the blueberry sauce to go with your dessert and see how impressed everyone is. Until next time, buen provecho!
1. Soy/ginger/garlic sauce.
Start with about a tablespoon of brown sugar. Add some soy sauce, some rice vinegar, and some grated ginger and grated garlic. Taste. If it's too salty, add more vinegar and some water. If it's too sour, add a little more sugar. When it taste right to you, it's ready. After you've cooked your meat (I like this on chicken and fish), pour this sauce into the pan and scrape up the brown bits. Bring to a boil and let cook until the sugar starts to thicken. This will yield a nice syrupy sauce.
2. White wine and garlic
Remove the meat from the skillet or pan and deglaze the pan with about a cup of white wine, scraping up the brown bits. Then add some minced garlic and your favorite fresh herb. For poultry and fish, I like tarragon. For pork, I like sage or basil. (For beef, you should make this sauce with red wine instead of white.) Let that come to a boil and reduce by about half. Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper if needed. Finally, melt a couple of teaspoons of butter into the sauce. It really rounds out the flavor and enhances the mouth feel without adding a lot of calories.
3. Blueberry sauce
Fruit sauces are as important to dessert as pan sauces are to main courses. My favorite fruit sauce is blueberry sauce because it cooks up so quickly. You can use it on pancakes, waffles, ice cream, and cake. If you keep frozen blueberries on hand, you can whip up this sauce at a moment's notice. The blueberries don't need to be thawed because they're so small.
Put about half a cup of frozen blueberries in a saucepan. Sprinkle them with sugar, a little cornstarch, some cinnamon, and a dash of salt (cinnamon and salt really enhance the sweetness of the berries). Add water and a squirt of lemon juice. Stir to coat everything evenly and bring to a boil. Taste it at this point and adjust the seasonings as necessary. Let it boil until the sauce reaches the desired degree of thickness.
Next time you're cooking a plain piece of meat and want to add some more flavor, try one of my pan sauces. And then make the blueberry sauce to go with your dessert and see how impressed everyone is. Until next time, buen provecho!
Comments
Here's to being sauced and saucy! ;)