Left to my own devices, most my meals are deep-fried, microwaved or barbequed – so my cooking expertise is somewhat iffy. In my own humble estimation, it’s above high school sophomore but well below say, flipping a pancake mid-air.
But I hear a good sauce over baked chicken, steamed veggies and the like can trick the unwary into thinking I’m good at cooking, so I’m willing to master a few sauces to dazzle and amaze my family and unwary females.
One caveat: no pork. Don’t eat it, don’t buy it. Love spicy food and I’m always looking for a good barbeque recipe.
Er, what kind of sauces? Meat-based sauce, glazes, ragus, cream sauces…endless variety.
Standard advice: purchase a copy of Larousse Gastronomique (standard reference in any kitchen) and learn to make a good basic roux and reduction, then work from there.
An excellent sauce that requires no cooking (or minimal if you choose to roast the nuts) and goes well with fish, fowl and over pasta would be pesto. A previous thread discussed this versatile sauce so I would do a search but the basic ingredients are: basil, garlic, olive oil, pine nuts, and parmigiano-reggiano. You need a food processor or mortar and pestle. You can also vary it with other ingredients such as sun-dried tomatoes
Whisk together, thoroughly, equal amounts of veg oil, soy sauce, brown sugar, dijon mustard, and frozen, concentrated orange juice. Marinate boneless, skinless chicken thighs for at least 2 hours in fridge. Grill and enjoy. You can use pretty high heat because (being boneless) it cooks fast.
Everybody I’ve served this to has had the very gratifying “oh my og this is soooo gooood!” reaction.
I’ve had good results substituting other kinds and combinations of citrus, but don’t use ordinary or cheap mustard. Blech.
1 dried ancho chile
6 very ripe bananas
1 1/3 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/3 cup onions
2 garlic cloves
2/3 cup tomato paste
2 cups water
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon chili pepper
2 teaspoons allspice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
big pinch ground cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
big pinch black pepper
6 tablespoons dark rum
Soak ancho chile in warm water for 15 minutes. Remove stem and seeds.
Peel and cut up bananas. Puree with 1/2 cup vinegar. Pour into heavy saucepan.
Chop onions. Puree onions, raisins, garlic, ancho chile, tomato past, and the rest of the vinegar. Pour into saucepan along with the water. Stir everything together.
Bring to simmer over medium heat. Reduce to low heat and simmer uncovered for an hour. Add more water if it gets too thick.
Add corn syrup, sugar, and all the spices.
Simmer for another half hour or so until it’s thick. Add in the rum. Remove from heat and let it cool.
Puree the sauce and strain into a jar.
Keep it in the fridge. It’s good for about two weeks.
If you are sauteeing your meat (chicken, beef, pork, fish) a quick pan sauce is easy to whip up with whatever ingredients and condiments you have on hand in the kitchen, and is only limited by your taste and ingenuity.
The process is basically the same for any pan sauce: deglaze the pan fond with about a quarter to a half of a cup of liquid or combination of liquids (wine, brandy, stock, vinegar, even water.), add whatever herbs or spices you like or some kind of flavoring agent (i.e.- grainy mustard, worcestershire, soy, hot sauce, etc.), reduce by a quarter at a high boil, remove from heat and fortify with a generous pat of butter-- “shake” it in off the heat so it doesn’t break. That’s it! Supremely easy and turns your boring pork chops into a bistro experience.
One of my favorite pan sauce concoctions is really simple and goes well over pork medallions/boneless chops:
Deglaze the sautee pan with about a half a bottle of your favorite beer; add a few drops of worcestershire sauce, a few drops of hot sauce and a bit of your favorite brown or grainy mustard (couple of teaspoons). Reduce slightly and add a bit of butter off flame.
I was just in Paris and was served the most amazing blue cheese sauce on a steak. The cut of meat was beautiful, and I don’t know that I would put this sauce on a really good cut of meat, but on a not-so-great cut of meat it’s just the ticket!
8 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons dry white wine
Dash of ground red pepper
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/4 cup water
Cook and stir cheese, garlic, wine and red pepper over low heat, stirring frequently, until cheese melted; keep warm. Cook meat in butter to desired doneness. Add water to pan. Bring water to a boil to mix in the drippings. Add cheese sauce, and mix well. Serve over steak.
Even though I am a pretty darn good cook, I ocassionally buy pre-packaged sauces rather than take the time to make them from scratch.
However, I will only buy one brand, and that is Knorr . They make several different varities, they are inexpensive, and available at most supermarkets.
You might try some of the ones they have to find out what you like. If any of them really do it for you, you can always learn to make them from scratch (or not .
Bearnaise “sauce” for cheaters (and it is just heavenly - this recipe has never failed me):
Put 1/2 C white wine into a small sauce pot (this is a very forgiving recipe, so don’t be terribly concerned with measuring), and toss in 2T each finely minced fresh tarragon and shallots (you can use dried tarragon in a pinch). Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer until the wine has cooked off and the shallots are soft.
Put a softened stick of butter in a bowl and mix in the shallot mixture (and a shot of fresh lemon juice if you have it). Put the bowl into the fridge so the butter hardens again. That’s it - you can use this butter on a juicy steak (the combination of the juices and the melting butter…yumm!)
(This is my permutation of a recipe I remember reading in a magazine a long time back- Gourmet? - anyway, no plagiarism intended.)
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