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GETTING SAUCY!
Sauce making is a cornerstone to successful
cooking. A sauce can either make or break your dish. Ages ago, when food
preservation techniques were in their infancy, sauces were used to mask the
foul taste of spoiled food. This is because the sauce is the first taste
sensation your mouth experiences prior to masticating the main item. And
even then, the flavor of the sauce is intermingled with the food. Nowadays
sauces are used primarily for flavor, moisture, texture and color.
Sauce making is a broad topic, deeply
entrenched in French culinary history. Marie-Antoine Careme (1784-1833), a
practical demigod of classic French cuisine, was the first to systematize
the “mother sauces” and their derivatives. Mother sauces, otherwise known
as the grand sauces, include demi-glace, (a reduced brown sauce), veloute,
(a roux thickened white stock), béchamel, (a roux thickened milk sauce),
tomato, and hollandaise, (a decadently rich butter and egg yolk sauce).
From these fundamental sauces, countless secondary sauces are then made,
such as bordelaise, sauce supreme, béarnaise, and Mornay to name a few.
The advent of nouvelle cuisine sparked a movement away from rich, heavy,
roux-thickened, time consuming sauces to lighter and simpler creations.
Competent sauce making requires significant
dexterity in two key areas. The first is the acquisition of the requisite
culinary skills. The second is the expertise in knowing suitable sauce/food
pairings; much like marrying a food with a wine. Preparing sauces and
properly uniting them with the appropriate foods are yardsticks by which
chefs are judged.
In regard to matching sauces with food, there
are some general guidelines. When a cooking technique produces drippings,
(as in a roast), or a fond, (the caramelized residue on the bottom of a
sauté pan), they should be employed to make a sauce. Countless pan sauces
and gravies begin this way. Likewise, if a liquid is employed to cook the
food, as in a braise, or a court bouillon for poaching fish, some or all of
the liquid can be incorporated into a sauce.
However, sauces are also made independently
of the food. Here the flavor profile of the sauce and the target food is
even more critical. This includes secondary seasoning elements in both,
particularly herbs. For example, a lemon and tarragon infused cream sauce
would probably taste better on salmon than a porterhouse. One should also
consider the flavor intensity of the sauce as well as the food. A sauce
should not overwhelm the food and vice versa. Much like wine, a light and
subtle sauce would not accompany a hearty roast, nor would a strong and
overpowering sauce be mingled with a delicate piece of fish. Your own
palate, experience, common sense and erudition will all expand your
knowledge of prudent flavor pairings.
I cannot stress enough the role that stock
plays in producing sauce. Stocks form the basis of innumerable sauces.
Generally speaking, chicken stock is used with fowl, fish stock with
seafood, and veal stock for red meat sauces. Vegetable stocks are also
vital and are a delicious alternative for calorie counters and vegetarians
seeking alternatives to meat based stocks.
Other fluids such as water, wine, cream,
citrus juices or oil can also be the basis of a sauce. Hot pepper sauces
can be made from simmering peppers and spices in water and vinegar and then
pureeing them in a blender. One may forgo the stock and utilize only wine
to deglaze a pan and produce a sauce. Alfredo sauce is made from cream,
butter, and cheese. Citrus juices can be substituted for vinegar to make a
brightly flavored and refreshing vinaigrette. And where would pesto be
without the olive oil? Sauces can even be created from cooked vegetables,
(tomato being the archetypal example), or vegetable purees.
Other concerns include how the sauce is to be
presented and the appropriate quantity. Items with a crispy exterior, such
as a breaded and pan-fried chicken breast, are often placed on top of a pool
of the sauce to prevent the top from becoming soggy. Other sauces are
drizzled on the food, around it, (often for aesthetic purposes), or
purposely “on the side” as in dipping sauces.
And that brings us to the amount. Hmmmmm.
I’m going to restrain my carnal passions and tell you the “correct” answer:
The food should not be swimming in the sauce. Excessive sauce is considered
a culinary faux pas. But between you and me, use as much sauce as you
like.
We’ve barely scratched the surface of the
world of sauce. Take the time to learn more sauces and sauce making
techniques and you will add to your culinary repertoire immeasurably.
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