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Easy Raisin Sauce

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Submitted by GG

Easy raisin sauce: a classic sweet-tangy companion for baked ham, made with brandy-plumped raisins, Dijon, red wine vinegar, brown sugar, and brown sauce. An Easter dinner essential.

YIELD

6 servings

PREP

10 min

COOK

15 min

READY

25 min

This is the raisin sauce that gets ladled over baked ham on Easter Sunday, the kind that bridges sweet and savory and makes you understand why anyone would put fruit on meat. The sweetness comes from brown sugar and brandy-plumped raisins, the tang from red wine vinegar, and the depth from a base of homemade brown sauce.

The brandy plumping is the move worth slowing down for. Raisins steeped in a cup of brandy for ten minutes drink up the alcohol, swell back to plump, and release their sugars into the sauce in a way dry raisins never can. The brandy itself does not stay (drain it before adding the raisins), but the flavor it leaves behind lifts the sauce out of standard territory.

Dijon mustard is the secret balancer. A single tablespoon stirs in sharpness that keeps the sauce from going sticky-sweet, which is the trap most fruit sauces fall into.

Serve hot over sliced ham, pork tenderloin, or roasted turkey breast.

Pro Tips

  • Use a basic brown sauce or a quality store-bought demi-glace; thin pan gravy will not give the sauce body.
  • Plump the raisins in warm (not hot) brandy; high heat evaporates the flavor compounds.
  • Simmer low and slow; aggressive heat caramelizes the sugar and turns the sauce thick and clingy.
  • Make the sauce up to a day ahead; the flavors deepen overnight and rewarm gently before serving.

Variations

  • Use bourbon or dark rum in place of brandy for plumping for a different aromatic profile.
  • Add a strip of orange peel during the simmer and remove before serving for a citrus lift.
  • Stir in a teaspoon of grated fresh horseradish at the end for a sharper, more pungent edge.

Ingredients

3 45
TABLESPOONS ML BROWN SUGAR, DARK
1 15
TABLESPOON ML DIJON MUSTARD
3 45
TABLESPOONS ML RED WINE VINEGAR
Basic brown sauce see recipe
¼ 59
CUP ML RAISINS, SEEDLESS
plumped in 1 cup of brandy for 10 minutes and drained

Directions

In a small bowl, dissolve the sugar and mustard in the vinegar.

Place the mixture in a medium-size heavy saucepan, and add the brown sauce and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Stir in the raisins and simmer 5 minutes longer.

Serve hot.

* not incl. in nutrient facts Arrow up button

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Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 22g (0.8 oz)
Amount per Serving
Calories 46 3% from fat
 % Daily Value *
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 32mg 1%
Total Carbohydrate 4g 4%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Sugars g
Protein 1g
Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 1% Iron 2%
* based on a 2,000 calorie diet How is this calculated?
Low Fat, Fat-Free, Low in Saturated Fat, Low Cholesterol, Cholesterol-Free, Trans-fat Free, Very low in sodium, Low Sodium
 

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