Sauces

⇐ Useful stuff

An eclectic mix of sauces, from classic french through asian to cheat methods, e.g. stick blender mayo

Alfredo sauce

As in fettuccine all' Alfredo

Ingredients

230ml double cream

40g butter

salt

65g parmesan, grated

fresh ground black pepper

tiny grating of nutmeg

Method

1. Put all of the butter and ⅔ of the cream in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer and simmer for less than a minute while the sauce thickens.
2. Add the rest of the cream, the cheese and seasonings and stir well and warm through.

based on The Classic Italian Cookbook Marcella Hazan

Béchamel (white sauce)

Ingredients

15g butter

15g flour

250ml milk

salt, pepper and optionally grated nutmeg

Method

1. Make a roux by melting butter over low heat and adding flour. Cook for 2-3 minutes stirring regularly. The flour needs to be cooked and will start to smell of biscuits or cooking pastry. See notes below, but what works for me is...
2. Add the milk in three or four additions, can be hot or cold. Incorporate each addition till smooth(ish) before adding next. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer very gently, stirring regularly, for 5-10 minutes. The simmering helps get rid of any remaining lumps.
3. Season

Notes

• Sometimes milk is flavoured with bay leaf, in which case heat milk with bay leaves, switch heat off when it comes to a boil and allow to infuse for 30 minutes. Some insist milk must be hot, others that cold is perfectly OK, Some say milk must be added in several additions, other say just chuck it all in and lumps will sort themselves out later with simmering or by passing through sieve

What is crucial is

• Roux must be cooked out. Should start to smell of cooking pastry or biscuits. Alternatively taste to see if it still tastes floury
• Once sauce is made and come to a boil it needs to be cooked gently for a while.
• Once béchamel is cooked out, you can add and melt in cheese for a cheese sauce. Can also be enriched with cream and egg yolks after simmering, and simmer for another minute. With cheese this is a Mornay sauce. Using a combination of milk and stock, or cooking liquid from vegetables, is also good for some dishes

British Indian Restaurant curry sauce

Ingredients

5 onions – finely sliced

125ml vegetable oil

5 tablespoons garlic/ginger paste (equal amounts garlic and ginger blended into a paste with a little water.)

½ carrot - peeled and chopped

¼ head of cabbage - chopped

½ red capsicum (bell pepper) - diced

½ green capsicum (bell pepper) - diced

water

200ml chopped tomatoes

2 Tbsp ghee (clarified butter)

2 tsp garam masala powder

2 tsp cumin powder

2 tsp coriander powder

2 tsp fenugreek powder

2 tsp smoked paprika

2 tsp turmeric

Method

1. Pour the oil into a large heavy bottomed saucepan and heat over medium high heat until bubbling. Throw in the sliced onions and fry, stirring regularly for about 20 minutes until the onions are soft, lightly browned and translucent. Make sure they are browned else the sauce will look a bit anaemic
2. Add the capsicums (bell peppers), carrot and cabbage and stir to combine. Fry for a further five minutes and then add the ginger and garlic purees and the all of the spices except for the turmeric.
3. Now add the tomatoes and just enough water (250ml) to cover the vegetables and simmer for about half an hour.
4. After 30 minutes, remove the mixture from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
5. Scoop the mixture in batches into a blender and blend until silky smooth.
6. Once your sauce is smooth, melt the ghee in a frying pan. Add the turmeric powder to the ghee. It will darken as it cooks. You want to brown it for about 30 seconds being careful not to burn the turmeric. Now add the turmeric/ghee mixture to the sauce and bring to a simmer again.
7. Once it is bubbling away, turn down the heat and simmer for a further 20 to 30 minutes
8. Use immediately or store in the fridge for up to three days or freeze for up to three months.

The Curry Guy https://greatcurryrecipes.net/2013/12/31/make-indian-restaurant-style-curry-sauce-large-batch/

Chilli Ramen sauce

For adding at the last minute to noodle dishes to give them a kick. Will keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks

Ingredients

2 tsp sugar

2 Tbsp malt vinegar

3 Tbsp shop-bought sweet chilli sauce

5 Tbsp fish sauce (nom pla)

Method

1. dissolve the sugar in the vinegar in a small pan over gentle heat and allow to cook for a little
2. add the other ingredients and mix thoroughly

Chilli sauce

This is based on Ottolenghi's Orange and jalapeño hot sauce

Ingredients

1 tsp sunflower oil

4 to 5 jalapeño chillies (65g), stalks discarded; remove the pith and seeds, too, if you prefer less heat. I used 20 of my little yellow surinamese pepers which are similar on scotch bonnet od Madame Jeanette in flavour/heat profile.

1 onion (180g), peeled and finely chopped

1 carrot (100g), finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

Fine sea salt

500ml orange juice

100ml cider vinegar

Method

1. Put a small saute pan on a medium-high heat, add the oil and chillies, and cook, turning occasionally, for five to seven minutes, until the jalapeños are charred all over. Turn down the heat to medium, add the onion, carrot, garlic and a half-teaspoon of salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, for six minutes, until the onion turns translucent and starts to soften. Pour in the orange juice, bring to a simmer and leave to cook gently for 15 minutes, until the carrots are soft and the orange juice has reduced by three-quarters.
2. Tip the mixture into a blender, add the vinegar and 100ml cold water, then blitz for about a minute, scraping down the sides a few times, until completely smooth. The mixture should have a thick pouring consistency, so add a splash more water to loosen, if need be. Pass the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a jug, then pour into a sterilised jar or bottle, seal and refrigerate. Serve at room temperature.

Creme Patissiere

⇒ Creme Patisserie

Hollandaise

Traditional Hollandaise

I always have a problem with Hollandaise sauce but this recipe from Michel Roux works well for me. The secret seems to be to start early, i.e. make the clarified butter and the peppercorn reduction well ahead of starting on the sauce.

Ingredients

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

4 tbsp water

1 tsp white peppercorns, crushed

125g clarified butter (made from 150g unsalted butter)

2 egg yolks

salt

juice of ½ lemon

Method

1. Make the clarified butter by heating butter in saucepan over very low heat. Once melted, pour off the yellowy fat into a bowl leaving the milky remains which you can discard. All to cool - you want to use it warm but not too hot
2. In a saucepan heat the vinegar, water and peppercorns, bring to a boil and reduce till about half the liquid remains. Allow to cool completely.
3. Starin the reduction to remove peppercorns. In the now cold saucepan, whisk the egg yolks with the reduction and heat gently over a heat diffuser. Over a very low heat, continue whisking. Over a period of 8-10 minutes the the yolks will thicken but don't let things get too hot - < 65℃.
4. Off the heat and still whisking, pour in the tepid clarified butter in a steady stream. Season with salt to taste. At the last moment which in some lemon juice to taste.

Sauces Michel Roux

Alex's Stick blender Hollandaise

Ingredients

3 egg yolks

1 tsp water

115g unsalted butter

juice of ½ a lemon

salt & pepper

Method

1. in a cup just large enough for the stick blender put the egg yolks, water and lemon juice
2. Melt the butter gently and transfer to a jug - it needs to fluid but not too hot. Put the stick blender in the cup and with it running pour the melted butter in a slow stream into the cup. Continue pouring until all butter is added. Sauce should be creamy and thick enough to coat a spoon but still flow off of it. If it is too thick, whisk in a small amount of warm water, a tsp at a time. Season with salt and pepper/cayenne

Alex

Stick blender Hollandaise

Ingredients

2 large egg yolks

1 tsp water

1 tsp lemon juice

110g unsalted butter

salt & pepper or cayenne

Method

1. in a cup just large enough for the stick blender put the egg yolks, water and lemon juice
2. Over high heat, melt the butter swirling all the time until the foaming subsides and transfer to a jug. Put the stick blender in the cup and with it running pour the melted butter in a slow stream into the cup. Continue pouring until all butter is added. Sauce should be creamy and thick enough to coat a spoon but still flow off of it. If it is too thick, whisk in a small amount of warm water, a tsp at a time. Season with salt and pepper/cayenne

This is essentially the same as Alex's recipe - it didn't work for me because I misread the recipe and added all the butter at the beginning as for mayonnaise. Doh! 🙄

https://www.seriouseats.com/foolproof-2-minute-hollandaise-recipe

Indian chutneys etc

Indian chutneys etc

Kebab shop

Yoghurt sauce

Ingredients

100g Greek yoghurt

100g mayonnaise

¼ tsp black pepper

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ tsp dried dill (optional)

½ tsp dried parsley (optional)

Juice of ½ lemon

Salt to taste

Method

1. Mix the mayonnaise and yoghurt till smooth. Mix in the remaining ingredients and check seasoning

Salsa sauce

Ingredients

1 or 2 red bird’s eye chillies

200g tinned (canned) chopped tomatoes

2 garlic cloves, crushed

½ tbsp tomato paste

¼ tsp black pepper

Juice of ½ lemon or ½ tbsp white vinegar

Salt to taste

Method

1. Blend all ingredients in a blender till smooth. Check heat and seasoning

Mayonnaise

⇒ Quick mayonnaise

Mushroom and cream sauce

1. Fry some chopped mushrooms.
2. Make some Alfredo sauce and add the mushrooms

Onion Gravy

Ingredients

2 onions

25g butter

1 Tbsp flour

2 tsp tomato paste

500ml beef stock

Method

1. Peel, halve and thinly slice the onions. Cook gently in the butter until golden brown - take your time. Meanwhile heat the stock.
2. Add the tomato paste and cook for a minute. Add the flour to make a roux. Cook for a couple of minutes. Add the stock, stirring constantly, and bring to the boil and simmer over a medium heat until the gravy is glossy and has thickened.

Pesto

Ingredients

for a small quantity

½ clove garlic

½ Tbsp pine kernels

75g fresh basil leaves

½ Tbsp pecorino or parmesan

75ml extra-virgin olive oil

pinch of salt

Method

Use a pestle and mortar or a mini food processor

1. mash the garlic and salt together and then mash in nuts but don't overwork.
2. add the cheese and then the oil working as little as possible to not overheat.

Tartare sauce

Ingredients

mayonnaise

1 egg yolk

Generous pinch of salt

3/4 tsp Dijon mustard

100ml sunflower or groundnut oil

25ml olive oil

flavourings for the sauce

1½ tbsp pickling liquor from cornichons, to taste

½ heaped tbsp salted capers, rinsed and chopped

½ heaped tbsp cornichons, chopped

½ heaped tbsp chopped parsley

½ tbsp chopped chives

Method

1. Make the mayonnaise
2. Stir the pickling liquor into the mayonnaise, then mix this with the other flavourings

Thai dipping sauce

Haddock fish cakes with lime leaves and dipping sauce

Thousand Island dressing

This is the classic sauce for prawn cocktail, as I make it. I like it with a decent heat kick, but if not, reduce the sambal oelek. All the quantities are indications - adjust to your taste.

Ingredients

4 Tbsp mayonnaise - Hellmann's is fine.

2 Tbsp creme fraiche (or greek-style yoghurt)

1 tsp tomato paste

1 tsp sambal oelek (or to taste - see below)

1 tsp grated horseradish or shop bought horseradish sauce, e.g. Kühne mierikswortel

1 Tbsp finely chopped shallot or white part of spring onion.

1 Tbsp chopped gherkin

1 Tbsp chopped capers

seasonings

salt & pepper and hot chilli - chill powder, cayenne, Tabacso or Encona

Method

1. Mix all the ingredients together. Adjust the quantities as you like. Add more tomato paste for a deeper pink. Adjust the seasoning and make hotter with addition of Encona, Tabasco, chilli powder or cayenne.

Tomato sauce

Simple & quick

I prefer this to the recipe below. Use decent olive oil and top quality tinned tomatoes - I like to use the Mutti cherry tomatoes.

Ingredients

1 tin top quality tomatoes

1 clove of garlic - peeled but left whole

2 Tbsp olive oil

sprig basil

salt & pepper

Method

1. Put the oil, garlic and tomatoes in a pan and heat gently. After a few minutes you can mash up the tomatoes a bit and add the basil. Simmer on very low heat for 20 minutes or more.
2. Remove basil and garlic. Sauce is good to use. Pass through a sieve if you want it to be really smooth.

Eve - Pasta Grammar https://www.pastagrammar.com/post/how-to-make-authentic-italian-tomato-sauce-simple-easy-recipe

Tomato sauce for Pasta

Ingredients

1 tin tomatoes or polpa

70g butter

½ onion, finely chopped

1 small carrot, finely chopped

1 stick celery, finely chopped

salt and pepper to taste

¼ tsp sugar

optional 70ml double cream

Method

1. Put all the ingredients except the cream in a saucepan and gently simmer for an hour.
2. Once simmered, pass through a sieve, pushing as much of the veg through as you can. Can now be refrigerated or frozen.
3. If you like, add some double cream once the sauce has been reheated and gently cook through for a minute.

based on The Classic Italian Cookbook Marcella Hazan