Your favorite sauce recipe?

[luvs]

my favorite is the old classic hollandaise. i love it. i love it on green veggies and poached eggs and prefer it to bernaise for filet.
i make it by melting a stick of butter, then putting 3 egg yolks into my smallest pot and setting that over an identical pot kept at barely a simmer. a homemade double boiler.
then i use a little 2 ounce gravy ladle to add in a little butter at a time, then whisk, then add more butter, and so on. i remove it from the heat a few times throughout cooking.
once it's nice and thick, i microwave a lemon for up to 15 seconds, roll it on the counter and squeeze half of it into the sauce, along with a pinch of white pepper. i don't add salt but you can.
can we hear your favorites?

[Lugaru]

MOLE!!!


I find the easiest way to describe it is a Mexican Curry with chocolate for added bitterness and sweetness. Put some of that on chicken or turkey or pork or even just freshly prepared beans, serve with rice and tortillas and you've got yourself one of the most elegant and delicious meals ever.



Chicken Mole
From The Good Food: Soups, Stews and Pastas (Canada, UK), by Daniel Halpern and Julie Strand.

The chocolate in this classic Mexican dish makes for a very rich, somewhat mysterious and delicious sauce. We first tasted mole in Cuernavaca, where it was prepared by a superb local cook, whose dark sauce was the consistency of heavy cream. We have been disappointed since by the watery versions served in many American Mexican restaurants, but have found that the sauce is not difficult to master at home.

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp oil
1 Tbsp sunflower kernels
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp aniseeds
1 cup blanched slivered almonds
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/3 cup chili powder
1 cup canned Italian tomatoes, drained, seeded, and chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 tortilla, torn into small pieces
3 cups chicken stock
2 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate, grated
4 whole chicken breasts, split
4 chicken thighs
4 chicken drumsticks
Garnish: chopped fresh coriander

Instructions:

In a small skillet, heat 1 Tbsp of the oil over moderate heat and in it cook the sunflower kernels, sesame seeds, cumin seeds, aniseeds, and almonds, stirring constantly until the sesame seeds and almonds are golden, 2 or 3 minutes. Purée the mixture in a food processor.

Add to the processor the raisins, oregano, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, chili powder, tomatoes, onions, garlic, salt, pepper, the tortilla, and 1/2 cup of the stock and purée until smooth.

Transfer the purée to a saucepan. Stir in the remaining 2-1/2 cups stock, bring the sauce to a simmer, and add the chocolate. Cook the sauce at a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally, to melt the chocolate.

While the sauce is simmering, rinse the chicken quickly in cold water and dry with paper towels. In a large casserole, heat the remaining 3 Tbsp oil over moderately high heat and in it sauté the chicken in batches until each piece is golden brown on all sides. Set the pieces aside on a plate as done.

Put the chicken and any accumulated juices in a flameproof casserole, placing the dark meat on the bottom. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Simmer, covered, until the chicken is tender, about 30 minutes.

Place the chicken on a warm serving platter. Pour the sauce over the chicken, garnish with the chopped fresh coriander, and serve.

Yield: Serves 8 to 10

[SierraCook]

I don't make many sauces, so when I do I like to keep it simple. One of my favorites is Chile Verde.

10 tomatillos
1 bunch of cilantro
2-3 garlic cloves
2 jalapenos
1 onion, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste

Place all ingredients in a food processor and puree.

I usually add shredded pork to the sauce and simmer it on the stove for about 20 minutes.

I also like the basic wine butter garlic sauce with a few capers thrown in. Chicken piccata is one of my favorite dishes.

[kadesma]

Luvs,

I just made my first mustard sauce...We had it over grilled beef filets and I was surprised how well it turned out and how easy it was to do...
kadesma

[Michael in FtW]

I like to play with all kinds of sauces ... but my favorite would have to be simple milk gravy.

[Bangbang]

Originally Posted by Michael in FtW

I like to play with all kinds of sauces ... but my favorite would have to be simple milk gravy.

I second that.

[ironchef]

For it's pure versatility, and the amount and impact of the different flavors you can impart in it, my favorite would be a beurre blanc. The classic recipe calls for tarragon vinegar and no cream, but you can't store the sauce that way. If you incorporate cream into the sauce, it can hold in the refrigerator for one reheating.

Beurre Blanc Base

Yield: 3 cups

Ingredients:

3 shallots, finely chopped
3/4 c. dry White Wine
2 Tbsp. Fresh Lemon Juice
2 c. Heavy Cream
2 c. cold Unsalted Butter, cut into 1" cubes
Kosher Salt to taste

Method:

In a saucepan, combine the shallots, wine, and lemon juice. Reduce until there is approximately 3 Tbsp. of liquid remaining. Add the heavy cream, and gently reduce by half. Whisk in the butter 2-3 cubes at a time, or transfer to a blender and blend/whisk until all of the butter is incorporated. From here, use your creativity and imagination to make a multitude of different sauces.

[Constance]

My favorite is White Sauce (which I think is the same as your milk gravy, Michael) because it can be varied in so many ways.

[Bee]

Mine would be a Port and Stilton sauce I do for steak which is always very well received, even by those who say they don't like blue cheese.

[mrsmac]

I make a mustard sauce for chicken fillets by frying some wholegrain mustard in a little butter then adding sour cream and cooking for a bit longer, even my kids like it.

[kadesma]

Originally Posted by mrsmac

I make a mustard sauce for chicken fillets by frying some wholegrain mustard in a little butter then adding sour cream and cooking for a bit longer, even my kids like it.

Mrsmac,
that sounds great and east too. The mustard sauce I'd made was a pain because we were knee deep in family we hadn't seen in 5 years and everyone was hungry and after me to get the sauce done.. I'm going to try our idea, it looks yummy...Thanks for sharing.
kadesma

[Rob Babcock]

There's a lot of great sauces, but I suppose my favorite is probably demiglace, especially Burgandy Demi. There's so much you can do with it (add chopped onions, peppers, shrooms, etc).

[AllenOK]

I haven't made it in years, but here's one I dearly love:

Marchand du Vin
yields: ~ 2 ½ c


3 strips bacon, cut into lardons
¼ c chopped green onions
¼ c chopped yellow onions
½ t minced garlic
¼ c sliced mushrooms
2 T + 2 t flour
1 c beef stock
¼ c red wine
½ T Worcestershire sauce
1 t thyme
1 T butter
¼ c parsley, chopped

Fry bacon until crisp, remove bacon and keep warm. Using the grease, sauté green onion, yellow onions, and garlic 5 minutes. Add mushrooms, sauté 2 minutes. Add flour, sauté 4 minutes. Add stock, wine, Worcestershire, and thyme, reduce. Finish with the butter and parsley.

Also, I have some homemade demiglace. If we ever get some steaks, I'll introduce PeppA to a dish that I used to make, which I can't remember the name of it. I saute some steaks (tournedoes would be best, but tenderloin will work, with my tight budget right now, I'm willing to try anything), once they're browned, remove from the heat, and add some dijon mustard and demi to deglaze the pan. Once the pan's deglazed, I'll hit it with a little brandy (or bourbon) and flambe it. Once the flames die down, return the steaks to the pan and finish cooking to desired doneness.

[luvs]

i just saw all these recipes. these sound yummy! nothing like a good sauce to make a meal just what it should be.

i like a good cheese sauce, also. my favorite is just a bechamel w/ a very sharp cheese added in.

[Bangbang]

Originally Posted by Constance

My favorite is White Sauce (which I think is the same as your milk gravy, Michael) because it can be varied in so many ways.

Yep! Its my favorite. You can do a lot of things with a white sauce

[luvs]

Originally Posted by Bangbang

Yep! Its my favorite. You can do a lot of things with a white sauce

that is an awesome sauce! i cook up white sauce (i call it bechamel but same thing)so often. it's kind of like a kitchen staple.

[Bangbang]

Its the first thing I taught my kids to cook. After that they would make their own and add whatever they wanted to it. They love cheese sauces, creamed tuna or chipped beef on toast.

[KAYLINDA]

Here are two we use in our restaurant a lot...


CHERRY HAM SAUCE

MIX TOGETHER IN A MICROWAVE BOWL AND COOK UNTIL BUBBLY

2 CANS CRUSHED PINEAPPLE

2 CUPS CUT UP MARACHINO CHERRIES

1/2 CUP CORNSTARCH MIXED INTO 2 CUPS WATER

2 CUPS SUGAR

1 CUP GRENADINE




SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE


MIX TOGETHER IN A MICROWAVE BOWL AND COOK UNTIL BUBBLY



1 CAN CRUSHED PINEAPPLE

1/2 CUP CORNSTARCH MIXED INTO 1 CUP WATER

1 CUP SUGAR

1 CUP CIDER VINEGAR

1/2 CUP SOY SAUCE

1 CUP GRENADINE

[thumpershere2]

Ditto on the white sauce.

[Bangbang]

If you can only make one sauce.....let it be White Sauce.