The Mystery Of Francaise Sauce

[Friendlyman4349]

I am curious about why this so popular sauce is so hard to duplicate.
Call me a pessimist but every posting I see regarding this sauce never really hits the target,,Everyone has a favorite resteraunt and all of us want to duplicate this sauce. All fall short. Yes I have tried the cream, I have tried the swishing of the butter in off the heat. Call me non trusting but, I think someting is not being let out of the vault of those who make it. Even when you go to a party the Francaise Sauce is lemony and delicious. You can' t tell me that places that make a tray at $60.00 dollars are using expensive butter and wine what is the secret someone fess up. Even the color of the sauce is hard to duplicate someone is not telling the truth.
For the record my favorite version in my area of Long Island is Vincents Clam
Bar., in Carle Place Lemony but not bitter,

 

[Selkie]

It's not a difficult sauce, really. Basically it's a butter-lemon sauce, sometimes with the addition of chicken broth, or a water and cornstarch slurry, or a little white wine. I've never seen more than four ingredients called for in the recipe, and sometimes just butter and a few drops of lemon juice.

I think it's interesting that the first page inside the Williams-Sonoma book on Sauces, is a photo of a slice of lemon! A lemon slice is also featured on the dust jacket (cover)!

 

[Andy M.]

I see a flaw in your assumptions. That assumption is restaurants actually follow a proper recipe for this sauce just because they use the name. Restaurants will take sometimes significant liberties with a named sauce or dish to save money, simplify production or just to add their own twist.

This is most probably why you cannot exactly duplicate a restaurant sauce.

 

[Friendlyman4349]

Exactly, this was what I was trying to say, but I still would like to find out how they make it. I had a friend who's son worked at Vincents and he failed to get the recipe, Only a foodie would go to such extremes. Happy eating

 

[Andy M.]

How is the color different for the restaurant sauce vs. yours?

It may just be something as simple as using more butter and/or lemon than the recipes you've tried.