I am not French and therefore do not have a tendency to top or toss each dish with a sauce; but sauces certainly have their uses. It has taken some work to develop a group of sauces that meet my “intolerant” needs. Several come from the classic repertoire, and others are modest inventions.
Use seasonings as one would any other spice in the kitchen. Taste and invent.
Mayonnaise is a splendid French invention named after a general. The technique is very adaptable (see Chocolate Marsala Pudding, page 178).
This is the ultimate adaptable sauce. Thin it out with a tablespoon or so of water and heat slightly for a reasonable hollandaise sauce substitute. Add fresh herbs and chopped cooked spinach for a green sauce. Add capers, chopped onion, chopped parsley, and chopped gherkins for tartar sauce. Add Tomato Purée (page 208) for a pretty, cold sauce for fish. Add some grainy mustard or horseradish to make a spread for cold loin of pork (see page 121).
The mayonnaise can also be made in a blender (add the oil more quickly) or with a whisk (add the oil more slowly). Save the egg whites for meringues (see page 174).
3 egg yolks, at room temperature
1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
Freshly ground white pepper
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 cup safflower oil
1 cup good virgin olive oil
Place the egg yolks in a food processor and process for 90 seconds. Stop the machine and add the lemon juice, salt, pepper, and mustard. Process with 2 short pulses to mix.
Pour the oils into a measuring cup. Beginning very slowly but steadily, pour the oil into the running food processor. When about a third of the oil has been added, increase the rate at which you’re adding oil slightly and continue adding it until it has all been absorbed. Refrigerate in a closed jar. It will keep for a good week.
MAKES 2 CUPS
Super as a topping on baked potatoes and just as good on firm cooked vegetables or with artichokes.
2 egg yolks
¼ cup Simple Superior Sauce (page 197)
1 cup olive oil
Place the yolks in a blender. Pour in the sauce and whir for 30 seconds. Gradually, with the machine running, pour in the olive oil. This mayo will keep for a week.
MAKES 1½ CUPS
This goes particularly well with fish or fresh red bell pepper.
1 cup mayonnaise (homemade [above or left], or store-bought)
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Curry Vinaigrette (page 196)
Whisk the mayonnaise and vinaigrette together in a small bowl until well combined. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to a week.
MAKES 1 CUP
Any mayo requires good olive oil, salt, and some acid—lemon, vinegar, lime. It also requires eggs. The usual ones are hen eggs, although fish eggs are used here. All the ingredients need to be at room temperature and good quality.
My first mayonnaise experiment—very good too—was in Aspen at the house of a fabulous fisher. She had returned from a high-mountain trip, where it was legal to keep your trout catch. I volunteered to be the cook. First I had to clean the fish. As I cleaned, I noted that some of the fish were ladies with egg sacs. What to do? I made a sauce with the eggs. It was sensational. Since then, I have gone on to using other fish roes when available. I wouldn’t use beluga or other glamorous roes, but there are many that are good and that work.
When buying fish, ask the monger to save the roe for you. Incidentally, striped bass roe can be poached and served as you would the most elegant of quenelles. Bottled roe can also be used. Experiment; have fun.
3 ounces fish roe, such as shad roe
½ cup mild but good olive oil
¼ teaspoon salt
Juice of ½ lemon
Place the roe in a blender and blend to break it up some. While the blender is running, slowly pour in the oil until the mixture is a thick mayonnaise consistency. Stir in the salt and lemon juice. Serve this sauce with cod or chicken.
MAKES ⅔ CUP
Aïoli is a garlicky mayonnaise from southern France. In this recipe, I add a few drops of hot pepper sauce, which is definitely not classic. If you need aïoli for vegetables, just omit the hot sauce.
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
12 drops hot red pepper sauce, such as Tabasco
2 teaspoons kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ cup light olive oil
6 to 8 cloves garlic, to taste, smashed and peeled
Put the eggs, lemon juice, hot pepper sauce, salt, and pepper into a food processor. Process until well blended. With the machine running, pour in the oil in a steady stream until it is incorporated and the mayonnaise is smooth. Add the garlic. Process until smooth. The mayonnaise is now an aïoli. It will keep for at least a week.
MAKES 1 CUP
Many dishes are enhanced by a sauce, whether savory or sweet. Sauces are a wonderful playground for the inventive cook, and I myself have had a great deal of fun developing these.
One weekend I had a vegan over for dinner. I decided on Mushroom Risotto (page 43) and, as a first course, some Spanish white asparagus with a classic hollandaise sauce. But then it occurred to me: no egg yolks, no anchovies . . . no sauce. That was when scarcity hit. I rummaged in the cabinets and didn’t even have any canned chickpeas to make my new Basic Best Sauce (see page 53).
I did have a can of tiny little peas for which I have a low-taste weakness. I thought “Why not?” If chickpeas can work as a thickener or sauce, why not another starch? And so, scarcity inspired this new recipe, which is so delicious it could even replace guacamole.
One 14-ounce can petite sweet peas, drained
2 cloves garlic, smashed, peeled, and cut into chunks
¼ cup olive oil
Juice of ½ Meyer lemon, or a little more of a regular lemon
Kosher salt
Put the peas in a food processor and process until puréed. Add the garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice, then process until the whole mixture is smooth. Season with salt to taste.
Allow the sauce to sit for an hour to mellow the flavors before serving. It is best used that day.
MAKES 1½ CUPS
Lovage tastes like a blend of celery, parsley, and tarragon, with a hint of curry. The most popular herb in ancient Roman times, it has virtually disappeared from contemporary recipes, which is a shame. Cooked, it adds robust backbone to stews and sauces. Small raw leaves can be added whole into salads or cooked dishes. To avoid stringiness, stems should not be used, and larger leaves should be cut across like sorrel.
Difficult to find even in farmers’ markets, lovage is easy to grow outdoors, especially if grown by buying a plant or taking a rooted clump from a friend’s plant. Just be careful where you put it; lovage quickly reaches gargantuan proportions, about 6 feet high and 5 feet wide. Lovage likes full sun, too, and produces sprays of 3- to 5-inch leaves on celerylike plants.
This sauce is good on gluten-free pasta, in stews, and with poached chicken or fish.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, cut into ¼-inch dice (about ¾ cup)
4 medium cremini mushrooms, trimmed, cut in half, and then cut lengthwise into ¼-inch-thick slices
2 medium cloves garlic, smashed, peeled, and minced
3 medium tomatoes, cut into ¼-inch dice (2 cups)
¼ cup lovage leaves, cut across into thin strips
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Heat the oil in a medium-large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and stir to coat in the oil. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes or until the tomatoes have collapsed. Stir in the lovage and cook for 2 minutes more. Roughly purée in a food processor. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
MAKES 3 CUPS
This is my everyday tomato sauce. I suggest making the largest amount possible and keeping it on hand not only for a quick, comforting, and filling bowl of gluten-free pasta but also to have with almost any kind of simply cooked chicken, fish, or meat (I wouldn’t put it on beef). Keep some in the freezer and some in the refrigerator.
As a pasta sauce, I like it with gluten-free spaghettini. If fresh basil is available, toss some in when mixing the pasta with the sauce. While these quantities look huge, I normally make the sauce and then use it as needed.
This sauce is very low in calories, so add as much as you’d like to any dish. Because it’s made in the microwave, there’s less chance of burning.
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 garlic cloves, smashed, peeled, and finely chopped
1 small onion (2 ounces), finely chopped (about ½ cup)
1 small carrot, peeled and finely chopped (about ¼ cup)
1 small stalk celery, peeled and finely chopped (about ¼ cup)
2 medium white mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced (about ¾ cup)
One 35-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes, packed in juice
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried basil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch freshly ground black pepper
Combine the olive oil and two of the garlic cloves in the center of a 2½-quart soufflé dish or casserole. Cook, uncovered, in the microwave, on high for 2 minutes. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and mushrooms and cook, uncovered, for 3 minutes.
Stir in the tomatoes and their liquid, the oregano, the basil, and the remaining garlic. Cook, uncovered, for 7 minutes, stirring twice. Remove from the oven and let stand until cool.
Add the lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Working in batches, process the sauce in a blender at low speed until smooth. Refrigerate, covered, for up to 7 days or freeze for up to 6 months.
MAKES 4½ CUPS
This sauce on pasta can be a fresh way to start a meal or be one. Choose gluten-free penne.
⅜ cup olive oil
¼ pound mushrooms (4 or 5 medium), trimmed and cut into ¼-inch slices (about 1¾ cups)
1 small onion, finely chopped (about ⅓ cup)
1 cup (¾ pound) shelled peas
1½ cups Tomato Purée (homemade, page 208, or store-bought)
½ cup white wine
¼ cup minced mint leaves (about ½ cup packed whole leaves)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Pour 2 tablespoons of the oil into a 10-inch skillet over high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the mushrooms. Cook until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the onion and cook until it begins to wilt. Stir in the peas and cook for 1 minute.
Turn the heat down so the mixture is just bubbling. Add the tomato purée and cook for 3 to 4 minutes more. Pour in the remaining olive oil and cook the sauce for 3 minutes more or until the peas are nearly done. Stir in the wine and then the mint. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer. Season with the salt.
MAKES 2½ CUPS, ENOUGH FOR 6 SERVINGS OF PASTA
I devised this sauce for the Salmon Shiitake Kebabs on page 80. It is such a beautiful color and the flavor is so delicious that I have now used it on other things. A tablespoon can be mixed into each chopped hard-boiled egg for a salad. It is yummy with any simple fish and even poached chicken. And it works well on pasta.
1 piece ginger (about 2 ounces), peeled and chopped
1 bunch cilantro (4 to 5 ounces), stemmed (about ½ cup tightly packed leaves)
2 cloves garlic, smashed, peeled, and coarsely chopped
1 cup coconut milk
2 tablespoons gluten-free soy sauce
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Place all the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.
MAKES 1½ CUPS
Giblet gravy is easy if time consuming, and the basic principle is the same no matter what the size of the bird. The measurements here are for a 15-pound turkey. It’s not pan gravy; make it up to 2 days ahead.
Wing tips, giblets (heart and gizzards), and neck from
a 15-pound turkey or 2 chickens
6 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
3½ cups chicken stock (any of the homemade stocks, pages 203–4, or sterile-pack)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs (optional)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Put the wing tips, giblets, neck, garlic, and stock in the smallest pan that will hold the ingredients comfortably. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer, skim, and cook, uncovered, for 2 hours or until the giblets are easily pierced with the point of a knife. Add 1 cup water each time the liquid has reduced by half. Do not start with more liquid or stock, or the gravy will not be a rich, dark color. Skim occasionally. Remove the giblets, allowing them to cool.
Continue to cook the stock for 2 hours, until the neck bones fall apart. Add water as needed. For the last 20 minutes, let cook without adding any more water. Cut the heart and gizzards into thin slices or small cubes and reserve. Strain the stock. Skim off any remaining fat. Just before serving, add the giblets and, if you wish, some fresh herbs. Pick the meat from the neck and add. Heat until warm throughout. Add the deglazing liquid from the roasted bird if available. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
MAKES 2½ CUPS
Use this vinaigrette to dress a salad, coat vegetables, or as a marinade.
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Whisk all the ingredients together in a small bowl.
MAKES 1¼ CUPS
This vinaigrette is another classic often used on salads with fish, meat, or eggs in them. I use it as an alternate on the Herb-Simmered Leg of Lamb (page 134).
10 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, stemmed and coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon anchovy paste
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ cup red wine vinegar
1 cup olive oil
¼ cup drained capers, coarsely chopped
2 hard-boiled eggs, finely chopped
In a food processor, pulse the parsley, anchovy paste, mustard, salt, pepper, and vinegar to combine. With the machine running, slowly pour in the oil. Scrape into a small bowl and stir in the capers and eggs.
MAKES 3 CUPS
This is divine on cold fish. Use it also to dress a salad, coat vegetables, or as a marinade. Make it ahead as it thickens up over time.
2 tablespoons curry powder
½ cup olive oil
½ cup fresh lime juice
2½ teaspoons kosher salt
Combine the curry powder and olive oil in a small pot over low heat. Bring to a simmer and heat for 1 minute. Whisk in the lime juice and salt. Using a spatula, scrape the contents into a bowl. Allow to cool.
MAKES 1 GENEROUS CUP
This is the basic sauce for Herb-Simmered Leg of Lamb (page 134).
3 large eggs
3 cups olive oil
Six 3.75-ounce cans oil-packed sardines, drained, boned if need be, and lightly crushed
5 tablespoons green peppercorns packed in brine, drained and rinsed
3 tablespoons tarragon vinegar
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
In a food processor, pulse the eggs until slightly foamy, about 5 times. With the machine running, pour the oil through the feed tube a few drops at a time. When about a cup has been added and the sauce starts to thicken, pour a little faster, in a slow, steady stream, until the oil has been incorporated.
Add the sardines and 2 tablespoons of the peppercorns. Pulse to combine, about 10 times. Add the vinegar and salt and pulse to combine.
Scrape the sauce into a medium bowl and stir in the remaining peppercorns.
MAKES 6 CUPS
Yes, it sounds pretentious, but this sauce does live up to the title’s promise. I originally made it for poached leeks and have gone on to use it on steamed Belgian endive, microwave-cooked or boiled cauliflower, jarred white asparagus, microwave-cooked asparagus, as well as steamed chicken and white-fleshed fish, steamed and roasted. I have yet to try it on pork or veal; but as I keep extra in the refrigerator, I am sure the day will come.
Tins of anchovies that have been sitting overly long in the cupboard are fine because firm anchovies are not needed. It would even be possible to substitute anchovy paste from a tube—about a tablespoon. If using paste or if the olive oil in the tin is scanty, add an extra tablespoon of olive oil for each batch of the recipe. If the food to be sauced hasn’t been poached, simply substitute chicken or fish stock for the cooking liquid. If doubling the recipe—it keeps well in the refrigerator—use only a cup of the liquid and then stir it into the finished sauce.
One 2-ounce tin oil-packed flat anchovies
1 cup chicken stock (any of the homemade stocks, pages 203–4, or sterile-pack) or fish stock (page 205)
2 tablespoons drained capers
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil (if the anchovies have little oil)
Put all the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Allow the sauce to sit and mellow for at least 30 minutes before using it.
MAKES 1½ CUPS
VARIATIONS
Endive Sauce for Four
Use ½ pound Belgian endives, trimmed. Place in the basket of a steamer. Place over 2 cups of stock. Cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes or until a knife slips easily into the endives. Make the sauce using endive stock. Serve the endives with sauce on the side and a spoon for eating. Serves about four.
Leek Sauce
Clean about 2 pounds of leeks, Cut off the root ends and cut leeks to have about 6 inches of white. Put in a pan large enough to hold them in a single layer. Cover with chicken stock, 1 quart or more. Cover. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook about 20 minutes or until the tip of a knife slides in easily. Make the sauce using the leek stock. Serve hot or cold with sauce.
Quarter 5 pounds of smallish, firm apples—windfalls are fine. Put in a large pot with 4 cups water and 1 cup sugar. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook until the apples are very soft. Put through the medium disc of a food mill to get about 8 cups of sauce. Let cool and stir in the juice of 2 lemons. Will keep refrigerated for up to 1 month.
One of the cheering sights of spring is rhubarb, whether as big-leafed plants in the garden or as strong red stalks in the market. Cooks usually think of rhubarb in terms of sweet dishes like compote, pie, or jam, often mixed with strawberries. But it is a wonderful addition to the savory pantry as well.
This chutney goes particularly well with duck, pork, and other rich meats. The red of the rhubarb is reinforced by the fresh red radishes.
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons safflower oil
4 medium shallots, cut into ¼-inch dice
⅓ cup diced peeled ginger
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 cup dark brown sugar
2¼ pounds rhubarb stalks, trimmed and cut diagonally into ½-inch pieces
15 medium red radishes, halved and cut across into thin slices
In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Stir in the shallots, ginger, and curry powder. Cook, stirring, for about 6 minutes or until the shallots are limp.
Stir in the brown sugar, rhubarb, and radishes. Cover the pot and raise the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes or until the rhubarb is tender but not mushy.
If canned or frozen, this will keep indefinitely; refrigerated, it will keep for up to 1 month.
MAKES ABOUT 5 CUPS
Fresh raspberries transform into a wonderful brightly colored sauce that pairs with anything chocolate and elevates Waffles (page 16) to an eye-catching dessert. See photo and serving suggestion.
2 half-pints raspberries (about ¾ pound)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (optional)
Place the berries in a food processor and process until smooth. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a small saucepan. Place the saucepan over medium heat, add the sugar, and stir until dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. If you need more acid, add the lemon juice.
MAKES ¾ CUP
Wild strawberries set their own schedule, have a season of only a few days, and do not keep well. When I have any, I make this sauce. The recipe is for a very small quantity but can easily be multiplied. One of the advantages is that the berries do not need to be hulled, which is a tiresome chore. Use to drizzle on Lemon Sorbet (page 185), to perk up domestic strawberries, or just eat greedily off a spoon.
¼ pound wild strawberries (about 1¾ cups)
½ cup sugar
Cook the strawberries and sugar in a stainless-steel pot until the sugar is dissolved and the berries are very soft. Put through a chinois or other very fine sieve. Enjoy.
MAKES ⅓ CUP
Chocolate sauce can turn an ordinary breakfast waffle (page 16) into a scrumptious dessert. This recipe also can be doubled or halved easily. Want a thicker sauce for coating, dipping, or fondue? Reduce the coconut milk by half. Be sure to use a high-quality dark chocolate that is about 70 percent cacao and milk-free. This also makes a base for Chocolate Mousse (page 179).
1½ cups coconut milk
7 ounces dark chocolate (about 70% cacao), broken into little pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons sugar
Place the coconut milk in a small saucepan over very low heat. Add the chocolate pieces and stir occasionally until completely melted. Pour in the vanilla and sugar and mix well.
MAKES 2 CUPS
This is an Italian classic usually served over sliced strawberries. It can be used as a lactose-free topping for desserts.
3 egg yolks
¼ cup gluten-free confectioners’ sugar
⅓ cup Marsala
Combine the yolks and sugar in a blender and process for 1 to 2 minutes or until they increase in volume and turn pale yellow. Pour the mixture and the Marsala into a double boiler over medium heat. Whisk constantly until the mixture has nearly doubled in volume and become a light, airy beige sauce. This will take 5 to 10 minutes, depending on how hot your stove is and how much air you whisk into the mixture.
MAKES ¾ CUP