15
SAUCES, SALSAS &
CONDIMENTS

In fashion, a beautiful necklace can turn a simple black dress into an exquisite outfit. And in cooking, a fine sauce can turn simple food into something fabulous.

Sauces are typically described as liquid or semi-liquid accompaniments to main courses or desserts. Most of the classic sauces are French, with the base sauces called mother sauces. Different ingredients are added to these mother sauces to make an almost endless number of variations. For example, when béchamel (white sauce) has Gruyère cheese added, it becomes Mornay sauce. Many of the traditional sauces are cooked, and most depend on butter and homemade stock for body and flavor.

But these days, the French dominance over the saucepot no longer exists. Today’s sauces come from all around the world; many aren’t cooked at all and don’t contain any stock or butter. Salsa, that sprightly chilekissed sauce from south of the border, can be made with vegetables or fruits and served with everything from grilled fish to tortilla chips. And some sauces, such as the Italian salmoriglio and the Argentinean chimichurri, are based on olive oil and a combination of fragrant fresh herbs. These sauces are ideal for simple grilled fish, poultry, pork, or beef. In fact, chimichurri is the classic accompaniment to grilled steak in Argentina.

Classic French butter sauces, such as hollandaise, béarnaise, and beurre blanc, are meant to be served warm. They cannot be reheated, or they will curdle. So keep them at serving temperature the way they do in restaurants. To hold a butter sauce warm for up to 20 minutes, place the bowl of sauce in a skillet of very hot—not simmering—water. Whisk well before serving to dissolve any thin skin that may have formed. To hold for up to one hour, transfer the sauce, as soon as it is prepared, to a wide-mouthed vacuum bottle (rinse the bottle first with hot water to warm it) and seal. When ready to serve, transfer the sauce to a serving dish.

Sometimes a thick sweet-and-tangy condiment is the preferred way to accent a main course. Intricately seasoned but easy to make Indian-inspired fruit chutneys are excellent with grilled meats. In this chapter, you’ll also find an assortment of tasty condiments, perfect accompaniments for the holiday turkey, a favorite sandwich, or your grilled London broil.

Dessert sauces are for those times when you want to gild the lily. A piece of chocolate cake can be wonderful, but when served in a pool of jewel-colored raspberry sauce, it becomes sublime. These sauces are also delicious served over ice cream or spooned over waffles for a special breakfast treat.