I came within inches of wearing a deer on my front fender while on my way to a cooking class given by Ann Harwood in Princeton, New Jersey. I decided that this close encounter was a sign that I should not be on this dark winding road after a long hard day at work and concluded that I was in no mood to make nice to strangers over some random recipes. I turned my car around and headed for home. About five minutes into the ride and while listening to Abba's, Dancing Queen, my GUILT TRIPOMETER went off. It flashed - you signed up to attend a small cooking class in this women's home - doing a last minute no show is a pretty lame move - Finding no fault in that logic, I pressed rewind on my cassette player and had The Dancing Queen escort me back to the class.
Thank you GUILT TRIPOMETER! That class was by far the most instructive and useful cooking lesson that I have ever had in all my foodie years. By following a few simple steps and then combining different ingredients at each stage in the process, l was able to create an unlimited number of restaurant quality sauces to accompany meat, fish and poultry.
Cooking is an art not a science. Once you have mastered the basic technique, you can go in any direction by choosing from the many food options listed. The measurements given are only a guide and can be adjusted according to taste. This is not rocket science so have fun experimenting!
SAUTE/REDUCTION SAUCES FINISHED WITH CREAM
Serves four
- Degrease- 10 inch sauce pan with fat ( olive oil, coconut oil, butter ). 3 tbs oil, 1 tbs butter
- Saute- shallots, onions and/or garlic. 1/4 cup
- Deglaze- wine, liquor, brandy, or vinegar. 1/4 cup
- Add stock and boil (chicken, veal demi-glaze, vegetable, or beef ). 1 cup
- Add cream and boil, reducing sauce by at least a third. 1 cup
- Option A- Add acid or piquant ingredients while sauce is boiling ( mustard, horseradish, lemon juice ) 1 tbs.
- Option B- Add pureed or chopped ingredients ( mushrooms, leeks, pesto, veg purees, fruit, jam). 1 cup
- Finish with herbs ( tarragon, marjoram, chives ). Salt and pepper to taste.
- Add cornstarch slurry if sauce doesn't thicken enough to coat the back of a spoon. 1/4 cup
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SAUTE/REDUCTION SAUCES FINISHED WITH BUTTER
Serves Four
- Follow steps 1 - 3 as described for cream reduction.
- Add stock or stock and juice. Reduce and boil. 2 cups
- Add pureed or chopped ingredients (mushrooms, veg purees, fruit, jam ). 1/2 cup
- Finish by whisking in softened whole butter while sauce is boiling. 4 tbs
- Add fresh herbs, salt and pepper off heat.
- Add cornstarch slurry if sauce doesn't thicken enough to coat the back of a spoon. 1 tsp 1/4 cup water _____________________________________________________________
COMBINATIONS FOR CHICKEN
- Onion, tsp chopped garlic, white wine, chicken stock, juiced lemon, capers, butter, parsley.
- Shallots, garlic, Madeira, morals and their juice, chicken stock, cream.
- Onion, white wine, chicken stock, cream, basil pesto.
COMBINATIONS FOR PORK
- Shallots, Armagnac marinade or brandy, chicken stock, pureed prunes, butter, tarragon.
- Shallots, garlic, Marsala, chicken stock, cream, mushrooms, dried figs.
- Shallots, Creme de Casis, red wine, chicken stock, blackberry or current jam, cream, tarragon.
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- Using two sheets of wax paper and a mallet, pound 4 chicken breasts or 4 slices from a pork loin roast to approximately 1/4 inch thickness.
- Place cutlets in a bowl containing a mixture of 1 beaten egg and 1 cup of water.
- Combine 1 cups of Italian breadcrumbs, 1/2 cup flour, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp garlic power.
- For a lighter cutlet omit the breadcrumbs and use 2 cups of flour with the same seasonings.
- Lightly dredge each cutlet in breadcrumb or flour mixture.
- Saute the cutlets in approximately 1/4 cup corn oil and 2 tbs of butter. You can substitute coconut or olive oil.
- Lightly salt the cutlets immediately after they are removed from the frying pan.
- Cover meat with foil. Place in 200 degree oven to keep warm.
- Cook sauce as directed above. Remember to allow enough time (approx. five minutes) for the wine and liquor to evaporate and for the stock and cream to reduce (approx. 10 minutes). Don't rush this! Pour a glass of wine and chill.
- Spoon sauce over warm cutlets or slip the cutlets into the saucepan and lightly stir to coat the meat.
HOPE MY BLOG WAS INFORMATIVE AND HAS INSPIRED YOU TO TRY OUT A NEW TECHNIQUE. WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM MY FELLOW SAUCIERS!
UNTIL NEXT TIME .............
