I think it'd be safe to say that over the last generation or so, we've all learned to cook more simply, quickly, healthily. We grill more. We stir fry. We've cut down on the fats and focused on good ingredients prepared simply. With few exceptions, we don't make the goopy, saucy, cream-of-mushroom-soup-based dishes our mothers used to.
Somewhere in the transition, though, we lost the ability to make a sauce. By that I don’t mean a cheesy, gooey or greasy thing that gets slathered all over the plate. I mean a spoonful or two of something flavorful and wet to complement and enhance our simply prepared quality ingredients.
Of course, many great sauces are based in rich stocks and demi-glaces—wonderful things that, generally, take a long time to make. But how to make a sauce simply, without a lot of fuss? Well, you can whip up a delicious sauce to complement almost any dish with just a few basic ingredients that, most likely, you already have on hand.
Ready-made stock, for example. I keep a can or two in the cupboard and freeze any leftovers in an ice cube tray, making two-tablespoon chunks always within reach. Deglazing a pan with a little store-bought stock is a fast, easy way to make a sauce for just-sautéed meats, poultry, vegetables or fish. I also use stock as a base for stir-fry sauce.
Actually, almost any liquid—wine, balsamic vinegar, fruit juice—makes a good base for a sauce, and is perfect for deglazing.
Butter, of course, is great as a sauce base. Melt some down, cook a little something in it—like garlic, shallots, or citrus zest—and/or whisk in some flavoring, like citrus juice, wine or fresh herbs. Then spoon it right over the rest of your meal.
Mayonnaise, used judiciously, is also a great base. You can flavor it with another liquid—flavored olive oil, vinegar, wine, stock or juice. Or you can mix it with a puree, like pureed roasted garlic or roasted red peppers. On a sandwich or atop a piece of grilled fish, a little dab will do ya.
Any kind of vinaigrette also makes a good sauce—on fish, meats, chicken, vegetables. A week or so ago I made a great vinaigrette to go with steamed artichokes. Much more interesting—and low calorie—than plain old butter or mayonnaise.
The following recipe is one I developed for Bon Appetit magazine. A basic pan sauce is enhanced with sautéed fruit and vegetables. You can also make it with chicken, but my favorite version is this one—with a fruity bottle of Merlot alongside.
Serves 4
Eight 1/2-inch thick lamb rib or loin chops
2 teaspoons kosher salt, or more to taste, divided
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste, divided
2 to 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup diced parsnip (1/2-inch dice)
1 cup diced tart green apple (1/2-inch dice), such as Pippin or Granny Smith
2 teaspoons thyme leaves, plus sprigs for garnish
1 cup dry sherry
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Season the lamb with half of the salt and half of the pepper. Set aside.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the parsnip and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Add the apple, thyme leaves, remaining salt and remaining pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the parsnip and apples are lightly browned, about 1 minute. Remove to a plate.
Add 1 or 2 more tablespoons of olive oil to the skillet, if necessary, and return it to medium-high heat. (If all the lamb won’t fit into your skillet without crowding, heat a second skillet with 1 or 2 tablespoons of olive oil.) Add the chops and cook to the desired doneness (3 minutes per side for medium rare). Remove the lamb from the pan, loosely cover with foil and let it rest.
Pour off any fat and return the skillet (the larger one if you used two) to medium-high heat. Add the sherry, scraping up any caramelized bits in the bottom of the pan. Add the parsnip mixture and cook until the sherry is reduced by about half and the parsnip and apples are tender (the time this takes will depend on the size of your skillet). Remove the pan from the heat and swirl in the butter. If necessary, season the sauce with additional salt and pepper.
Spoon the parsnip, apples and pan sauce over the lamb. Garnish with the thyme sprigs and serve.
Copyright Jill Silverman Hough. All rights reserved.
www.jillhough.com.