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Classic French Sauces II
How To Prepare the Great Classic Sauces


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  Sauce Demi-Glace Family - Dark Brown Warm Sauces
The original Espagnole Sauce was the ultimate basic brown sauce recipe, having been replaced with a much easier version called 'Sauce Demi-Glaze.  The mother of all brown sauces, along with her offspring sauce families. 

Sauce Demi-Glace - Basic Brown Sauce
     
               1/8 lb. butter
2 onions
2 carrots
3 T. flour
3 c. stock
1 T. sugar
1 T. tomato paste
1/2 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
2 cloves garlic minced
Bouquet garni
Brown food coloring
2 T. Cognac [or brandy]
2 T. Madeira
     
 
Sauté the carrots and onions in the butter over low heat for about 30 minutes, and stir in the sugar the last 10 minutes of cooking time.  Turn the heat up to caramalize the vegetables, but do not burn them. This creates the rich brown color of the sauce.  

Stir in the flour, stirring constantly about 2 to 3 minutes until the flour lightly browns, then add the stock, bouquet garni, tomatoe paste, sugar, garlic, salt and pepper.  Stir until the mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat to low, and with the lid ajar, simmer for about an hour.  Add brown color only if the sauce is not dark enough.

Strain the sauce into a clean pan, and finish with the Cognac and Madeira.  Use alone, in other other sauces, or let it cool [sit mixture with the lid on into a large pan of cold water] and you can then freeze the mixture.  If you freeze the mixture, do not add the Madeira or Cognac.  Add them when you have heated the sauce again for serving.  This is something to make in large quantities to freeze, so you have it readily available to make any of the following offspring demi-glace recipes.
 
Sauce Preparation Tools
Basic needs simply include a good sauce pan [saucier], a whisk, a wooden spoon or other long handled spoon for stirring.  The best saucepan of course is a copper saucier, but there are numerous selections to choose from, and use and keep this saucier only for making sauces.  The saucepans and tools need to be related to each other, so that if you have a non-stick surface saucepan, then you need to use wooden or plastic coated or synthetic materials for the whisks and spoons.  Also, whisks vary greatly depending upon the need...you can view a wide range of whisks, and spoons here.  You can buy inexpensive wooden spoons and spatulas at your local hardware or grocery store.
 
 

     2 Qt. Copper Saucepan 
      On Sale now $149.95

The ultimate saucepan of course is a heavy duty copper saucier. Twice as conductive as aluminum and ten times more conductive than stainless steel, copper is second to none for cooking, for precision and uniformity and speed. Oven safe to 500°F. Hand wash.
 
   
  Bordelaise Sauce - In a saucepan, add 1 c. red wine and 2 T. minced shallots and reduce to 1/2 cup.  Add demi-glace sauce and simmer for about 30 minutes.  Strain, then add 1 t. fresh lemon juice and 1/4 c. cubed pached beef marrow, and adjust seasonings.  Finish with 2 T. Cognac, 1 T. Madeira and 2 T. Grand Mamier, a chunk of butter.  Serve with grilled steaks..
 
  Chateaubriand Sauce - In a saucepan add 1 c. white wine, 8 chopped mushrooms, 3 shallots minced, 1 T. fresh lemon thyme, a bay leaf and bring to boil and reduce to 1/4 cup.  Add the demi-glace, and simmer for about 30 minutes, strain and adjust seasonings.  Add 1 T. fresh lemon juice, 2 T. Cognac, 1 T. Madeira, a chunk of butter.  After spooning sauce over grilled steaks, sprinkle fresh chopped parsley over the sauce.
 
  Chasseur Sauce - In a chunk of butter, sauté 1 c. sliced mushrooms, 2 minced shallots for about 2 minutes.  Add 1/4 c. white wine, reduce liquid completely, and stir in demi-glace sauce.  Add 2 T. Cognac, 1 T. Madeira, a chunk of butter.  After spooning sauce over game or poultry, sprinkle fresh chopped parsley over the sauce.
 
  Diane Sauce - have at hand 1 chilled hardboiled egg, and 1 chopped truffle.  In a saucepan, add 1/4 c. vinegar, 10 crushed peppercorns, bring to boil and reduce to 2 Tablespoons.  Strain liquid into demi-glace sauce, stir into demi-glace a mixture of 1/4 c. crème fraîche with a few drops of hot sauce.  Cut the white of the boiled egg into crescent shapes and add to demi-glace along with chopped truffle. Adjust seasonings, heat and serve with broiled or gilled meats.
 
  Lyonnaise Sauce - In a chunk of butter, sauté 1 c. minced onions.  Add 1/4 c. white wine, 1/4 c. vinegar and reduce liquid completely, add to demi-glace sauce and simmer 20 minutes..  Add 2 T. Cognac, 1 T. Madeira, a chunk of butter, adjust seasonings.  Serve with grilled and sautéed meats.
 
  Madère Sauce - Bring 1 c. Madeira wine to a boil, reduce to 1/4 cup, stir into demi-glace sauce, and add 2 T. Cognac. If too thin, adjust with beurre manié.
 
  Perigueux - to the Madère sauce add 3 T. chopped black truffles.  Serve with grilled steaks, pork tenderloin.
 
  Robert Sauce - In a chunk of butter, sauté 2 minced onions.  Add 1/4 c. white wine, 2 T.  vinegar and reduce liquid completely, add to demi-glace sauce and simmer 30 minutes.  Combine 1 t. confectioners sugar, 1 t. dry mustard, add 2 T. of demiglace to dry mixture to dissolve then add back into demi-glace.  Adjust seasonings.  Serve with grilled steaks or chops.


 
Vegetable and Herb Sauces   
  Vegetable and herb sauces are a nice accompaniment to fresh vegetables during the summer months.  Make a nice display of fresh vegetables on a large serving tray with the cucumber or dill sauce. 
   
  Cold Dill Sauce - mix together 1/2 c. plain yogurt, 1/2 c. sour cream, 1 T. country style Dijon mustard, 1 T. fresh lemon juice and 1 T. chopped fresh dill weed.  Cover and chill until ready to serve. 
 
  Cucumber Radish Sauce - mix together 1 c. plain yogurt, 1 medium size cucumber peeled, seeded, grated and drained, 4 large radishes grated, 1 T. fresh lemon juice, 2 cloves minced garlic, salt and white pepper  to taste.  Cover and chill until ready to serve.
 
  Hot Dill Sauce - saute 2 minced shallots, 4 cloves minced garlic in a 1 T. butter until translucent, add 1 T. country style Dijon mustard, 1 T. chopped fresh dill weed, and 1 c. heavy cream. Bring just to boil and reduce until sauce is thickened.  Serve warm over poached or grilled salmon. 
 
  Green Peppercorn Sauce - saute 2 minced shallots in 1 T. butter until translucent, add 1 T. green peppercorns, 1 T. country style Dijon mustard, 1 c. heavy whipping cream, 1 T. French Tarragon leaves, or subsitute with Mexican Mint.  Bring just to boil and reduce until sauce is thickened.  Season with salt to taste.
 
  Provençal Sauce - In 1 T. olive oil, sauté the following ingredients at one time:  1 large sweet onion sliced thinly, 6 cloves of fine minced garlic, 1 each - small green, red and yellow sweet pepper seeded and cut into julienne strips, for 3 to 4  minutes.  Do not over- cook, add 4 peeled and cubed tomatoes, 1/4 c. white port, 1 T. Herbs de Provence and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Add fresh parsley and serve over pasta, or vegetables.
 
  Red Peppercorn Sauce - sauté 2 minced shallots in 1 T. butter until translucent, add 2 T. red peppercorns, 2 T. brandy, 1 T. white port, 1 c. heavy whipping cream, and bring to a boil.  Reduce until sauce thickens.  Add 1 T. chopped fresh sweet marjoram, season lightly with salt.  Serve over pork, poultry, or vegetables.

Espagnole Sauce is the grandmother of sauce makings in classic French cooking.  The most important basic brown sauce in French cuisine is called sauce espagnole, or Spanish sauce, which in reality has nothing to do with Spanish cuisine however.  The sauce purportedly acquired its name from the bride of Louix XIII's Spanish cook, who altered a rich brown sauce by the addition of tomatoes. 

Espagnole sauce in itself is rather powerful and somewhat distasteful, but its sole purpose and intent was a basis for all the 'Sauce Demi-Glace Family' of dark brown warm sauces.  Because this sauce took so many hours or days to prepare, it fell in disfavor somewhat and 'Fond de Cuisine' a much simpler but excellent mother sauce has become the favorite in French cooking today.

The hierarchy of sauces is called the 'Mother' sauce, which becomes the base for a subsequent variations of French sauce families.  Please note the following 'Mother Sauces' :

Sauce Demi-Glace,
Béchamel Sauce, Velouté Sauce, Hollandaise Sauce and from there you have the offspring's.  As the mother sauce is the parent sauce, thus her offspring's in various categories based upon the added ingredients to the addition of the parent sauce.  The other 'Mother Sauce' is the red or tomato sauce, which information will be forthcoming.
 
 

                              

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