Sauce. I love the way that word sounds when I say it. Sauce. Go ahead, try it! Sauce. Pretty great, right?
Sauces are the things that make so many dishes the culinary power houses that they are. Whether it’s a blackberry breakfast syrup or a sherry infused béchamel, you can find a sauce to accentuate and give a little umph to pretty much every meal.
Here are 5 sauces that every good cook needs to know how to make. They’re relatively simple to prepare and pair with the right dish. Give these a try, gang.
Let’s get sauced!
Blackberry Breakfast Syrup
1 cup blackberries
1 cup warm water
1 cup white sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
Mix blackberries, water, and sugar together using a whisk in a small saucepan over low heat until sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to a medium and bring to a gentle boil, stirring often, until syrup thickens, about 15 minutes. Whisk lemon juice into syrup, serve immediately. Also works well cold over ice cream.
Basic Béchamel Sauce
5 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 quart of milk
2 tsp salt
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, stir in the flour with a whisk until smooth. Continue stirring the flour cooks to a light, golden sandy color and makes a roux, about 7 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high and slowly whisk in milk until thickened by the roux. Bring to a gentle simmer, the reduce heat to medium-low and continue simmering until the flour has softened and no longer tastes gritty, approximately 15 minutes. Season with salt. (This also can be modified to add in 1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg.)
Hollandaise Sauce
3 egg yolks
1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
4 Tbsp butter, chilled
3/4 cup butter, melted
1 tsp ground white pepper
salt to taste
Add egg yolks to a small saucepan and whisk until lemon yellow and slightly thick, about 1 minute. Whisk in lemon juice. Add 2 Tbsp cold butter, place over very low heat. Whisk constantly while butter is melting, and continue whisking until thick enough to see the pan between strokes. Remove pan from heat, and beat in 1 Tbsp cold butter. Repeat. Whisk in melted butter a little bit at a time. Season with salt and white pepper to taste.
Alfredo Sauce
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp minced garlic
3 cups whole milk
1/2 brick neufatchel
1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan/romano cheese
2 Tbsp dried parsley
salt and pepper to taste
Melt butter in a medium sauce pan over medium-low heat. Add in garlic and sautee until fragrant, being careful not to burn it. Add flour to the pot and cook, until you form a roux. Add milk to roux 1 cup at a time and gently stir with a whisk. Bring milk mixture to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer, strring constantly, til sauce begins to thicken. Once bubbling, add in neufatchel and parmesan cheese, stirring until steaming and smooth. Remove from heat, stir in parsley, salt, and pepper to taste.
BBQ Sauce
2 cups ketchup
1 cup water
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
5 Tbsp light brown sugar
5 Tbsp white sugar
1/2 Tbsp fresh ground
1/2 Tbsp onion powder
1/2 Tbsp ground mustard
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp soy sauce
Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer. Cook uncovered, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens, at least 30 minutes.
Yum!