Ah, sauces. One's thoughts turn instantly to French haute cuisine: white linen tablecloths, lit tapers and impeccably tiny portions centered on monumental plates, veiled with a delicate drizzle of some exquisitely prepared liquid condiment. All this will have you believe that the secret to making a good sauce yourself involves obtaining a copy of Larousse Gastronomique and memorizing the chapter on sauces, paying special attention to all the esoteric italicized phrases.
Wrong!
Do not be intimidated by sauces, my friend, delicious and complex though they seem. Though the word "sauce" itself is indeed French (after all, classical French culinary schools are truly known for elevating the creation of sauces to a fine art), etymology suggests that the root word for sauce is salsus, Latin for "salted." This gets to the essence of what constitutes a sauce: a liquid mixture intended for adding flavor and richness to a dish. Sauces are not intended to be the prima donna of the show, but they do
add that extra touch. (Although if you, like some people I know, think of ketchup as the dish and French fries as the condiment, I won't object.)
And yes, ketchup is a bona fide sauce. So are mayonnaise, soy sauce and gravy. And Hollandaise, Sauce B?©chamel, Marinara, and Sauce Velout?©.
Haute or bas, familiar or fancy, sauces can be made from many things, though there is typically a liquid or liquefied component (such as milk, cheese, broth or fat), flavoring components (which can be as simple as salt and pepper or as complex as an herb mixture) and thickening agent (some sort of starch, like flour or cornstarch).
You can find lots of recipes for sauces online. Some of my favorites involve fruit; combined with the right herbs and ladled over a meat dish, you can really impress your guests.
The hardest part of cooking a sauce, I believe, is getting it to the right viscosity without it turning into a lumpy mess. Though cornstarch and flour work like a charm, they can be tricky to employ. So once you get your flavoring base how you want it, here's a quick tutorial on thickening that sauce.
Flour
Flour is most often used in a roux, a mixture of fat (usually butter) and flour. A roux is more of a thickening agent than a finished sauce, but it can be used to thicken soups and sauces (think gravy). It can be prepared ahead of time and stored for later use. Here is how to make a roux:
1) Heat butter, oil, shortening, bacon grease or whatever fat you prefer over very low heat.
2) Gradually add an amount of flour equal to the fat, stirring rapidly until all the flour is incorporated. Don't stop stirring or it will clump up.
3) Now keep stirring, and watch/smell carefully. After about 10 minutes of slow heating and stirring, the roux will begin to darken gradually. When you stop depends on what kind of roux you want to make: light roux is the lightest in flavor but also the best thickener, while dark roux has a nice smoky aroma but is difficult to achieve (the flour burns easily at that point).
4) When done, turn off the heat and keep stirring for a few minutes to ensure that the flour won't settle and clump. Done! That wasn't tiring at all, was it?
Cornstarch
This is my thickening agent of choice because it is much easier to use than flour and does not impart a strange floury flavor if undercooked. It has twice the thickening ability of flour and produces a clear, glossy sauce. Here is the general procedure:
1) Bring your sauce liquid to a continuous simmer. This way it'll be hot enough to cook the cornstarch once it's added, instantly thickening your sauce.
2) For every cup of sauce liquid, use about a tablespoon of cornstarch with a few tablespoons of water - use just enough water to dissolve the cornstarch completely. This step is imperative. If you put dry cornstarch directly into the boiling liquid, it will cook instantly and lump up.
3) Now slowly pour the cornstarch into the boiling liquid in a thin stream, stirring vigorously. The sauce will thicken quite quickly. Once the desired viscosity is achieved, stop adding cornstarch. If it's not thick enough, repeat steps 2 and 3.
Tarragon Apple Chicken
Ingredients:
* 1/2 cup apple juice* 1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon* 1/2 cup chicken broth* 1 clove garlic* dash of black pepper* 1 lb skinless boneless chicken breast* 2 medium apples* 1/4 cup scallions* 1 tablespoon cold water* 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
1) Slice the apples into thin wedges. Mince the garlic and scallions. Slice chicken breasts into half-inch-thick pieces.
2) In a large skillet, combine the apple juice, tarragon, chicken broth, garlic and pepper. Bring to a simmer.
3) Add chicken breast to liquid and reduce heat to medium-low so that the liquid is just at a simmer (not a boil - the chicken won't be tender otherwise). Cover tightly and simmer for seven minutes. The chicken will cook by steaming.
4) Flip the chicken over and sprinkle green onions and apple slices on top. Cover again and simmer for another five minutes until apple is tender and chicken is cooked through (check by cutting a thick piece in half and looking for pinkness). Once chicken is done, remove everything but the liquid from the pan. You are now ready to make the sauce.
5) Use the cornstarch technique detailed above. Once the sauce is done, pour it over your chicken and apples, and you are done! Nosh away!
