Sauces

Tomatilla Salsa

8-10 tomatillas, peel off the paper and rinse in a colander, rough chop
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
juice of 1 lime
1 clove garlic
salt and pepper

Process in a food processor and serve with chips. Tart, with a hint of heat aftertaste.

Gravy and basic stock

3 Tb butter
3 Tb flour
2-3 cups broth or stock-stock tastes much better. if you're going to use broth at least take the time to reduce it so it tastes like something other than yellow water
cooked meat from giblets
salt and fresh ground pepper

Separate the fat from the pan juices and reserve both. Leave the little chunks that are stuck to the pan in it.
In the pan put back around 2-3 tb of the fat and add the same amount of flour and make a roux. Let it cook for a couple of minutes to get rid of the flour taste.
Add the reserved cooking juices and around 2-3 cups of stock to the pan. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil while stirring constantly.
Remove from the heat and add the chopped giblets and season and serve.


For chicken or turkey stock
½ stick unsalted butter
3 or more ribs of celery with leaves
1 yellow onion, skin on and quartered
3 or more carrots, unpeeled, trim off stalk end chopped in ½
2 cloves garlic
giblets
I like to keep chicken pieces in the freezer to put into stock later-wing tips, backbone etc
Whole chicken cut up if you have one
various herbs in a bouquet garni, parsley, thyme etc
bouquet garni is just some fresh herbs tied up in cheesecloth for those who don’t know
bay leaf
½ cup or more dry white wine
water
salt
peppercorns

In a very large stockpot melt the butter and add the giblets, chicken pieces, veggies and sauté until they start to carmelize.
Add wine and reduce by ½
Add bouquet garni and water and wine until covered
Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer
Let stock simmer for at least 4 hours. I like to simmer mine for at least 6 hours
You’ll need to skim off the foamy crap and the fat from the top periodically
You want to reduce the stock by at least ½ to get any kind of good flavor from it
After the stock cools remove all of the veggies and discard
Remove the bones and take off all of the meat and save for the gravy
Skim the fat off as the stock cools
One quick way is to add some ice cubes to the stock and remove quickly. The fat will cling to the cubes.
You’ll need to strain the stock. I use a large fine mesh strainer and then line the same strainer with paper towels and strain it some more
If you’re going to use the stock in the next week or so you can keep it covered tightly in the fridge.
If it’s going to be longer than a week freeze it in ice trays and store in a freezer bag

To make beef or veal stock, get some bones and chop them in half so the marrow is exposed. Place them on a roasting pan and put tomato paste on them. Roast them in the oven unit they are brown. Use those in place of the chicken pieces and substitute a good red wine for the white.
If you want to make a demi glace you’ll need to cook all of this down to almost nothing and then reduce it further until it’s a paste.


Hollandaise Sauce

Yolks from 3 large eggs
2 sticks unsalted butter, clarified
1-2 lemons, juiced
hot sauce
white pepper


Heat water in sauce pan to high simmer
Add yolks, lemon juice, pepper and hot sauce to a stainless steel bowl and whisk
Add two tb of heated water to yolks and whisk until frothy and doubled in volume
Heat bowl over water
Whisk so that mixture turns frothy, don’t let mixture scramble
Remove from heat
Slowly drizzle in clarified butter while whisking vigorously to thicken


Remoulade

3 heaping tb mayo
1 tb ketchup
1 tsp hot sauce
1 tsp Worcestershire
1 tb lemon juice
1 tb chopped fresh parsley
1 tb chopped green onion
Cajun seasoning to taste
Salt and pepper


Mix in processor and chill for at least 1 hour

Great on shrimp, crab cakes, burgers etc.


Port Wine Rosemary Sauce


1 tb butter
½ cup minced shallots
1 cup red wine
¾ cup ruby port
1 cup beef broth
1 sprig fresh rosemary
3 tb cold butter
1 tsp chopped rosemary


melt butter in saucepan and add shallots
cook for about 3 minutes
add wine and boil for 5 minutes
add broth and rosemary sprig
reduce to about 1/3 cup
strain and cool
add to pan after cooking steaks and heat
add butter one pat at a time and blend into sauce
add chopped rosemary and season with salt and pepper
serve over steaks


Quick Lemon Butter Sauce


¼ cup white wine
juice of 2 lemons
1 bay leaf
8 or so peppercorns
½ tsp chopped fresh thyme
¼ cup heavy cream
8 oz butter cubed, cold
salt and pepper


Reduce white wine and juice with seasonings by ½
Add cream and reduce again by ½
Whisk in butter a cube at a time to thicken
Strain and season with salt and pepper
I also like to dice up some boiled shrimp to put in the sauce
If you have an aversion to heavy cream you may omit it and just follow the recipe otherwise

Serve over grilled or sautéed fish or the citrus crusted fish


Onion and Apple Sauce for Pork

2 tb butter
1 yellow onion sliced
1 cup apple juice
2 tb brown sugar

Heat a sauté pan over medium heat and add butter
Add onions and season with salt and pepper
Sauté onions until caramelized
Add apple juice and stir in brown sugar
Reduce by ½

Serve over pork


Alyssa’s(mti) Horseradish Sauce for Prime Rib


1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup sour cream
3 TBLS whole grain mustard
3-5 TBLS of horseradish (depending how hot you like it)
salt and pepper