Basic Cream Sauce with VariationsSubmitted by David McCarthy, AustraliaWe are going to vary from the normal by presenting not just the basic sauce but also some variations that you may find useful. Hopefully people who have never used sauce, other than gravy or custard, will start to think about widening their repertoir. You'll be surprised how quickly a sauce becomes the topic of conversation over dinner when you serve a good sauce with the meal. When you change your menu you very often change your life, too. Dull, boring, repetitive meals lead to dull, boring, repetetive conversation. By adding a sauce to a favorite meal you change the meal into something new and special. It will become a focal point of conversation.
1/2 cup of thickened cream 1 1/2 ounces (25 grams) of chilled butter (cubed) 1 egg yolk If you want it sweet, add: 1/4 cup of sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract If you want it savory, add: Salt & Pepper to taste
Combine the cream, egg yolk and salt and pepper (or sugar and vanilla extract if you are making sweet cream sauce) in a saucepan Stir over medium heat gradually adding butter one cube at a time and whisking until it melts, then adding the next cube. Continue whisking over medium heat until all ingredients are incorporated and the sauce thickens and heats through. Serve as required.
Blue cheese Add a 1/4 cup of your favorite blue cheese crumbled and add 2 Tablespoons of fresh lemon juice. Add the cheese when you combine the ingredients in step 1 above. Add the juice after you finish making the sauce and just before serving. Three cheeses 1 Tablespoon of crumbed blue cheese 1 Tablespoon of grated pecorino cheese 1 Tablespoon of grated fresh parmesan cheese Add all three cheeses at step 1 of the method above.
In a saucepan with 1 Tablespoon of butter, add 2 Tablespoons of green peppercorns Saute until the smell of peppercorns rises. Drain the butter and add the peppercorns to the basic cream sauce. Mustard Add 2 Tablespoons of Dijon Mustard at step 1. 2 Tablespoons of fresh lemon just before serving. Mushroom 1/2 cup of finely sliced mushrooms added to a saucepan with 1 Tablespoon of butter. Heat until the mushrooms start to emit their own juices, then add to the basic sauce mixture.
Chocolate Add 2 Tablespoons of your favorite chocolate, grated. This should be added at step 1 in the method. Liqueur Add 2 Tablespoons of your favorite liqueur at step 1 in the method.
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