Friday, January 27, 2012

Sassy Sauces

Some say hunger makes the best sauce, but, in my vast and varied experience, any sauce with a dollop of sherry does the trick. And, if you add Portobello mushrooms, you just put it over the top.


Your basic sauce has some fat, some seasoning, and some liquid, part of which I make alcoholic. As a rule of thumb, use 1-2 T wine/c soup or sauce. But, I’ve been known to up the proportion on occasion. You know, special occasions. Without children present.


I play with this combo all the time, trying out possibilities. Some are delectable, some are . . . well, less delectable. But, this mushroom sauce over your sherry-marinated pork chops will have the family licking their plates.


First, put your pork chops in a zipper plastic bag. Pour a sauce over the chops and let them marinate for a few hours. Grill or pan fry or even bake if that’s your only option. While the chops are grilling, I boil the marinade to a reduction. Thickened but not solid. Like gravy-thick. Add some mushrooms, pour over the chops, and dinner is served.


French cuisine is most famous for sauces. Oh, every cuisine has some kind of sauce/gravy, I imagine, but no one but the French can claim to have the “Mother Sauces.”


Here’s a little test: can you name them? Some of them? Well, one reason you may be struggling is that even the French are in flux re their Mother Sauces. Are there five or seven? Are they the traditional names or the updated, descriptive names. Check back to see more on Mother Sauces.

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