| Zen and the Art of Sauces |
[Jul. 11th, 2005|10:15 pm] |
I have just added a new level of difficulty as it pertains to sauces: Mayonnaise.
For some time now, I have been studying how to make various kinds of sauces, starting with the terribly-too-easy Spaghetti Sauce, requiring only the basic skills of not burning food and opening cans. From there, you step up to Alfredo sauce (still fairly basic, but requires specific order of steps). After Alfredo comes Gravy. (Once you know what a 'roux' is and how to make it, it's pretty easy. Woe betide those who do not.) And I had Hollandaise Sauce (stir like a madman! A madman! and know how to seperate out egg yolks!) at the top of my list.
But nothing, nothing can quite prepare you to attempt making your own mayonnaise by hand. (When I say by hand, I mean no electric appliances. Partly for the challenge, partly to see how people would have done it a few decades ago - and partly because I'm too lazy to use AND clean the blender for a single small dish.) There are about a dozen different things you can do wrong, there's no real way to correct for them, and they all end up with the same result - a water-like substance that could only be dignified by the word 'mayonnaise' if you let it sit out overnight on the counter to calcify.
All the other sauces, I managed to make properly on my first try. But thus far, mayonnaise eludes me. Maybe next time, I'll use the blender.
Oh, and for the recipes:
Spaghetti Sauce
There's as many different ways to make spaghetti as stars in the sky. They're all the same basic idea, though. A tomato sauce served over pasta with oregano in it!
Hamburger, 2 lbs
Sweet Basil, a few dashes
Oregano, a few dashes
Tomato Sauce, 2x 15oz. cans
Tomato Paste, 1 small can
Basalmic Vinegar, 1 tbsp.
Black Pepper, a couple dashes
1 Small Onion (optional)
Vinegar
Salt
Sugar
Brown the hamburger. Drain off the grease. Congratulations! Hard part's over. Turn the burner down to Medium-low and throw in everything else EXCEPT for the Vinegar, Salt and Sugar. Now comes the second-hardest part. The vinegar will make things more tangy. The salt brings out the flavor of the tomatos. And the sugar helps to offset the sharp sourness of the vinegar. You want to get all three of these in balance - you'll be doing some tasting. (Isn't it great to be the cook?) Add a little at a time. I find that 2 tbsp vinegar, 1 tsp salt, and 2 tbsp sugar will get you pretty close. After that, it's basically done, but you can simmer it for 30 minutes to draw out the flavor of the other spices.
Alfredo Sauce (Quick and Dirty)
There are many different recipes for Alfredo Sauce. This is the beginner's version. For advanced cooks, look for a recipe that involves heavy cream. It's even less healthy than this one. Must be why it tastes so great. ;)
1 stick butter (that's 8 tablespoons!)
16 oz. sour cream (or so)
1 cup grated parmesan cheese (more or less)
Melt the butter over low heat. Don't let it start boiling. Throw in the sour cream and mix it in thoroughly. Once done, pause for 10 seconds. If you see buttery oil form around the edge, you either didn't stir it enough or you need more sour cream. After that's done, throw in the parmesan and turn the heat up to medium, stirring until it melts. The texture of the sauce should be smooth throughout, with no lumpiness. If you desire a dash of color, throw in a sprinkling of sweet basil. Goes GREAT with the spaghetti sauce.
Gravy (Sausage-style)
There's a lot of different kinds of gravy. This is Sausage Gravy, or White Gravy. Or just plain 'gravy' depending on who you talk to. Usually made with breakfast and served on top of the sausage you got the grease from... hence the name.
Grease
Flour
Salt
Pepper
Milk
So, you fixed sausage, and now you have all this grease in the pan. Great! Time to make a roux. A roux is very simple - take flour and sprinkle it into the grease over medium-low to medium heat, stirring to mix it in evenly. It'll bubble and foam at first, and then, as you add more flour and keep stirring, it'll form into a sort of doughy looking thing. That is a roux. Once you have your roux, stir in the salt, pepper, and finally the milk. How much? ... well, you'll figure it out. That's the tough part of gravy. It can only be made with experience. It will likely seem to be WAY too thin - don't worry. Turn the heat up to high, and keep it stirring. As the milk-roux mixture starts to boil, it will suddenly start to congeal in the pan. If it's too thick, add more milk. If it's too thin, keep boiling and stirring constantly, and it'll thicken up. Also, once it cools down a bit, it'll thicken up even more - keep that in mind.
Hollandaise Sauce
Evil to prepare - wonderful over just about anything. Most well known over Eggs Benedict - but just try it over some rice. Plain, simple rice. Just try it. ;) Also, all the recipes up to this point have been a very 'more or less' nature. This one... is not. MEASURE BEFOREHAND.
3 large egg yolks
1/2 cup butter
1 tbsp + 1 tsp lemon juice
dash of white pepper
2 dashes salt
Heat the butter over low heat until melted. DO NOT BROWN. Remove entirely from heat. In a seperate, small bowl, beat the egg yolks with the lemon juice, salt and pepper. By the time you're done, the butter should have cooled down enough that it won't start cooking the eggs as you mix them in. Do so, gradually, stirring constantly. Once it's mixed in, return to low heat, stirring constantly, never taking your eyes off it, until slightly thickened to desired consistancy. Do NOT let it boil under any circumstances. It will go from 'boiled sauce' to 'cooked eggs' in a heartbeat. LOW heat. I'm not kidding. And stir it constantly!
And lastly, Mayonnaise. In theory only. I haven't made this successfully yet, and when it's bad, it's REALLY bad.
2 egg yolks
1 c oil
1/2 lemon
2 ts vinegar
seasonings (as desired)
Juice the half of lemon, set aside. Beat the hell out of the egg yolks until slightly thickened. Start adding oil, drop by drop, while still beating. DROP by DROP. Once you've added half a cup, you can start to add it more rapidly, but still proceed slowly and with caution. Then slowly start to add the lemon juice. Once that's done, add in seasonings. Can be stored in refrigerator (but I would advise using it immediately). |
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