Time to celebrate sauces
Bordelaise, béchamel, barbecue. Teriyaki, Tabasco, tomato. Salsa, sambal, soy. There’s no shortage of sauces and no better time to dip in. It’s National Sauce Month.
“I do sauces all the time,” said Chris Welsh, executive chef and owner of The Secret Ingredient Personal Chef Service in Wayne. “Pan sauces, especially, are great.”
After searing meat or fish, she uses the browned bits left behind, aka fond, to flavor a simple sauce.
“You have a fabulous sauce in 15 minutes. That’s what I love about pan sauces,” explained Welsh, whose repertoire includes beef tenderloin in porcini mushroom sauce. “It’s a really quick technique for getting dinner on the table in a hurry.”
Chef Jose Villanueva of Azie in Media also shared a little kitchen magic in the form of a “super easy” teriyaki shrimp.
“I like the combination of flavors,” he described. “Teriyaki really tastes good with everything in Asia. It’s very common to use in many, many foods.”
Another saucy selection: pesto.
“It’s so versatile,” said chef Blake Swihart, a culinary instructor from Chester Springs. “It’s an all-purpose sauce, and you can do variations with anything.”
Think beyond basil and try his tomato-orange version or lemon verbena with mint and parsley - “a sweet and savory pesto” that’s “perfect for seafood or chicken.”
Pesto freezes well, so whip up a batch (or two or three).
“I make pestos for holiday gifts,” he added. “If somebody invites me for dinner, I take a jar of pesto as a gift.”
And for dessert… Hot fudge, caramel, butterscotch. Sweet! Don’t skip dessert sauces.
“My motto is ‘It’s all about the sauce!’ when cooking or eating out,” said Joanne Levengood of Manatawny Creek Winery in Douglassville. “I think sauces always make things extra special.”
At a recent wine and chocolate weekend, visitors enjoyed chocolate cheesecake with blueberry wine sauce.
“It’s a no-bake, simple cheesecake recipe - light and decadent at the same time,” the winemaker described. “I love fruit and chocolate together and think that blueberries go nicely with chocolate cheesecake. Plus, there is wine in the sauce! Can’t go wrong with that.”
No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecake with Blueberry Wine Sauce Ingredients Crust:
1 (14.3-ounce) package Oreos
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
Filling:
8 ounces dark chocolate 1 1/2 cups + 4 tablespoons whipping cream
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
16 ounces full-fat cream cheese, room temperature 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
Sauce:
2 cups Happiness blueberry wine
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
Instructions
Crust: In a food processor, grind cookies to a fine crumb. Add melted butter and process until crumbs are coated. Press firmly on the bottom and up the sides of a lightly greased and parchment-lined 9-inch springform pan.
Filling: Melt dark chocolate together and stir until smooth. Place mixer bowl and beaters in the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes to chill. Beat whipping cream until it starts to thicken. Slowly beat in confectioners’ sugar and beat until stiff peaks. Set aside. Beat cream cheese until very smooth. Gradually add granulated sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add melted chocolate, beating until well blended. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture in two batches. Fold until just blended. Spread into prepared pan. Chill at least 4 hours. Must stay refrigerated. Can be frozen.
Sauce: In a saucepan, simmer wine and sugar until reduced by half or starts to become syrupy. Add blueberries. Then remove from heat. Cool before serving with cheesecake.
RECIPE COURTESY OF MANATAWNY CREEK WINERY
Tomato-Orange Bruschetta Ingredients Tomato-orange pesto:
4 cloves roasted garlic 1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped chives 1/2 cup chopped parsley 3 tablespoons orange marmalade
2 tablespoons orange zest 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 cups dried tomato strips in oil (drain and use oil as part of oil used in recipe)
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil 1 cup toasted pine nuts, optional
Kosher salt, to taste Ground red pepper, to taste
6 thick slices of Italian semolina bread
Olive oil
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups fresh ricotta Chopped chives to garnish
Instructions
Pesto: In bowl of food processor equipped with a blade, process garlic and 1/2 cup oil until a smooth paste. Add chives and parsley along with marmalade, orange zest, paprika and turmeric and continue to process until puree is formed. Add the dry tomatoes plus 1 cup more oil to the processor and pulse until chunky. Pour in nuts and pulse to incorporate. If too dry, add more oil and pulse. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper and pour mixture into clean, sterile glass jars, tamp down and cover with a thin layer of olive oil. Put on lid and refrigerate until ready to use. Store up to 3 weeks.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees convection. Place thick slices of bread on a baking sheet and brush both sides of each slice with olive oil. Sprinkle tops with salt and pepper. Bake in oven 3 minutes per side, or until toasted on each side and golden color. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature. Hold. Prep bruschetta: Spread approximately 1/4 cup tomato-orange pesto evenly over entire surface of one side of each piece of toast. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons fresh ricotta evenly over top and season with salt and pepper. Serve warmed up in oven to heat through or serve at room temperature. To serve: Top each toast with a sprinkling of chopped chives to garnish. Yield: 6 servings.
RECIPE COURTESY OF CHEF BLAKE SWIHART
Crispy Lemon Verbena Scallops Ingredients Lemon verbena pesto:
1/4 cup roasted garlic 1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups lemon verbena leaves
1 cup fresh mint leaves or lemon balm leaves
1 cup chopped fresh parsley, loosely packed
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts, pistachios, pecans, hazelnuts or walnuts, optional
1 teaspoon kosher salt and as needed
1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper sauce
2 pounds Barnegat (or sea scallops), muscle removed
1 1/2 cups lemon verbena pesto, divided
4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1/4 cup minced shallots 1 1/2 pounds baby spinach leaves
1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
3 tablespoons minced chives
Instructions
Pesto: In a food processor or blender, pulse garlic with 1/2 cup oil until smooth. Add lemon verbena leaves, mint or lemon balm leaves and parsley and pulse until a paste develops. Add nuts, salt and pepper sauce and pulse. Pour in remaining oil and pulse until a smooth paste. Place in sealed jars and top each with a thin layer of oil to keep from oxidizing. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before freezing until ready to use. Thaw to use.
Marinate scallops: Place scallops into a stainlesssteel bowl and pour in 1/2 cup lemon verbena pesto and toss well to coat. Let stand, covered in refrigeration, 1/2 hour before cooking. To cook: Heat a 12-inch nonstick skillet with lid until very hot over mediumhigh heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil and place scallops in pan in an even layer, leaving room to breathe around each scallop and pan-sear on one side until dark-golden color and white color develops on the side of each scallop half-way up the scallop. Remove from pan and keep warm. Cook spinach: Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to pan and heat over medium-high heat; add shallots and sauté 30 seconds. Stir in remaining 1/2 tablespoon coriander and sauté 1 minute. Add a batch of spinach, cover and cook 2 minutes, until spinach melts. Add more spinach and repeat process again until all spinach is softened and wilted. Remove lid and cook until liquid is almost gone. Stir lemon zest and adjust seasonings with additional salt and pepper. To serve: Serve scallops, golden-side-up, on top of a bed of spinach sprinkled with chopped chives. Yield: 6 servings.
RECIPE COURTESY OF CHEF BLAKE SWIHART
Teriyaki Shrimp
This is an easy recipe for people to make at home. Asian foods from different regions offer different taste experiences. Each has a distinctive cooking style. For the teriyaki shrimp you can purchase all of the ingredients at any local supermarket.
Ingredients Teriyaki sauce:
1 cup water 5 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce 2 tablespoons honey 1 large garlic clove, finely minced
2 tablespoons ground ginger
2 tablespoons cornstarch 3 tablespoons canola oil 2 pounds peeled shrimp Steamed broccoli and carrots
White rice
Instructions
Combine 1 cup water, brown sugar, soy sauce, honey, garlic and ginger in a large pot on the stove using medium heat. Mix well. Once it starts boiling, add 1/4 cup cold water and cornstarch, stirring well to make it thicker. Then you can turn it off. In another pot, add canola oil and sauté 2 peeled shrimp - the shrimp of your choice. Sauté until the shrimp gets pink and tender, which should take about 5 minutes. Combine the sauce and the shrimp. Feel free to add some vegetables like steamed broccoli and carrots. Serve with white rice.
RECIPE COURTESY OF AZIE
Beef Tenderloin in Porcini Mushroom Sauce
Ingredients
4 (6-ounce) filet mignon
1/2 cup porcini mushrooms, soaked and chopped 4 tablespoons olive oil 1 cup beef stock
1/2 cup red wine 1 tablespoon rosemary, fresh
2 small shallots, minced 2 tablespoons butter at room temperature 2 tablespoons flour 1 tablespoon parsley
Instructions
Soak dried porcini in hot boiling water for about 15 minutes until they soften. Drain and reserve the liquid. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large sauté pan. Sear beef about 3 minutes on each side until well browned. Add shallots and rosemary and deglaze with the wine, stirring constantly. Add stock and porcini liquid and simmer until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Mash the butter together with the flour and add to the hot sauce, stirring until it thickens slightly. Stir in chopped porcini and add fresh parsley. Pour over beef. Serves 4.
RECIPE COURTESY OF SECRET INGREDIENT
Stir-Fried Chicken, Shrimp or Tofu with Spicy Orange or Lemon Sauce Ingredients
4 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, cubed
1/2 teaspoon orange zest 1/4 cup orange juice 2 tablespoons sherry 1 tablespoons sesame oil 1 tablespoon soy sauce 2 teaspoons chile paste 1 teaspoon sugar 1 teaspoon cornstarch 2 cups mushrooms, sliced 1 cup broccoli
1 cup soy beans
Instructions
In a large nonstick pan or wok, stir-fry chicken breasts, shrimp or tofu in sesame oil. Remove from pan. Stir-fry vegetables of choice until crisp tender. Combine sauce ingredients and pour over chicken to heat through. Serves 4.
RECIPE COURTESY OF SECRET INGREDIENT