Exploring sauces

[jgm]

As I'm learning more about cooking, I'm moving toward being able to cook without recipes. It's one of those one-small-step-at-a-time things for me. Having had a meat and potatoes upbringing, it's difficult for me to envision where to go, once I get something mastered. Or conquered, as the case may be.

Recently, a chef/friend taught me to make a sauce that I've come to adore. Start with a handful of minced shallot, saute briefly in melted butter, then add white wine. Continue to cook until the wine's nearly gone, then add some whole grain mustard, and after it's incorporated into the shallots, finish off with cream. Cook until sauce coats a wooden spoon.

Tried it first on salmon: excellent.

Tried it second in a much different way; as my friend directed, I added some chopped tarragon, then mixed it into a salad of roasted red potatoes (cubed with skin on, olive oil and herbes de provence added before roasting), steamed green beans, toasted pine nuts, feta (bleu cheese is better, but my husband won't eat it), topped with slices of bratwurst. Downright yummy. Next time I may sneak in the bleu cheese, 'forget' to mention it, and see how it goes.

I know there must be more things to do with this sauce. So those of you who are seat-of-the-pants cooks (which I want to be when I grow up), what would you do with this basic idea for a sauce? What else would you use it on/with? Which ingredient would you switch out for another, and how would you use it then?

TIA

Jenny

[tim]

Jenny,

Get a copy of Jame Peterson's excellent book "Sauces" and go wild!

Tim

[dockhl]

This may be more reading than you want to do, but the EGCI has three sauce classes here:

Non-Stock based sauces

Cream Sauces

Stock Based Sauces

and currently in the forums is a thread on

Pan Sauces

All worth taking a look!

Good luck

[moosnsqrl]

My first thoughts are to keep varying the herb(s) - I have a thing for the combination of dill and salmon, for example, so I would probably try that early on. The other thing would be scallopini of chicken or veal - either lightly breaded or not - with your basic sauce and maybe some capers.

And by all means go with the bleu cheese. The worst that can happen is you'll get to eat it all