Ethereal Sauces

[Ross Boyce]

Can I suggest vinegar de Reims (Champagne Vinegar)? It's acid content of roughly 6% helps in heightening the flavour but it also has a sweetness that vinegars from Xerez lack.

Also, the wines one uses should be appropriate to the dish - in my experience Pinot Noir, Grenache or Syrah/Shiraz dominant wines either collapse (most pinots) or dominate the sauces (Malbecs, Grenache etc.). I tend to find that Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon or Cabernet Franc have the best results.

And at risk of being contentious, I'd suggest that Old World style wines perform better in a sauce compared to higher alcohol, overly fruity New World styles* - though it all depends on what you're cooking, a reduced New World Pinot Noir makes a great sauce for seared duck breast. Pretty much proving (and disproving) all my theories.

* I'm taking a liberty and generalising here, I know, but it's only for the sake of discussion...

[LindaK]

I'm a big fan of the pinch of cayenne, and find it essential for anything--sauce or otherwise--that uses roux. That means the whole family of bechamel sauces or whenever you might use a buerre-manie (flour-butter paste) to thicken a braise or stew. I also use it when making pate a choux, adding a tiny pinch to the butter-water before adding the flour and eggs. Those times I forget, the resulting dish is noticeably bland.

Note: in these instances, cayenne pepper is not interchangeable with pepper flakes or spanish smoked paprika. You may choose to use the latter, if you want their distinct flavors, but they do not fade into the background the way a tiny pinch of cayenne will.

[paulraphael]

And at risk of being contentious, I'd suggest that Old World style wines perform better in a sauce compared to higher alcohol, overly fruity New World styles* - though it all depends on what you're cooking, a reduced New World Pinot Noir makes a great sauce for seared duck breast. Pretty much proving (and disproving) all my theories.

* I'm taking a liberty and generalising here, I know, but it's only for the sake of discussion...

I think you can hone in your generalization better by looking at the qualities of wine that get lost during cooking vs those that get intensified. Alcohol content makes no real difference, because all but trace amounts boil off. Most subtle flavors and aromas will be gone. You're left with the broad strokes: acidy, sweetness, fruit.

Weather you want a fruity wine or an austere one depends the sauce. For something like a beurre blanc, you want leanness and acid, not fruit ... like a muscadet. But often you'll want the opposite, like in a big brown sauce with red wine and truffles (sauce regence). Here's you probably want body, fruit, and some residual sugar.

I'm not convinced the old world / new world thing really holds up anymore.