French Classics Made Easy (68 page)

2 teaspoons Cognac

1 tablespoon butter

1.
In a small saucepan, combine the shallots, thyme, bay leaf, meat glaze (if using), pepper, and wine. Over high heat, reduce the liquid by two-thirds, about 5 minutes.

2.
Add the thickened beef stock and simmer until the liquid lightly coats a spoon, 5 to 7 minutes. Whisk gently occasionally and skim if necessary. Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve. (The sauce can be made in advance up to this point. Cover the surface with plastic wrap, let cool, and refrigerate for up to a week or freeze for later use.)

3.
Just before serving, bring the sauce to a boil over medium-high heat and add the Cognac. Remove the sauce from the heat and whisk in the butter.

R
EDUCING
L
IQUIDS

Sauce recipes will often instruct you to “reduce by half” or “reduce until only 1 cup remains.” The reasons for reducing are to intensify flavors and to thicken or reduce the quantity of a liquid. Most reductions are done in an uncovered pan rapidly over high heat. To increase the speed of reduction, transfer the liquid to a larger pan. The greater the surface area, the faster the evaporation. Conversely, when reducing a sauce or soup slowly, which helps to develop deep flavors, you should use as small a pan as possible. The smaller the surface area, and the greater the depth, the more slowly a liquid will evaporate.

SAUCE ROBERT

This mustard-flavored brown sauce is ideal to serve with sautéed or roasted pork, and can be used with sautéed rabbit and chicken as well. The amount of mustard you use will depend on your personal taste, but I always use less when serving the sauce with chicken. A pinch or two of sugar is often added to cut the bite of the vinegar. Although I have never found this necessary, you might.

MAKES 1 CUP TO SERVE 6

1 small onion, finely chopped

¾ cup dry white wine

¼ cup white (distilled) or white wine vinegar

1 cup Thickened Beef Stock (
page 318
)

1 teaspoon Meat Glaze (optional;
page 309
)

1 to 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, to taste

¼ teaspoon sugar (optional)

4 to 5 sprigs parsley, chopped (see Note)

1.
In a small saucepan, combine the onion, wine, and vinegar. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until the liquid is reduced by two-thirds, about 5 minutes.

2.
Add the thickened beef stock and meat glaze (if using). Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until the sauce thickens enough to lightly coat a spoon, 2 to 3 minutes. If necessary, skim during the simmering.

3.
Strain the sauce, and stir in the mustard. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding the sugar, if necessary. (The sauce can be kept warm in a water bath [
bain-marie
].) Stir in the parsley just before serving.

NOTE

When preparing the sauce to be used with Pork Medallions with Sauce Robert (
page 166
), omit the parsley (for a more elegant look).

GAME SAUCE
WITH PEPPER

[SAUCE POIVRADE]

This classic game sauce and its two variations,
chevreuil
and
grand veneur,
are traditionally served with venison, elk, antelope, hare, and wild boar. The aromatic
sauce poivrade
goes well with all these meats, while the
chevreuil
and
grand veneur,
a little milder and sweeter than the
poivrade,
are especially good with venison.

All three sauces include the game marinade, which for the purposes of this book I’ve used to marinate a leg of lamb (see Venison-Style Leg of Lamb,
page 160
). Although game is becoming more and more available (much of it being raised on ranches and shipped precut and packaged to the markets), you can experiment with game marinades and game sauces by serving them with the leg of lamb before venturing on to venison.

MAKES ABOUT 3 CUPS TO SERVE 16

Game Marinade (
page 324
)

2 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil

½ pound ground game or lamb (optional; see Note)

¼ cup Madeira

3 cups Thickened Beef Stock (
page 318
)

1 tablespoon tomato paste

30 peppercorns, crushed, or 1½ teaspoons freshly ground pepper

6 tablespoons (¾ stick) butter, softened

A
DDING
B
UTTER TO A
S
AUCE

Butter is often added to sauces just before serving. The purpose is to make strong sauces milder, light sauces richer, or sharp sauces smoother. The sauce should never boil after the butter has been added, although it may be boiling at the moment you add it. Boiling will cause the butter to come out of suspension and float to the surface. I have often been asked, “Why skim butter from the surface of a sauce during cooking if you plan to beat butter in at the end?” Butter used in cooking tastes like oil and detracts from the sauce’s flavor, whereas butter added at the end contributes a fresh buttery flavor. Butter that has been at room temperature beats into a sauce more easily than does butter taken directly from the refrigerator. For this reason, take the butter from the refrigerator when beginning your recipes.

1.
If you have not already done so, strain the marinade and set the marinade and vegetables aside.

2.
In a heavy-bottomed 4- to 4½-quart saucepan, melt the 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high to high heat. Add the reserved vegetables and the ground meat (if using). Cook, stirring only occasionally, until the meat and vegetables begin to brown, about 10 minutes.

3.
Add 2 cups of the marinade and the Madeira. Cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, and reduce until no liquid remains, 15 to 20 minutes. Pour off any excess fat.

4.
Add the thickened beef stock, another ½ cup of marinade, and the tomato paste. Stir well and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 15 minutes, skimming off butter and impurities as they rise to the surface. Add the crushed peppercorns and continue simmering until the sauce thickens to lightly coat a spoon, 10 to 15 minutes longer.

5.
Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve, taste, and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. (The sauce can be made ahead to this point and refrigerated for several days or frozen for later use.)

6.
Just before serving, bring the sauce to a boil. Remove from the heat and beat in the 6 tablespoons softened butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Do not allow the sauce to boil again once the butter has been added. Keep hot in a water bath (
bain-marie
). (The sauce can be made ahead and refrigerated for several days or frozen. Reheat in a water bath.)

NOTE

If you are making these sauces to go with the Venison-Style Leg of Lamb (
page 160
), the ground meat can be made from the excess meat trimmed from the H-bone (see “French-Style Leg of Lamb,”
page 161
).

VARIATIONS

C
REAMY
P
EPPER
G
AME
S
AUCE

[SAUCE CHEVREUIL]

Prepare the recipe through step 5. Just before serving, bring the sauce to a boil. Add
¾ cup heavy cream and simmer 10 to 15 minutes. Skim the sauce and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. (The sauce can be made ahead and refrigerated for several days or frozen. To reheat, bring to a boil.)

C
REAMY
C
URRANT
-P
EPPER
G
AME
S
AUCE

[SAUCE GRAND VENEUR]

Prepare the recipe through step 5. Just before serving, bring the sauce to a boil. Add 4½ teaspoons currant jelly and ¾ cup heavy cream and simmer 10 to 15 minutes. Skim the sauce and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. (The sauce can be made ahead and refrigerated for several days or frozen for later use. To reheat, simply bring to a boil.)

A
T
RIO OF
G
AME
S
AUCES

You can make just one of the game sauces or, because they are really just slight variations on one another, you can make all three. I suggest that the first time you make the recipe you do this to decide which is your favorite. Prepare the Game Sauce with Pepper recipe through step 5 and divide this sauce base in thirds. Follow the directions for making each of the sauces, using these adjustments:

POIVRADE:
Add 2 tablespoons softened butter.

CHEVREUIL:
Add ¼ cup heavy cream.

GRAND VENEUR:
Add 1½ teaspoons currant jelly and ¼ cup heavy cream.

GAME MARINADE

[MARINADE POURGIBIER]

This marinade is classically made with white wine, but I prefer making it with red wine, because I find it less acidic and the resulting sauces have a richer color and smoother flavor. Either version can be used to flavor the meat of such game as venison, elk, antelope, hare, and wild boar. I use a marinade whenever I have meat cut from animals that have not been aged.

Since most people do not prepare game at home, I have adapted the marinade for use with a leg of lamb (see Venison-Style Leg of Lamb,
page 160
). While the lamb is roasting, I use the marinade to prepare one of three sauces, also traditionally served with game.