Sauce Making!  

I’ve been trying out some sauces (both sweet and savory — ‘tis the season, after all!) — and, even if I say so myself, they came out quite good, edible even! 

The word sauce is Old French, based on Latin salsus (meaning salted) and comes from sal “salt.” The French might indeed swear by their four classic sauces: Espagnole, Velouté, Béchamel, and Tomate — mine are more basic, more practical, more everyday!  

Classic Brandy Butter Sauce

The most fun one to make (and to eat, for obvious reasons!) was the brandy butter sauce which is ideal to pour over Christmas puddings, pies, or any kind of dessert. It is rich, sweet, easy to make, and best of all, traditional! 

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup unsalted butter 

2 cups milk 

1/2 cup flour 

4 tablespoons superfine sugar

1/2 cup brandy or cognac

1/2 cup grated zest from 1 orange

NOTE: I used half a stick of Horizon organic unsalted butter, Horizon organic 2 percent milk, self-raising gluten free flour, and a combination of Rémy Martin and Fundador Brandy de Jerez from Spain. Vegans can substitute with almond or oat milk and cashew butter. 

Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat, add flour, and stir quickly to create a smooth lump-free paste. Add milk, stirring constantly. The flour needs to cook for several minutes. Do not let the base of the pan catch or burn. Taste to ensure flour is cooked — believe me, nothing is as yukky as raw flour! Use a hand whisk to break up flour lumps, if necessary. Add the sugar, a little at a time, until it is fully dissolved. Finally, add the brandy and keep stirring. Cook another few minutes (always on low heat). Again, taste-test the sauce to ensure the flour is cooked!  Add more milk, if too thick. 

Serve warm over a Christmas pudding or vanilla wafers or ginger cookies! Delish! As you can see in the pics, we served it with thin slices of warm plum pud and pumpkin pie!  

If you’re feeling brave, add a dash of Grand Marnier or some other liqueur just before serving. Don’t try to flambé it — leave that to the showy chefs at the cordon bleu restaurants! Don’t risk serious burns! 

White Savory Sauce 

This is a basic white sauce that goes with almost any steamed vegetable — but we always do it with cauliflower!  My Mum learned it in high school in Calcutta (Loreto Convent, Entally) where she was taught by Irish nuns. I guess it must’ve been something that the nuns used to soothe palates after the heavily spiced Indian food!  The only other person at whose home we ate this sauce was Aunty Margaret (Baker, nee Mullins), a school chum of Mum’s. So it is probably Brit/Anglo Indian in origin!  Growing up in Lucknow and then Delhi, my siblings and I used to love it: white sauce over cauliflower — here you go!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter 

2 tablespoons flour 

1 cup milk

Salt (1/4 tsp)

Pepper (2 shakes) 

Optional: 

2 tsp Cheddar Cheese Grated

1/4 tsp Crushed Garlic or Garlic Powder

1/2 tsp Fresh Chopped Basil 

1/2 tsp Fresh Chopped Parsley

NOTE: Again, I used gluten free flour since I’m gluten-sensitive. If vegan, use almond milk and cashew butter.  

Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add flour and stir until the butter and flour are combined. Pour in milk, stirring as it thickens. Break up any lumps. Add pepper and salt. Add more milk, if too thick. Taste if the flour is cooked. 

Adding the garlic powder, cheese, and chopped herbs enhances the flavor, depending on what you are serving with the sauce. Like I said, we always steam a whole cauliflower to go with the sauce but you can also use potatoes, button mushrooms, green beans, asparagus, or even pasta.  

Savory Brown Wine Sauce

This is the counterpart to the white sauce and has many of the same ingredients except for the wine and broth. It tastes best when poured over roasted vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, carrots, parsnips, squash or roasted meat. 

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter 

2 tablespoons flour 

1 cup milk

3/4 cup red wine

Vegetable broth (1/4 cup) or 1 Vegetable Cube

Salt (1/4 tsp)

Pepper (2 shakes) 

Optional: 

1/4 tsp Crushed Garlic or Garlic Powder

1/2 tsp Fresh Chopped Basil 

1/2 tsp Fresh Chopped Parsley

Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add flour and stir until the butter and flour are combined. Pour in milk, stirring as it thickens. Break up any lumps.  Add pepper and salt. Taste if the flour is cooked.  Add wine and broth and more milk, depending on how thin or thick you want the sauce to be.

Those with small children can omit the alcohol altogether or use smaller quantities — but it won’t taste as good! When we were kids, we often had an egg flip for breakfast on cold winter mornings when we felt a cough or cold coming on — with a teaspoon of brandy — with no after effects!  

The best thing about these sauces is that they can be done ahead of time, refrigerated, and then reheated when the pudding or pie or roast — that you’re serving it with — is ready. For longer storage, pack sauces in airtight containers and freeze; when ready to serve, reheat on stove top on very low heat. 

Hint: To add richness, add two tablespoons of heavy cream or half and half before serving. Keep stirring to ensure the sauces don’t clump or congeal!  Beware the heavily coagulated “floury” sauces — keep them light and airy!  

Ludi Joseph

New York

November 28, 2021

NB: Brandy de Jerez comes from Andalusia, Spain. “Jerez” is another word for sherry and the region is famous for its sherry production.

 

Classic Brandy Butter Sauce 

Classic Brandy Butter

Steamed Cauliflower

Cauliflower with White Sauce

Making the White Sauce

Making the Brown Wine Sauce