The Real Secret to French Cooking

Like so many others I was so inspired by the movie Julia and Julia to start doing some gourmet cooking in my own little kitchen… and then I hit a stumbling block.  No it wasn’t sticker shock for Julia Child’s Mastering The Art of French Cooking (two volume set), nor the daunting task of even lifting the enormous book.   It was the meticulous detail and difficulty of the recipes.. let’s face it, who has that kind of time?

But what I learned is that the real secret to gourmet cooking is all in the sauce.  So here is some basic information on sauces… I’ll start with Wine Sauces.

What I found most amazing in my research is that Sauces have been used since the middle ages- who knew! But of course French chef’s have upped the bar on sauces almost to the point of high art — just treat yourself to any fine dining at a French restaurant and you will know this is true.

So what goes into making a great sauce? The famous French Chef, Aguste Escoffier, tells us that the chef who wants to create a memorable sauce must first prepare a mirepoix (Wikepedia has a great but lengthy definition) and roast beef or veal bones to begin developing a stock… then one must slowly reduce the stock and add a slowly browned roux to create a deep brown color and rich flavor with a smooth and velvety consistency.  This will create a “foundation sauce” from which many other sauces can be made.

Slow being the operative word in the whole process … again I ask, who has this kind of time?  Let’s face it, this is a time intensive process that I certainly don’t have the patience required to complete it.  Never fear! More Than Gourmet has taken care of the time intensive work for us and has created both a Red Wine Sauce as well as a White Wine Sauce which reduces what would have taken hours to mere minutes without sacrificing flavor, consistency or eye appeal!

Using classical methods and only the finest ingredients,these sauces are consistently reliable, dependable, affordable and most importantly delicious! They have found a permanent home in my pantry and I know you also will find them so easy to keep on hand that all your meals will be gourmet!

Bon Appetite!

Sherea

Let’s Get Saucey!

To continue my journey in sauces, let’s discuss Wine Sauces—these are often referred to as a foundation sauce.  Because let’s face it, you have to begin somewhere, and you wouldn’t build a house without a strong foundation… a great sauce is no different really.

A good foundation sauce is a basic sauce from which you can make many, many sauces and even soups and chowders.  Whether you prefer to start with a red wine sauce or a white wine sauce, you can use these basic sauces as a starting point for a wide variety of flavors!

You know I am a fan of saving time, so I suggest starting with More Than Gourmet’s ready to use selection of wine sauces and build from there.

White Wine sauce is also called Veloute sauce and is one of the more famous “Mother Sauces” … For example starting with a Veloute, you can add eggs and heavy cream to thicken the sauce and then season with lemon juice, salt and pepper, and voila! You have a delicious Allemande sauce for your poached eggs on Easter morning or over veal for an elegant dinner.  The possibilities are truly endless… you can hone the flavor with classic or less standard additions: add a dollop of Dijon mustard and herbs to create a delectable mustard sauce (I like this with duck or chicken); add sautéed mushrooms for a perfect mushroom sauce over steak medallions; mince shallots, parsley and dices tomatoes for a fine Dulgere sauce, or squeeze some fresh citrus juice and zest for a light citrus sauce… both are magnificent with fish!

The same creativity flows with Red Wine sauces as well and the Red Wine Foundation Sauce from More than Gourmet is so finely made (as is the White Wine Sauce), it retains the aroma and flavor of the red wine, savory beef and butter used in its preparation.  You can even taste the subtle notes of mushrooms and onions… you can taste the freshness of this dare I say, perfect ready-made sauce! Once you indulge, you will never go back to making it yourself… there is simply no need!

Let More Than Gourmet do the time intensive work for you and get on with life and eating divinely!!

Sherea

White Wine Sauce – Perfectly Prepared

White Wine Sauce: Delicious and Ready-To-Use!

Sauces define the essence of superb cuisine! Making sauces can be a challenge for many home cooks when a lack of time and ingredients stands in the way. We made it our goal to find a ready-to-use white wine sauce. Especially one that would be as good for a chef to use at fine restaurant as well as a creative home cook. We wanted a sauce that could be easily prepared for vegetables, chicken, veal and fish dishes, as well as special seafood chowders, and more.

We took our search to the street for a tasty ready-made white wine sauce. Our search began with supermarket, gourmet and specialty shops but we found very few white wine sauces to our liking. In our opinion what we did find lacked the depth and quality found in a well prepared white wine sauce that takes time to prepare correctly. Most were over salted, lacked in flavor and had less than a smooth silky texture.

To the Rescue

A company that we are familiar with recently introduced a fully prepared white wine sauce that is ready-to-use with many of the same basic ingredients they use in making their other fine lines of stocks and demi glace. More Than Gourmet White Wine Sauce is a ready to use sauce. It is carefully created with roasted chicken stock and white wine and cooked to a velvety sauce that will definitely add flavor and a range of possibilities to your plate.

The white wine sauce is considered a foundation Veloute sauce. The meaning of, Veloute in Middle French literally means velvetiness, and More Than Gourmet White Wine Sauce is velvety smooth and satisfyingly rich. Classic French chefs have patiently prepared Veloute sauces for centuries as an integral component of many delectable French dishes. This Foundation, or Mother Sauce, as it is often called, enables the cook to create many French classics as well as creative sauces for well-loved and contemporary dishes quite easily. You will find this white wine sauce perfectly prepared to lift the flavor and prime the presentation of your dish with minimal effort.

You can prepare mouthwatering and eye appealing cuisine in no time flat with this white wine sauce in your cabinet. It is shelf stable for up to 18 months, unopened, and 5 days after opening. Keep it on hand and it will always be ready when you are!

To purchase please visit www.clubsauce.com or for more information and delicious recipe ideas, please see the recipes posted on this blog, www.thesaucetalknewsletter.com

Special Valentine’s Offer

In This Issue:

Think Valentine’s Day
Our Special Offer to You
Bonus Offer

Think Valentine’s Day

What a fabulous time to cook up a special dish for your favorite Valentine. It is the perfect opportunity for making just about anything your heart desires. All you need is a little bit of time, a few simple ingredients and a lot of love to share.

With this special holiday in mind we have lowered the price on several products. We hope this makes your meal making decisions a little easier whether you are preparing a favorite dish or gifting your favorite Valentine.

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Our Special Offer to You

Say you are my Valentine with a selection from our tempting line of Pomegranate Splash! reduction sauce. There are six sweet/tart all natural pomegranate based reduction sauces to choose from and each is made with a different wine and natural fruit flavor.

They make the perfect gift to use with all your favorite foods. Try it as a healthy topping on oatmeal as well as yogurt for breakfast or snack, make a healthy spinach salad dressing, pan sauces, marinade, or for making a smoothie or palate pleasing martini. We have a lot of recipes and ideas about using these healthy Valentine gift ideas and recipes at our website MarXana Brand Foods and our blog site Pomegranate Splash! .

Our normal everyday low price of $13.79 is now $10.79 (more than a 20% savings) for the 8.5oz bottle during this special 3 day sale and we are offering our remaining 12oz bottle size at $11.39 (a 40% savings) from our original price of $18.99 while supplies last.

To order now enter here: Order Now!

To add to the celebration we also offer our very popular Primo Specialty Food spicy chutney and jams normally $5.99 now $3.99. These chutney and jams make wonderful asides or toppings for a cheese appetizer as well as a tasty breakfast/snack with toasted breads and bagels. They are also delicious when added to pan sauces or to accompany fish, chicken, turkey, pork, seafood and more.

To order now enter here:Order Now!

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Bonus Offer!

FREE ready-to-use red wine or white wine sauce for all orders of products totaling $50 or more. Just let us know your preference in the special instructions section at checkout. Enter the word “red or white” and we will add it to your order. If your order is $50 or more and you do not indicate your preference we will be happy to select one for you and include it with your shipment.
Your FREE sauce will be added at the time of shipment and does not require that it be added to your shopping cart. Again just put the selection red or white in the special instructions and we will include it with your shipment.

These special offers expire midnight, Sunday February 7, 2010.

A Valentine’s Best,

Jules Silver and the Club Sauce Team
www.clubsauce.com

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