Barbecue Sauce

1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper or a dash of hot pepper sauce

Mix everything together. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Benihana Mustard Sauce

2 Tablespoons plus 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard (not hot mustard)

1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons sugar

3  tablespoons milk

3-4  tablespoons cream

1  Tablespoon sesame seeds, lightly toasted

2-3 Tablespoons  cup soy sauce

1 garlic clove, minced

In a small bowl, blend mustard and cream into a paste. Scoop paste into blender container; add remaining ingredients and process about 1 minute or until smooth.

 

 

Mustard Cream Sauce

Slightly adapted from a Pioneer Woman recipe

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup white wine or champagne (or 2 Tablespoons white balsamic vinegar)
• 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 Tablespoon grainy mustard
• 1/4 -1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon chicken or beef better than bouillon
• serve with pork, chicken, sauteed mushrooms…

Put the butter and olive oil in a saute pan. Add the garlic to the pan and saute it for a minute, stirring to make sure it won’t burn. Next pour in the wine and simmer to reduce by half. (Or just add the white balsamic vinegar and proceed with the recipe, no need to reduce.)  Add the mustard and stir to combine, then pour in the cream. Let it bubble and thicken for several minutes, stirring frequently.  Stir in chicken bouillon. Taste sauce and adjust seasoning. Pour over individual servings at the table, or add cooked meat or mushrooms to the pan and warm through.

Spiced Cranberry Sauce

Slightly adapted from the recipe at The Splendid Table.com

12-ounce bag of cranberries, bruised ones discarded, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup honey
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2- to 3-inch cinnamon stick
4 green cardamom pods
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
Zest from 1 orange, about 1 tablespoon
1-2 tablespoons finely chopped candied ginger
1 tablespoon Grand Marnier, optional

Bring the cranberries, honey, brown sugar, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, nutmeg, cloves, and 3/4 cup water to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Cover the mixture and allow it to simmer on medium-low heat for 7 to 10 minutes, or until the cranberries are just beginning to burst and you notice the mixture thickening.

Add the orange zest, chopped candied ginger, and Grand Marnier and stir to combine. Simmer uncovered for an additional 1 to 2 minutes. The trick is to not allow the mixture to simmer so long that all of the cranberries are bursting or softening. You don’t want your sauce to be too mushy — I always pull it from the heat once a few cranberries begin to pop and the liquid is mostly absorbed (it will continue thickening off of the heat source as well).

Using a small spoon, scoop out the cardamom pods and cinnamon stick. The cardamom pods should have lightened in color significantly and should be easy to find. Transfer the sauce to a shallow bowl and let it cool completely.

It may be made several days in advance and kept covered in the refrigerator. Best served at room temperature.

Tomatillo Salsa

from foodtv.com

This makes a big batch.  I’ll make half next time.

• 10 tomatillos, husked
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
• 1 ounce lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 bunch cilantro leaves, finely chopped
• 8 scallions, minced
• 1  1/2 tablespoons roasted garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1  1/2 tablespoons roasted red peppers, finely chopped

Preheat the broiler. Place the tomatillos on a baking sheet and broil until they begin to blacken. When the tomatillos are cool, place them in a blender with the jalapenos, lime juice, sugar and salt. Puree. Add to remaining ingredients and mix well.

The Last Red Enchilada Sauce You’ll Ever Need

From the Texas Monthly Cooking Forum, via Jamie Renee, on Food.com.  Thanks for the recommendation, Bebe!

Yield:  2 cups

5 teaspoons chile powder (I like ground California chile pepper)
5 teaspoons flour
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon
2 teaspoons cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1  1/2 cups water
4 oz tomato sauce (El Pato is great for this, sez me)

Combine all dry ingredients in a small saucepan.  Stirring constantly, add a small amount of water to make a thin paste.  Stir in the rest of the water and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens.  Stir in tomato sauce.  Done.  Delish, sez me.

Lightened-up Hollandaise Sauce

 http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/hollandaise_sauce.html

From EatingWell: April 1998

Bring back eggs Benedict with our lightened-up Hollandaise sauce. Here we thicken buttermilk with cornstarch; a touch of butter and fresh lemon creates a pleasant, tangy sauce that has only 1 gram of fat per tablespoon. It’s great drizzled over steamed vegetables.

About 1 cup | Active Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 15 minutes

1 tablespoon butter
3/4 cup nonfat buttermilk, (see Tip), divided
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook, swirling the pan, until the butter turns golden, 30 to 60 seconds. Pour into a small bowl and set aside.

Whisk 1/4 cup buttermilk, cornstarch, salt and cayenne in a heavy medium saucepan until smooth. Whisk in egg along with the remaining 1/2 cup buttermilk.

Set the pan over medium-low heat and cook the sauce, whisking constantly, until it comes to a simmer. Cook, whisking, for 15 seconds. Remove from heat and whisk in lemon juice and the reserved butter. Serve hot or warm. Classic

Variations
To make Sauce Moutarde, add 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard.
For Sauce Maltaise, use 1 1/2 tablespoons orange juice in place of the lemon juice.

Nutrition

Per tablespoon : 17 Calories; 1 g Fat; 1 g Sat; 0 g Mono; 15 mg Cholesterol; 1 g Carbohydrates; 1 g Protein; 0 g Fiber; 87 mg Sodium; 6 mg Potassium

Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Reheat in a microwave on High for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, stirring once.

Tip: No buttermilk? You can use buttermilk powder prepared according to package directions. Or make “sour milk”: mix 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup milk.

Yogurt Sauce w/Red Onion & Cucumber

from The Earth Bound Cook: 250 Recipes for Delicious Food and a Healthy Planet by Myra Goodman (Workman Publishing, 2010). Copyright © 2010 by Myra Goodman.

Makes about 2 cups.

Suggested for veggie burgers.  I tried it with shrimp – yum.  I added some red pepper flakes.

1 red onion, cut into 1-inch-thick rounds 1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and thinly sliced 2 tablespoons capers, drained 1/2 cup plain yogurt 1 tablespoon tahini 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint. If you will be grilling the onion, preheat a grill to medium-high.  Brush the onion slices with some of the olive oil, and season them lightly with salt and pepper. Grill them over medium-high heat (or cook them on a cast-iron grill pan on the stovetop), turning them once until the slices are tender, about 10 minutes.  When the onion slices are cool enough to handle, chop them into 1/2-inch dice and place them in a bowl. Add the cucumber and capers, and stir to blend. To make the sauce, combine the yogurt, the remaining olive oil, and the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and cumin in a small bowl and whisk to blend. Stir in the mint, and season with salt and pepper to taste.Add half of the sauce to the onion mixture, stirring to coat. Then add more dressing if desired. Serve immediately, or refrigerate the sauce, covered, for up to 5 days. Note from Lynne: One night when time was short, I skipped the chopping and mixing and pureed the roasted onion with everything else in the processor. Also, I used one of those creamy, Greek-style, low-fat organic yogurts. Pretty swell.

To Try: Yogurt Mint Sauce

From Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That?

6 scallions, white and green parts, chopped
½ cup chopped fresh mint leaves
2 tablespoons minced fresh dill
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon good olive oil
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
7 ounces Greek-style yogurt, such as Fage Total
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Place the scallions, mint, dill, red pepper flakes, olive oil, and lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and purée until it’s a coarse paste. Add the yogurt, salt, and pepper and pulse until combined. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to develop.

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

From Main-Course Vegetarian Pleasures by Jeanne Lemlin

1  7-oz jar roasted red peppers, well drained and patted dry (1 cup)
1/4 cup tomato sauce (I usually use left-over spaghetti sauce)
1 garlic clove, pressed
dash of cayenne
salt

Combine the peppers, tomato sauce, garlic, cayenne, and salt in a blender and puree.  (Or use a stick blender.)  Pour into a small saucepan to heat at serving time.