Charcuterie_ The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing - Michael Ruhlman [135]
2. Transfer to a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, add all the remaining ingredients, and bring to a simmer. Simmer until reduced to the consistency of a light syrup, about 15 minutes. Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh strainer, and refrigerate until chilled.
Yield: About 1 cup/250 milliliters
ORANGE-GINGER SAUCE
This sauce uses a similar flavor principle as the Cumberland sauce, combining fruit and pepper for an aggressively flavored sweet-sour-spicy sauce. The uncooked alcohol, sherry, gives it a strong aromatic presence. Orange and ginger, always an excellent pair, go well with pork, duck, goose, and venison dishes.
1 tablespoon/4 grams grated orange zest
1 tablespoon/4 grams grated lemon zest
2 teaspoons/8 grams grated fresh ginger
1 cup/250 milliliters orange marmalade
1⁄4 cup/50 grams dark raisins
2 tablespoons/30 milliliters fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons/30 milliliters dry sherry
1 teaspoon/3 grams ground ginger
1 tablespoon/15 milliliters honey
1⁄2 teaspoon/1 gram Colman’s dry mustard
1⁄8 teaspoon/1 gram cayenne pepper
Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Store, covered, in the refrigerator.
Yield: 11⁄2 cups/375 milliliters
HORSERADISH CREAM SAUCE
This is a straightforward sour cream and mayonnaise sauce featuring horseradish, a root that ought to be used more in the home kitchen. It’s best to use a Microplane to grate it, if you have one. While prepared horseradish can be substituted, freshly grated horseradish root is superior because it’s not obscured by the vinegar and salt in the bottled version. This sauce is excellent with smoked pork, chicken, and turkey, not to mention grilled beef and beef sandwiches. It also happens to work extremely well with Brian’s Holiday Kielbasa (page 118).
2 ounces/60 grams fresh horseradish, peeled and finely grated
1⁄2 cup/125 milliliters Basic Mayonnaise (page 277)
1⁄2 cup/125 milliliters sour cream
2 teaspoons/10 milliliters fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt and ground white pepper to taste
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl or other container. Store, covered, in the refrigerator.
Yield: About 1 cup/250 milliliters
BASIL CREAM SAUCE
Here are two versions of an elegant and easy sauce that can accompany many seafood, vegetable, and veal terrines and sausages. Serving a sliced seafood sausage in a circle of basil cream sauce elevates it to another level. The first of these (mayonnaise-based) is incredibly easy, the second (cream-based) is simply easy.
Basil Cream Sauce I
1 cup/250 milliliters Basic Mayonnaise (page 277)
1⁄2 cup/50 grams fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon/15 milliliters white wine vinegar
Kosher salt and ground white pepper to taste
Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend until the basil is finely pureed and evenly mixed throughout. If the mayonnaise is too thick to blend well, add a tablespoon of water.
Yield: 1 cup/250 milliliters
Basil Cream Sauce II
1 cup/100 grams fresh basil leaves
1 cup/250 milliliters heavy cream
Kosher salt and ground white pepper to taste
1. Blanch the basil in a saucepan of heavily salted water for 10 seconds, then transfer it to an ice bath to cool. Drain, and squeeze out the excess water.
2. Bring the cream to a boil. Reduce over medium-high heat until thick. Remove from the heat, let cool, and transfer to a blender. Add the basil and salt and pepper and blend until the basil is completely pureed, about 2 minutes. Taste for seasoning, and adjust if necessary.
3. Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh strainer and refrigerate until chilled.
Yield: About 1 cup/250 milliliters
SPICY TOMATO CHUTNEY
This is a highly spiced sauce of fresh tomatoes cooked down to a thick consistency. It can be served hot, warm, or cold with smoked, grilled, or roasted meats.
4 large Roma (plum) tomatoes (about 1 pound/450 grams), peeled, seeded, and roughly chopped
1 tablespoon/10 grams grated fresh ginger
1⁄2