Horseradish Sauce

1/4 cup horseradish, drained

• 1 Tbs. white vinegar
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. prepared mustard
• 1/2 cup heavy or whipping cream, whipped

In small bowl, mix well first 5 ingredients. Fold into whipped cream. Serve with roast or broiled beef, hot beef tongue, baked ham, corned beef; baked, fried, or poached fish.

The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook, Hearst Books, New York, 1989, p. 463.

White Sauce, or Béchamel - Makes 1 Cup

Very basic: used not only for creaming foods like vegetables and fish, but as a base for many other sauces. Melt over low heat

2 Tbs. butter

For a delicate flavor, even commercial establishments have found no substitute for butter. Add and blend over low heat for 3-5 minutes:

1 1/2 - 2 Tbs. flour

Stir in slowly
1 cup milk

For better consistency, you may scald the milk beforehand. But be sure—to avoid lumping—that the roux is cool when you add it. Add:

1 small onion studded with 2 or 3 whole cloves
1/2 small bay leaf

Cook and stir the sauce with a wire whisk or wooden spoon until thickened and smooth. Place in a 350° oven for 20 minutes to cook slowly. The oven interval also saves your time and hands for other kitchen jobs. Strain the sauce. Season to taste.

Add a grating of nutmeg

and serve. For creamed dishes, use about half as much sauce as solids.

Joy of Cooking, Irma S. Rombauer & Marion Rombauer Becker, The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Inc., Indianapolis/New York, 1975, p. 341.

Barbecue Sauce - Makes about 3 cups

Barbecue sauce should be brushed on foods at the very end of the grilling time or used as dipping sauce at the table.

2 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 medium onion, minced
1 cup tomato sauce
28 oz. canned, whole tomatoes with their juice
¾ cup distilled white vinegar
¼ cup packed dark brown sugar
2 Tbs. molasses
1 Tbs. sweet paprika
1 Tbs. chile powder
2 tsp. liquid smoke (optional)
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ground black pepper
¼ cup orange juice

1. Heat oil in large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until golden brown, 7-10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to boil, reduce heat to lowest possible setting, and simmer, uncovered, until thickened, 2 to 2 ½ hours. Cool slightly.
2. Purée sauce, in batches if necessary, in blender or workbowl of food processor. (Sauce can be refrigerated in airtight container for up to 2 weeks.)

Variations:
Barbecue Sauce with Mexican Flavors

This sauce is good with beef or chicken.
Follow recipe for Barbecue Sauce, adding 1 ½ tsp. ground cumin, 1 ½ tsp. chile powder, 6 Tbs. lime juice, and 3 Tbs. chopped, fresh cilantro leaves to completed and cooled sauce.

Barbecue Sauce with Asian Flavors
This variation is especially good with chicken or pork.

Follow recipe for Barbecue Sauce, adding 1 Tbs. minced fresh gingerroot, 6 Tbs. soy sauce, 6 Tbs. rice wine vinegar, 3 Tbs. sugar, and 1 ½ Tbs. Asian sesame oil to completed and cooled sauce.

The Best Recipe, Jack Bishop ed., Boston Common Press, 1999, p. 272.

Bordelaise Sauce - for chops, steaks, grilled meats

Cook together in a saucepan until reduced to 3/4:

1/2 cup dry red wine
4-5 crushed black peppercorns
Add 1 cup Brown Sauce
Simmer 15 minutes. Add, just before serving:
1/4 cup diced beef marrow, poached for a few minutes and drained (optional)
1/2 tsp. lemon juice (optional)
1/2 tsp. chopped parsley

Joy of Cooking, Irma S. Rombauer & Marion Rombauer Becker, The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Inc., Indianapolis/New York, 1975, p. 347.

Creole Sauce - Makes about 2 Cups

2 Tbs. butter, melted over low heat
Add and cook covered about 2 minutes:

¼ cup chopped onion
1 minced clove garlic
6 minced green olives
Add and cook until the sauce is thick, about 50 minutes:
1 ½ cups canned tomatoes
½ cup chopped green pepper, with seeds and membranes removed
½ bay leaf
a pinch thyme
1 tsp. chopped parsley
1 tsp. white or brown sugar
1/3 tsp. salt
a few grains cayenne
1 Tbs. dry sherry (optional)
¼ cup chile sauce (optional)
2 Tbs. diced ham (optional)
½ cup sliced mushrooms (optional)

Joy of Cooking, Irma S. Rombauer & Marion Rombauer Becker, The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Inc., Indianapolis/New York, 1975, p. 348.

Spicy Citrus Pan Sauce - (Makes about 1 cup)

1/2 cup molasses
1/4 cup juice and 1 1/2 teaspoons zest from 2 limes
1 cup juice from 2 large oranges
2 medium garlic cloves, chopped
4 chipotle chiles en adobo
2 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into 2 pieces
Salt and ground black pepper

1. In the bowl of a food processor, puree molasses, lime juice, garlic, and chipotle chiles until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl; set aside.
2. Pour off fat from the skillet used to brown the chops/ham steaks. Place the skillet over medium-high heat and add the molasses mixture, scraping the pan bottom with a wooden spoon to loosen the browned bits. Simmer until thickened and syrupy (about 2 minutes). Whisk in butter, one piece at a time. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with the pork chops or ham steaks.
   
   Recipe reprinted with permission from Cook's Illustrated magazine. For more information on Cook's Illustrated, visit www.cooksillustrated.com.