Summer Sauces: Seasonal fruits perform well in creatively sweet sauces
Summer cooking always takes me back to long, hot days by the pool while my dad barbecued everything. And I mean everything! The food often wasn’t memorable—well, not in a gourmet way—but those memories still resonate. Perhaps you have similar memories, of loved ones “manning” the grill and the flames overtaking them, the happy smell of charcoal or hickory embedded in their clothes, and the smoky taste that can only come from grilling.
From peppered vinegars to thick, sweet, tomato- and molasses-based sauces, Americans do eat their fair share of barbecued food during the summer months. Even I find myself barbecuing perpetually in summer these days; it can actually be very liberating to be out of the kitchen for a time. But barbecue is not the only “sauce” designed for summer. There are other options that are lighter, brighter and naturally sweet. And chances are, you’re already halfway there to adding them to your own picnic lunch or Sunday brunch table. With simple ingredients you may already have on hand—like seasonal produce, wine and chicken stock—you are well on your way to jazzing up your next meal with the fruits of summer. Maybe you’d just like to turn that fruit salad into a fruit sauce!
Fruit du Jour
To make simple sauces, I recommend a reduction. Keep in mind that the sauces I’m suggesting are as much about technique as they are about the ingredients.
First, you’ll need wine. Some cooks recommend not using “good” wine in recipes, but I say just the opposite. Don’t use a particular wine in a recipe if you wouldn’t want to drink the wine yourself, or serve it to guests.
Next you’ll need to make a bouquet garni, which is French for a satchel of cheesecloth stuffed with herbs and seasonings, such as a bay leaf, black peppercorns, and thyme and parsley stems. My suggestion: it’s easier to throw these ingredients right into the saucepan and strain the sauce when it’s done. That way you don’t have to worry about finding cheesecloth or twine—essentially skipping steps that take time away from family and friends.
Next, you’ll combine wine, maybe a few sliced shallots (here, rough cut is fine since you just want the flavor), and the bouquet garni ingredients in a medium saucepan. Next, place your favorite fresh, washed fruit in the pan. Simply turn your burner to “high” and boil the wine until it’s reduced by half. Once you’ve achieved this reduction, add your stock. Roughly the same amount of liquid as you initially used for your wine should do. Again, reduce by one-half, strain, and salt to taste. It’s that simple!
To thicken a sauce, I like to use a cornstarch slurry, which is simply equal parts cornstarch and water mixed into a paste. Just add the cornstarch slurry directly to the sauce until you’ve reached the desired thickness. Or, if you’d prefer, you can reduce the sauce even more. That will naturally thicken the sauce. In fact, that’s how we get demi-glace. And if the sauce is not sweet enough for you—meaning it’s too tart—simply add sugar or a sugar substitute such as Splenda. It will dissolve into the sauce perfectly and no one will even know it’s there.
Below are a few summertime suggestions, but feel free to substitute. Be creative! Perhaps you prefer pears to pomegranates or blackberries to blue. It’s your choice; it’s your summer. You may have to give up the grill to Dad, but you never have to give in when so many flavorful fruits are in season.
Strawberry Rhubarb Riesling Reduction
750ml Riesling
3 medium shallots, chopped
5 to 7 black peppercorns
2 to 3 thyme stems
5 parsley stems
1 whole bay leaf
1 carton of strawberries
3 stalks rhubarb, diced
1 to 2 cups chicken stock
cornstarch water
Salt to taste
Combine first 8 ingredients, Riesling through rhubarb, in a medium saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil and reduce liquid by half, then add chicken stock. Reduce by one-half again, then strain solids. Add cornstarch slurry to thicken, if desired, season to taste and serve with chicken or pork loin.
Blueberry Bordelaise Demi-Glace
750ml red wine (Bordeaux)
3 medium shallots, chopped
5 to 7 black peppercorns
2 to 3 thyme stems
5 parsley stems
1 whole bay leaf
1 carton blueberries
1 to 2 cups brown stock
Salt to taste
Combine first 7 ingredients, red wine through blueberries, in a medium saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil and reduce liquid by half, then add brown stock. Reduce again until you reach desired consistency, then strain solids and serve. Season to taste, and serve with beef, including buffalo.
Raspberry Pomegranate White Wine Sauce
750ml white wine
3 medium shallots
5 to 7 black peppercorns
2 to 3 thyme stems
5 parsley stems
1 whole bay leaf
1 carton raspberries
½ cup pomegranate juice
1 to 2 cups fish stock
Salt to taste
Combine first 8 ingredients, white wine through pomegranate juice, in a medium saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil and reduce liquid by half, then add fish stock. Reduce again by one half, then strain solids and serve. Season to taste, and serve with fish.
Fruit du JourTo make simple sauces, I recommend a reduction. Keep in mind that the sauces I’m suggesting are as much about technique as they are about the ingredients.
First, you’ll need wine. Some cooks recommend not using “good” wine in recipes, but I say just the opposite. Don’t use a particular wine in a recipe if you wouldn’t want to drink the wine yourself, or serve it to guests.
Next you’ll need to make a bouquet garni, which is French for a satchel of cheesecloth stuffed with herbs and seasonings, such as a bay leaf, black peppercorns, and thyme and parsley stems. My suggestion: it’s easier to throw these ingredients right into the saucepan and strain the sauce when it’s done. That way you don’t have to worry about finding cheesecloth or twine—essentially skipping steps that take time away from family and friends.
Next, you’ll combine wine, maybe a few sliced shallots (here, rough cut is fine since you just want the flavor), and the bouquet garni ingredients in a medium saucepan. Next, place your favorite fresh, washed fruit in the pan. Simply turn your burner to “high” and boil the wine until it’s reduced by half. Once you’ve achieved this reduction, add your stock. Roughly the same amount of liquid as you initially used for your wine should do. Again, reduce by one-half, strain, and salt to taste. It’s that simple!
To thicken a sauce, I like to use a cornstarch slurry, which is simply equal parts cornstarch and water mixed into a paste. Just add the cornstarch slurry directly to the sauce until you’ve reached the desired thickness. Or, if you’d prefer, you can reduce the sauce even more. That will naturally thicken the sauce. In fact, that’s how we get demi-glace. And if the sauce is not sweet enough for you—meaning it’s too tart—simply add sugar or a sugar substitute such as Splenda. It will dissolve into the sauce perfectly and no one will even know it’s there.
Below are a few summertime suggestions, but feel free to substitute. Be creative! Perhaps you prefer pears to pomegranates or blackberries to blue. It’s your choice; it’s your summer. You may have to give up the grill to Dad, but you never have to give in when so many flavorful fruits are in season.
Strawberry Rhubarb Riesling Reduction
750ml Riesling
3 medium shallots, chopped
5 to 7 black peppercorns
2 to 3 thyme stems
5 parsley stems
1 whole bay leaf
1 carton of strawberries
3 stalks rhubarb, diced
1 to 2 cups chicken stock
cornstarch water
Salt to taste
Combine first 8 ingredients, Riesling through rhubarb, in a medium saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil and reduce liquid by half, then add chicken stock. Reduce by one-half again, then strain solids. Add cornstarch slurry to thicken, if desired, season to taste and serve with chicken or pork loin.
Blueberry Bordelaise Demi-Glace
750ml red wine (Bordeaux)
3 medium shallots, chopped
5 to 7 black peppercorns
2 to 3 thyme stems
5 parsley stems
1 whole bay leaf
1 carton blueberries
1 to 2 cups brown stock
Salt to taste
Combine first 7 ingredients, red wine through blueberries, in a medium saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil and reduce liquid by half, then add brown stock. Reduce again until you reach desired consistency, then strain solids and serve. Season to taste, and serve with beef, including buffalo.
Raspberry Pomegranate White Wine Sauce750ml white wine
3 medium shallots
5 to 7 black peppercorns
2 to 3 thyme stems
5 parsley stems
1 whole bay leaf
1 carton raspberries
½ cup pomegranate juice
1 to 2 cups fish stock
Salt to taste
Combine first 8 ingredients, white wine through pomegranate juice, in a medium saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil and reduce liquid by half, then add fish stock. Reduce again by one half, then strain solids and serve. Season to taste, and serve with fish.
