Last week I gave a brief primer on ‘styles‘ in food.

This week it’s sauces.

Sauces are a bit more simple.

Note I did not say sauces were simple.

Like anything in the kitchen, there are the basic sauces and the modifications made by the person wielding the spoon.

The well-known:

• allioli – garlic mayonnaise
• mayonnaise – egg yolks, vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil
• hollandaise – egg yolks, lemon juice and butter
• béarnaise – egg yolks, vinegar, white wine, tarragon, shallots, butter
• tartare – mayonnaise with hard-cooked egg yolks, oill vinegar, chives, capers
• vinaigrette – oil and vinegar
• bourguignonne – red wine, carrot, onion, bacon

The fairly common:

• demi-glace – brown sauce, reduced and strengthened with veal stock
• béchemal – white sauce of butter, flour, milk flavored with onion, nutmeg
• bordelaise – demi-glace with red or white wine, shallots, tomato sauce
• Périgueux – demi-glace with Madeira, chopped truffles
• périgourdine – Périgueux with sliced rather than chopped truffles
• rémoulade – mayonnaise with gherkins, mustard, capers, anchovy
• chausser – demi-glace with mushrooms, white wine, tomato paste
• duxelles – demi-glace with mushrooms, shallots, white wine

The less common:

• noir – browned butter, capers, parsley, vinegar
• bigerade – demi-glace, oranges, wine, Curacao
• suédoise – apple compote, mayonnaise, mustard, horseradish
• saupiquet – hare’s blood, hare’s liver, shallots, red wine, vinegar
• lyonnaise – demi-glace, onions, white wine, vinegar
• Miroton – lyonnaise with more onions, more white wine
• gribiche – hard-boiled egg yolks, oil, vinegar, herbs, gherkins, capers

Sauce were much less disconcerting….

Salmon Cakes with Sauce Tartare

Boeuf Bourguignonne

Poached Eggs Bourguignonne

Tournedos with Marchand de Vin Sauce

Macaroni and Cheese

Duxelles is more commonly served with veal chops – but it’s equally good with chicken.

Chicken Breasts Duxelles

2 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
1/4 cup white wine
1 tbs olive oil 
Duxelles Sauce 
2 shallots (2oz, 60gr)
4oz (120gr) mushrooms
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 tbs tomato paste
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried rosemary

Duxelles: Finely chop the shallots and mushrooms. Heat the butter in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat until bubbly. Add the shallots and mushrooms and sauté, until golden brown, 6 – 8 minutes. Add the white wine and scrape up any brown bits. Cook until wine is almost completely reduced, about 1 tbs left. Add stock, tomato paste and herbs. Stir well, simmer until thickened. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.
Chicken: Heat olive oil in medium nonstick skillet. Add chicken breasts and sauté until golden, about 5 minutes per side. Add white wine. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Arrange on Duxelles and serve.