Tag: sauce

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Home Made Salsa Lizano (Costa Rican Brown Sauce)

http://gormandizewithus.blogspot.com/2013/02/home-made-salsa-lizano-costa-rican.html

(This goes with my beans and rice recipe)

Home Made Salsa Lizano (Costa Rican Brown Sauce)

Salsa Lizano is ubiquitous in Costa Rica. It’s used in cooking and poured liberally over food as a condiment. So, what is it? It’s a brown sauce made from vegetables and spices. It’s also not very readily available in Australia. I could have ordered it online from America and paid an absolute packet for a jar of sauce…. but I’ve always preferred making things from scratch anyway.
A quick google on the internet revealed several forums in which people were asking how to make Salsa Lizano at home only to be told by various people that you simply can’t make it at home. Well that sounded like a challenge to me so goshdarnit I set to it! Having never tasted the real stuff I guess I’m at a disadvantage for recreating it. But I used the ingredients of the sauce from wikipedia as a starting point and went from there. The sauce I made was delicious and it’s great to use in cooking for instant ‘WOW’ flavour. I couldn’t tell you if it tastes like the real thing though – somebody else will have to make it and tell me!


Ingredients
1/2 onion, chopped
1 small carrot, chopped
1 cup chopped cauliflower
1 tsp powdered vegetable stock
1/2 green chilli
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp blackstrap molasses
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp celery seeds
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1/2 tsp tumeric

To Make
1. Place the chopped onion, carrot and cauliflower in a saucepan and cover with boiling water. Bring to the boil and then simmer until the vegetables are cooked through and tender. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the water.
2. Stir the vegetable stock powder through the 1/4 cup hot water that you reserved.
3. Place the cooked vegetables in a food processor or blender. Add the vegetable stock and all the other ingredients (note: if you don’t want it hot you can remove some or all of the seeds/placenta of the chilli before adding it).
4. Purée until it forms a smooth sauce and then transfer into a bottle or a jar until needed. Store in the refrigerator.

Makes 1 medium sized bottle. Use in cooking or pour over just about anything for added ‘pow’ flavour.

Posted on » by Michael » Theme:

Classic Smooth and Silky Béchamel (White Sauce)

DANIEL GRITZER

Classic Smooth and Silky B\u00e9chamel (White Sauce) Recipe

Béchamel is one of the mother sauces in classic French cooking, and one of the most important sauces to learn for all sorts of dishes, French and otherwise. It’s a key ingredient in soufflé, a classic Bolognese lasagna, and even old-school mac and cheese. And it’s incredibly easy to make. Here’s how.

Why It Works

  • Cooking the flour and butter together first helps remove the flour’s raw flavor, and prevents lumps from forming later.
  • A ratio of 1 1/2 tablespoons each of flour and butter per cup of milk makes a thickened yet still pourable sauce, great for all sorts of recipes.
  • YIELD:Makes about 1 cup
  • ACTIVE TIME:5 minutes
  • TOTAL TIME:5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter (3/4 ounce; 20g) (see note)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons (12g) all-purpose flour (see note)
  • 1 cup (240ml) whole milk
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste (optional)

Directions

  1. In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat (do not allow it to brown). Add flour and whisk to form a paste. Continue to cook, stirring, until raw flour scent is gone, about 1 minute. Whisking constantly, add milk in a thin, steady stream, or in increments of a couple of tablespoons at a time, whisking thoroughly and getting into all corners of the pan to maintain a homogeneous texture. Sauce will initially become very thick, then get very thin once all the milk is added.
  2. Heat, stirring, until sauce comes to a simmer and begins to thicken slightly. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring, until sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, about 3 minutes.
  3. Season with salt and pepper. Add nutmeg to taste, if using. If any lumps form, simply whisk thoroughly to remove them and smooth out sauce, or use a hand blender or countertop blender if lumps are particularly large or tough. Use sauce right away, or press a piece of plastic wrap over surface of sauce to prevent a skin from forming and keep warm until ready to use. Sauce can be cooled and stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for several days. Reheat very gently on the stovetop or in a microwave to use.
Posted on » by Michael » Theme:

Watermelon Caramel Sauce “Carmelon or cara-melon”

I think it would have been better with less sugar. I think the sugar took away from the complexity of the flavor and made it too sweet. I had waited until the watermelon was thick so I only cooked it a minute or two with the sugar (until it dissolved) I didn’t want it to burn. The color was cool. When I made it I cooked the pieces so I had do strain it 1/2 way through the cooking and then continue cooking it down.

What Does It Taste Like?

This sauce doesn’t take on the same nutty, butterscotch flavor as traditional caramel, nor does it get quite as gooey and sticky. Instead, you’re rewarded with a summery caramel sauce that’s much, much better. Slow cooking transforms watermelon from a once light and bright snack, to a thick sauce with rich, deep sweet undertones. It might even remind you of an ultra-ripe summer tomato.

Put Your Watermelon Caramel Sauce to Work

If you can stop yourself from enjoying it straight from the pan, there are more than a few ways to eat this watermelon caramel sauce: Spoon it over everything from ice cream and pound cake, to pavlovas and cheesecake. It’s wonderful with savory dishes, too: Pair it with creamy burrata, drizzle it on spicy tacos, or spoon it over plain white fish for a dinner that pops with flavor.

Watermelon Caramel Sauce

Serves 4

16 ounces watermelon juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar

Optional – strain the small solids from the juice.

In a medium saucepan, bring the juice to a steady boil and cook until it reduces to about 2/3 cup, about 30 minutes. As it cooks, the water and sugar from the melon will separate, and the liquid will eventually begin to thicken slightly.

Add the sugar and stir until it’s completely dissolved. Continue cooking the caramel for 10 to 12 minutes until thickened. Remove the pan from the heat and cool before using. If you don’t eat it all immediately, store it in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Recipe Notes

  • Watermelon Juice. Use 3 pounds uncut watermelon or 3 cups cubed watermelon for 16 ounces of watermelon juice.
  • Storage. Store in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.