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Saupiquet Sauce

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I am heading off the the library shortly to take back a heavy stack of books including Valentine Warner’s The Good Table (Mitchell Beazley, London, 2011). I’ve tried several of the recipes in there but the one that I most want to retain is saupiquet sauce (p42).

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium sized shallot
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 0.5 tsp caster sugar
  • 200ml dry white wine
  • 4 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 8 juniper berries
  • 1 tsp thyme leaves
  • 40g butter
  • 25g plain flour
  • 300ml stock
  • 100ml double cream
  • salt and pepper to season

Method:

The shallot and garlic are finely chopped and then rapidly simmered with the sugar, wine, vinegar, juniper berries and thyme until reduced to about 2 tbsp of flavour-infused liquid. It is hard to estimate this; I think I left it too long and ended up with a thicker sauce than the illustration suggested but it was still tasty. Meanwhile, melt the butter and whisk in the flour, cooking for about 30 seconds. Pour the liquid through a sieve into the roux and then drop in the juniper berries (I then added the other solid ingredients to the lentil-based based accompaniment to my main dish; waste not, want not). Mix together and then begin whisking in the stock (ideally taken from the same source as the main dish — I had boiled a ham and used some of the liquid from that).

Allow the sauce to bubble gently for ten minutes, to begin to thicken, then pour in the cream. Return to the first hint of a simmer then remove from the heat. Season if required. If the sauce goes cold before serving (or you have some left for the next day), it can be reheated as required; the amount here accompanies a meal designated for 6-8 people and so the ingredients could certainly be halved.

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