Cookaholics Bulletin Board

Ochef.com has a lovely Escoffier adaptation and I am just checking if someone has a favorite.

THANKS in advance

Wino,

If you have few extra weeks, make espagnole sauce from scratch.

I would use a reduction sauce based on the Escoffier adaptation. Skip that cornstarch crap. You could have some fun with wild mushrooms or some really nice rainwater madiera.

As far as cooking, we really like to smoke (mild wood like pecan) really cold roast at 250 degrees to an internal of 100F. Then sear in butter, basting as you go. The browned butter is added to pimenton bearnaise. Carmenere is a good match.

Honestly, you really can't improve on the classic recipes.

Tim

It's a REALLY good thing we don't live closer together.....

Wino,

I disagree! Nothing would be nicer than to impress each other.

I better get back to my sacrificial turkey, the one that provides the glace de viande for gravy.

Tim

Yeah, now I gotta make some veal gravy... we won't have any calves for another 5 months

Personally, I'd SV the tenderloin, then pan sear the bad boy, saute some shallots, deglaze with red wine, add veal stock, then the jus from the bag...reduce, reduce, reduce and add butter. (Add all the usual herbs at the appropriate time.) Strain and enjoy.

Not a traditional sauce, but a tasty one.

Amy

On Q about that technique, Amy: typically the jus from the bag is very protein rich, so if you boil it you get a grey goop of coagulated protein (or at least this is what I believe it is). I'm never quite sure what to do. A few times I've quickly uW'd the jus, strained it and added it; this works, but the resulting jus is flavourful, but not as much as it should be I think. I've also just tried incorporating the grey stuff, but honestly probably didn't try beating it enough; I still noticed it in the final (though my wife did not and loved the sauce...). Do you have any particular strategy for dealing with this?

Paul,

That's why I strain the sauce at least twice through my chinois. A good dose of wine (reduced again) and butter (off heat) usually round it out well.

I just kind of "do" this, so I'm sure I'm not explaining well.

Amy

No sounds right to me: Make sauce, strain well, add wine and reduce a some more, mount. I'll go with that simple procedure and give it a swing.

Mount? Is that a cooking expression I don't know or do you really, really love your sauce?

Mary