Table Sauces and Relishes
Cooking Skills: Sauces 1
Chapter 8 · Table Sauces and Relishes
Shopping list for this chapter
The basics
A table sauce is not made in the pan with the meat. It is made in advance and put on the table, so each person can add as much as they like. Most are built on contrast: a rich, fatty food needs something sharp or sweet to cut through it. That is why apple goes with pork, cranberry with poultry and cheese, mint with lamb and horseradish with beef.
Most of these sauces are easy and keep well, so make them ahead. Sugar balances sharpness, and heat softens fruit and mellows raw onion and horseradish. Taste before serving and adjust with a squeeze of lemon, a pinch of sugar or a little salt.
The method
- Pair by contrast: rich food with sharp or sweet sauce, mild food with strong sauce.
- Cook fruit gently with a little water and sugar until it breaks down, stirring so it does not catch.
- Add sugar a little at a time, tasting as you go, because fruit varies in sweetness.
- Let strong flavours mellow for an hour or a day, as raw onion, vinegar and horseradish settle.
- Store in clean jars in the fridge and label with the date.
| Sauce | Style | Keeps (fridge, approximate) | Goes with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple sauce | Sweet-sharp, cooked | 5 days (freezes well) | Pork, sausages |
| Cranberry sauce | Sweet-tart, cooked | 2 weeks | Chicken, ham, cheese |
| Mint sauce | Sharp, raw | 3 days | Lamb, new potatoes |
| Horseradish cream | Hot, creamy | 3 days | Roast beef, smoked fish |
| Onion relish | Sharp-sweet, quick pickle | 1 week | Burgers, cheese, cold meat |
Horseradish and strong vinegar: horseradish fumes sting eyes and nose, so open a window or turn on the extractor fan, and don't breathe in right over the jar. Wash your hands after grating.
Allergens: milk (cream, yogurt) and sulphites in vinegar can be allergens. Jarred horseradish may contain mustard or sulphites.
Try it
Apple sauce
Cooking apples (Bramley) collapse into a fluffy purée all by themselves. The skill is knowing when to stop adding sugar: this sauce is meant to be sharp enough to cut rich pork.
Ingredients (6 portions)
- 500 g cooking apples, peeled, cored and chopped
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp caster sugar, or to taste
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 small knob of butter (optional)
- Put the apples, water and sugar in a small pan with a lid and cook over a low heat for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring now and then, until the apple has collapsed.
- Beat with a wooden spoon for a chunky sauce, or blend for a smooth one.
- Add the lemon juice and the butter if using, taste, and add more sugar a little at a time. Serve warm or cold.
Cranberry sauce
Cranberries are full of natural pectin, which sets the sauce as it cools. They pop in the pan, which tells you when they are cooked. Make it a few days ahead.
Ingredients (8 portions)
- 300 g fresh or frozen cranberries
- 100 g caster sugar
- 100 ml orange juice
- 1 strip of orange zest
- 1 small cinnamon stick
- Put everything in a saucepan and heat gently, stirring, until the sugar dissolves.
- Simmer for 10 to 12 minutes until most of the berries have popped and the sauce is glossy.
- Remove the zest and cinnamon, taste and add sugar if it is too tart. It thickens as it cools; pour into a jar.
Jars and storing: wash jars and lids in hot soapy water, rinse and dry them, then fill while the sauce is hot and cool before chilling. Keep in the fridge, label with the date and use within the time given. If a sauce smells off, looks fizzy or has mould, throw it away.
Mint sauce
The traditional British sauce for lamb: chopped fresh mint in sweetened vinegar. Chop the mint with a pinch of the sugar so it stays green and bruises less. Let it stand so the flavours blend.
Ingredients (6 portions)
- 1 large handful of fresh mint leaves (about 20 g)
- 2 tsp caster sugar
- 2 tbsp boiling water
- 3 tbsp malt or white wine vinegar
- 1 pinch flaked sea salt
- Chop the mint very finely with half the sugar and put it in a small bowl.
- Add the boiling water and the remaining sugar and stir until it dissolves. Leave for 10 minutes.
- Stir in the vinegar and salt, taste, and leave for 30 minutes before serving. Use within about 3 days.
Allergens: vinegar can contain sulphites.
A horseradish cream
Horseradish gets hot and sharp, and cream tames it. Make it with jarred horseradish for ease. The heat fades in a few hours, so taste just before serving and add more if you like.
Ingredients (6 portions)
- 3 tbsp jarred horseradish, drained
- 150 ml double cream
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 pinch flaked sea salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
- Whip the cream until it just holds soft peaks; don't overwhip.
- Fold in the horseradish, lemon juice and mustard.
- Taste and add more horseradish for heat or lemon for sharpness. Chill, and use within about 3 days.
Jars and storing: wash jars and lids in hot soapy water, rinse and dry them, then fill while the sauce is hot and cool before chilling. Keep in the fridge, label with the date and use within the time given. If a sauce smells off, looks fizzy or has mould, throw it away.
A quick onion relish
Thin red onion in sweet vinegar turns bright pink and loses its harsh bite within half an hour. It lifts burgers, cheese, cold meats and curries. This is a quick pickle, so it keeps for about a week, not for months.
Ingredients (6 portions)
- 2 red onions, very thinly sliced
- 100 ml cider or white wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 50 ml water
- 1 pinch flaked sea salt
- 1 bay leaf (optional)
- Pack the sliced onion into a clean jar or heatproof bowl.
- Heat the vinegar, sugar, water, salt and bay leaf in a small pan until the sugar dissolves, then pour over the onion.
- Leave for 30 minutes until the onion turns pink and soft, then chill. Keep in the fridge and use within about 1 week.
Jars and storing: wash jars and lids in hot soapy water, rinse and dry them, then fill while the sauce is hot and cool before chilling. Keep in the fridge, label with the date and use within the time given. If a sauce smells off, looks fizzy or has mould, throw it away.
Experiments
Sugar and sharpness
Sweet, tart and balanced.
- Make three small spoonfuls of apple sauce with no sugar, 1 teaspoon and 1 tablespoon, and taste each with a bite of pork or cheese.
Look for: No sugar is too sharp; the most sugar is like pudding. A small amount balances the sauce so it can cut rich food.
Cooked or raw
Soft and sharp.
- Make one onion relish with raw red onion and one with onion simmered in the vinegar for 5 minutes.
Look for: The raw version is crisp and fiery. The cooked one is soft, sweeter and milder.
Chopped or blended
Texture.
- Chop half the mint finely and blend half into the vinegar.
Look for: The chopped mint stays bright green with texture. The blended mint turns darker and more bitter-grassy.
Making ahead
Fresh and rested.
- Taste cranberry sauce on the day you make it and again two days later.
Look for: The rested sauce is smoother, sweeter and better set. Most table sauces improve after a day or two.
Tasting notes
| What I tried | Method or amount | What I saw | What I thought | Will I do it again? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple sauce | ||||
| Cranberry sauce | ||||
| Mint sauce | ||||
| Horseradish cream | ||||
| Onion relish | ||||
| Sugar and sharpness | ||||
| Cooked or raw | ||||
| Chopped or blended | ||||
| Making ahead |
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Apple sauce too watery | Too much water or wrong apple | Simmer uncovered until thick; use Bramley cooking apples |
| Apple sauce too sharp | Sugar not added | Stir in sugar a little at a time |
| Cranberry sauce too runny | Cooked too little or still warm | Chill it; it sets as it cools. Simmer a few more minutes if not |
| Mint sauce brown | Mint chopped and left long | Make it within a few hours, and chop with sugar |
| Horseradish too hot or too weak | Strength varies between brands | Add more cream to cool it, or more horseradish to heat it |
| Relish too sharp | Vinegar not balanced | Add a pinch more sugar and let it stand |
Jars and storing: wash jars and lids in hot soapy water, rinse and dry them, then fill while the sauce is hot and cool before chilling. Keep in the fridge, label with the date and use within the time given. If a sauce smells off, looks fizzy or has mould, throw it away.
Keeping sauces: cool a sauce quickly in a shallow container within 1 to 2 hours, press cling film onto the surface to stop a skin forming, chill and use within about 2 days. Reheat until steaming hot, stirring. Milk and cream sauces can split when frozen, so freeze other sauces instead.
- I can match a table sauce to a food.
- I can cook apples and cranberries into sauces.
- I can balance sugar and sharpness.
- I can make a creamy horseradish sauce.
- I can store sauces safely in clean jars.