The Sauce Book

Dean Tudor is a journalism professor at the Ryerson Polytechnical
Institute and founding editor of the CBRA.

This is a highly useful recipe book for those busy chefs who like to play around in the kitchen but who do not have the time or the inclination to get engaged in complicated or complex projects. There are 320 preparations here (along with 120 variations) that cover hot, cold, sweet, and savoury sauces. Most can be made ahead; certainly, the base sauces can be frozen and then added to when thawed. Sauces pick up flavours and add zest to any kind of food, from soup to nuts. The trick is to use moderation. This book does not go overboard on fat (cream, butter, egg yolks) or on sugar. Included also are salad dressings, dessert toppings, glazes, aspics, and mayonnaise, with the stress always on “quick and easy.” Stock can be made over a weekend and frozen (as can some of the resulting mother sauces), while many compound sauces can be created at the last minute by using a blender or food processor. While the book is international in scope (covering material from Europe, the United States, the Middle East, India, and the Orient), it was originally published in England and some terms might be a little strange to us. Measurements are given in imperial and metric equivalents. Excellent colour photographs accompany the preparations and, of course, bend a mouth-watering appeal to the book. Ultimately, the basic stress is on “French” sauces, but there are recipes and variations from around the world.