New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Spicing Up Cream Sauce

post #1 of 18
11/12/01 at 6:33am
Thread Starter 
Hello! Recently I made a roasted Garlic, Sun Dried Tomato cream sauce in which all were pureed into reduced cream steeped with thyme. Then fresh thyme leaves were added to the sauce, and served over homemade fettucinni. In my opinion.. it was very bland, and I am looking for what to use to spice it up without resorting to hot sauce or pepper flakes, which fail to add depth.
I had one suggestion of a shot of worchestershire, balsamic vinegar and hot sauce. Basic components are 2 heads roasted garlic pureed with 10 sundried tomatoes, then added to 1 cup heavy cream reduced by 1/3. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated! Thanks
Reply
post #2 of 18
11/12/01 at 7:30am
I've made a couple of sauces using sun-dried tomatoes and cream, with similar results. I usually end up adding a bit of tomato paste to get the taste I want.

A small amount of hot suace might also help, but I wouldn't go too far with it.
Reply
post #3 of 18
11/12/01 at 8:10am

tastier sauce

you might start by making a tomato consume(sp?) peel tomatoes and hang them in cloth to drip,the concentration of pure liquid should help. also steep your garlic in sun dried oil from the tomatoes gently heat the oil first,then infuse. remember when using tomato products they may requie additional salt for flavor. what i am tring to say is if you start with a flavorful base you sauce will not need spicing up? the tomato,garlic fresh blk pepper and salt should be able to stand on it 's own. go easy on the cream,try some stock of your choice veggie or chix
Reply
post #4 of 18
11/12/01 at 8:22am
Good point Ruth. Don't forget the salt. I love Maldon salt with tomatoes! :rolleyes:
Reply
post #5 of 18
11/12/01 at 11:03am
I'm with Kimmie on this one. I mght add a clove of fresh garlic mashed with about 1 tablespoon of salt to the sauce about 10 minutes before it's finished. Also add the Thyme at this point. Serve the pasta with some fresh grated Parm/Reggiano to help sharpen the flavor.
Reply
post #6 of 18
11/12/01 at 12:16pm
(Chicken Base), he whispered.
Reply
post #7 of 18
11/12/01 at 3:07pm
:lol: :lol: Thats to funny thebighat,

Great ideas here.

Also you can use this sauce as a base compound for other sauces.

I touch of reduced veal stock and some cracked black pepper with veal

Fresh basil and fontina with osso bucco

add alittle to reduced chicken stock with fresh tarragon and dress a bird with it.

Or,Just add some parm,black pepper and kosher salt to your origanel sauce and toss with the fettucini.

Many times cream on it's own as the basic liquid in a souce can just be to dence and not tickle the palate.

So add a little reduced chicken stock to your pasta dish to add depth...or if you need to stay %100 vegetarian make a veggie stock with roast shrooms as the foundation
cc
Reply
post #8 of 18
11/12/01 at 3:26pm
Thread Starter 
excellant advise all, thanks! what would you think of adding a portabella mushroom / vidalia onion paste to the cream?
Reply
post #9 of 18
11/12/01 at 3:31pm
Thread Starter 
made with reduced chicked stock of course!
Reply
post #10 of 18
11/12/01 at 3:55pm
I think if you are considering making this sauce now, You may have trouble finding vidila onions (spring/summer)

Also...what do you mean as a "paste"?
Certainly being from PA you should have little difficulty finding shrooms. Cipollini onions are around these days that would work instead of your georgen vidila,also shallots would be fine.
If you use portibellas be sure to trim the gills from the underside,They add a deep murky color to cream based sauces.
You may want to get some dry cepes and reconstitute in sherry and then reduce the liquid to a demi sec and add to your sauce and saute the cepes with some olive oil and butter and garnish your pasta
cc
Reply
post #11 of 18
11/12/01 at 4:08pm
Cape Chef rules! :p
Reply
post #12 of 18
11/13/01 at 1:21pm
Thread Starter 
Wow! Thanks CC. That sounds very interesting. By paste, I mean reducing chopped onion and mushroom in a little white wine until thickened. I have used this before as a bed for filet with gorgonzola on top.. Thanks again!
Reply
post #13 of 18
11/13/01 at 4:51pm

sauce sauce and more sauce

let's just reduce some chix stock!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
kidding
Reply
post #14 of 18
11/13/01 at 5:28pm
This might be going in another direction, but it's mentioned here several times..very reduced chicken stock. I always found that chicken stock would reach a peak of flavor, any further cooking seemed to degrade that quality.

That never seemed to be the case with very reduced veal stock. I think there must be more "stuff" in beef and veal bones that leaches out during the cooking of a stock. I would be more inclined, if I needed very reduced chicken stock, to make an impromptu demi-glace with equal portions of chicken veloute and chicken stock, and reduce the heck out of that. The veloute I think could carry that reduction better, if you know what I mean. Of course, you need access to a ready supply of chicken veloute for this. Reducing chicken stock, you might as well be reducing chicken water. Chicken stock to me should be clear, light, flavorful. Boil it too long and you get a degraded color and a flavor that seems tired.

Anyone see the article in Fine Cooking recently where a woman made a big distinction between chicken broth and chicken stock? I didn't get it, then this week I saw Jasper White telling someone, Sara Moulton, Martha, Oprah, I dunno, that chicken broth was made with a chicken and chicken stock with bones. that I understand, tho I otherwise think he talks too much.
Reply
post #15 of 18
11/14/01 at 6:18am
Some interesting points.

There is one thing that is very important to remember when preparing a chicken stock, You must wash then blanch your bones then rinse again before you start you stock. This process greatly reduces the amount of impurites in the reduction.

If you make a good stock then you can make a good reduction. I don't think it's like reducing "chicken water"

If you do use a velute be aware that is does already have cream in it so you may need to adjust the amount in your sauce
cc
Reply
post #16 of 18
11/14/01 at 2:38pm

Re: Spicing Up Cream Sauce

Reply
post #17 of 18
11/14/01 at 2:45pm

Re: Spicing Up Cream Sauce

I to have run into the same problem but i find that if u add a little bit of a chili that u may like (I use pablanoes) into the puree it adds the depth ur looking for and as always don't forget the salt.
Rememnber not to add to much of the chili. A little will go a long way.
Reply
post #18 of 18
11/14/01 at 4:54pm
First a disclaimer: I'm a pastry chef, I don't cook anymore than a house wife anymore.

But...(Maybe someone said this and I didn't see it) why don't you add additional diced sun dried tomatos in your pasta. And not make the sauce do all the work.

P.S. I also would have liked some artichoke hearts in the pasta with the tomatos too.


P.S.S. I do have one thing I know for sure, you can make some nice quick cheese straws by puree ing the sun dried tomatos into a paste and mixing it with your cheese. Light mist of olive oil and some coarse salt before baking, yum.
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home