3 posts tagged “sauce”

I've always made this, I don't care if everyone thinks Delia invented cranberries, she can just sod off.

• Take a pack or box of cranberries.
• Put them in a saucepan and just cover with orange juice.
• Bring to the boil and simmer until the berries pop.
• Sprinkle all over with sugar, stir it in.
• Simmer until it's all syrupy.
• Put in a bowl and serve hot or cold.

There.

You can ring the changes with the liquid, although it needs some pectin / acid, and the amount and type of sugar, depending on how you like it. If you start with sugar in the liquid, the skins toughen and you will get whole berries in a thick jelly, which is fine if that's what you want, I prefer more of a jam. You can add shreds of orange peel, slivered nuts, whatever stuff takes your fancy.

I like bread sauce, John doesn't. And it doesn't really go with goose anyway (although it's divine with sprouts). One year I found a German idea, which was like bread sauce except made with gingernut biscuits instead of bread. And that's proved quite popular. Except this year I messed it up, and every rescue attempt took it further and further away from the original. It ended up quite interesting, though, worth making a note of to repeat as a thing in its own right, or at least using as a starting point for something better.

• Most of a big tub of half fat creme fraiche
• A finely chopped shallot
• About half a pint of Chardonnay
• About half a pack of gingernuts
• Some powdered ginger, allspice, pepper and salt

Heat the cream, mix in the wine and shallots and cook slowly for an hour or so until the shallots don't taste raw and crunchy any more. Crumble in the biscuits. Taste and add the spices to suit. Keep warm until ready to serve the goose - any chunks of biscuit will dissolve if whisked, or you could leave the lumps in if you like.

Next time - cook the shallots better first! maybe in a bit of butter. A drier wine wouldn't hurt, it was a bit oversweet. Or just chicken stock.

Mam used to make this. Dad and John both like it, I prefer cream. I couldn't find a recipe for it anywhere the first time I had to make it, but it turns out there's one on the cornflour packet. It's wacky stuff, you can make it thin for pouring or any level up to set-like-plaster-of-paris.

• 2 tbsps cornflour
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 0.5 pint milk
• brandy

Put cornflour, sugar and enough milk to make a paste into a saucepan. Heat at low/medium until it starts to bubble. Take off the heat, add the rest of the milk and as much brandy as you like, a bit at a time and whisking as you go. When it's smooth, heat again until thick, whisking constantly. It has a tendency to seize up at any opportunity. Serve hot.

You can use vanilla, or other flavourings, although I would imagine liquid things are best. Dry spices wouldn't come out well, it cooks too fast and there's hardly any fat. If you wanted cinnamon, for example, I'd use cinnamon vodka.