Sauces

It is perfectly true that one judges a cook by his or her sauces; the sauce reveals the man, the poet, the artist – in other words, the cook. Each sauce has its day and expresses the spirit and humour of the moment. The smallest thing – a passing whim, the memory of a flower or of a lover, the bouquet of a wine, the aroma of a fruit, a truffle or a herb can alter the most rigid recipe. And, finally, only happy cooks make good sauces.

So, here are some sauces. Never mind the ‘great sauces’, they don’t really matter all that much. What is important, surely, is that your sauces should add character and wit to steaks and escalopes, chicken and fish?