Sauces

Sauces have a double role in recipes as far as I’m concerned. They act as a complementary taste to whatever dish they are accompanying and are, in many cases, a garnish. I am not a great one for garnishes that take the form of, for example, radishes sculpted into roses, or tomato skins curled up to supposedly resemble a flower. Wherever possible I like a garnish to be an integral part of a dish and a sauce is so ideal for this purpose. A colour contrast is most desirable, as in a roast red pepper sauce, which enhances the appearance of a wide range of foods from grilled fish to a smooth pale mousse. Similarly, a sweet sauce such as Raspberry and Blackcurrant can enhance both the appearance and the taste of a Lemon Mousse, say, or a soufflé. You won’t find any recipes for fruit or vegetable ‘coulis’ in this book. I like to call a sauce a sauce, and calling it something else is for me in the same category as sculpting radishes into roses.