The saucemaker

The late Louis Diat, master chef of the famous Ritz-Carlton Hotel in New York, and creator of the world’s most delicious chilled soup, vichyssoise, claimed that “French housewives - or their cuisinières - can easily and consistently serve magnificent meals from simple ingredients and with few utensils because they get the most out of what they have.” Not the least of the French housewife’s skills is her ability to turn out exquisite sauces that make a really distinguished dish from ingredients as simple as eggs, poached or grilled fish, or sliced cooked meat or poultry.