When it comes to finishing a dish, you can’t forget the sauce. Now we’re not going back to trade school and referring to Escoffier’s five mother sauces! But it is important to remember that Auguste Escoffier, the famous French chef, insisted that a dish is never complete without a sauce. He taught us that sauces add moisture to a dish making it easier to chew and digest. The father of modern culinary education also taught us that sauces add richness and extra flavour to a dish and can help bring all the flavours of the dish together. He also espoused that a good sauce can also define a dish, especially when the sauce is novel and unique!
So, when we work on the flavour combinations for the dishes in our kitchens, it is essential we concentrate just as much on the sauce as we do on the proteins and the starch. This is as true to fine dining as it is to the modern casual dude food cuisine that is increasingly popular across many mainstream venues. To begin with, sauces can be added to the dish as it is plated up or it can be included as a complementary but separate condiment. Although a tub or bowl of sauce to one side of dish does have some extra labour costs, it can help with portion control and can be perceived as a ‘value add’ for the customer, who sees it as something extra, an add on to their dish. A little side bowl of tartar sauce, made with mayo with chopped gherkin and capers, served next to fried fish of the day, looks slightly tastier than a dollop of the sauce on the side.
1. Marie Rose sauce x MasterFoods Tomato Sauce
When it comes to the modern casual menu the king of sauces is tomato sauce. Made with over 75% tomato, sugar, spice, onion and salt, MasterFoods tomato sauce is the classic Australian sauce and a favourite in kitchens across the nation. While it is the perfect partner for a bowl of hot chips, this rich tangy sauce can bring flavour and a clean acid balance to other sauces. Blended with mayo, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, lemon juice and a dash of cayenne pepper and you have Marie Rose and the base of a sensational prawn cocktail, a prawn cocktail salad dressing, or a sauce to bring together a cold seafood medley.
2. Louisiana shrimp sauce x MasterFoods Tomato Sauce
Growing in popularity is the Louisiana-style shrimp feast where a bucket of chilled prawns is served with a sheet of waxed paper, a finger bowl and a great bowl of spiced, tangy shrimp sauce seasoned with garlic powder and horseradish with a little molasses and Tabasco and, of course, tomato sauce.
3. LA-style burger sauce x MasterFoods Tomato Sauce
Then there is the LA-style burger sauce which cleverly uses a little vinegar from the dill pickles to mix with tomato sauce, mayo, yellow mustard, smoked paprika and a little onion and garlic powder. Slathered under a beef or vegie patty, it adds tang and kick to a burger bringing together the onions, lettuce and melted cheese into one delicious dish sandwiched between that toasted bun.
4. Ribs & buffalo wing sauce x MasterFoods BBQ Sauce
MasterFoods BBQ sauce is a great sweet, tangy sauce made with tomatoes, onions and spices like clove and nutmeg and can be used straight from the bottle. But it can be the foundation for your own house BBQ sauce with a little of your creativity. Add a little ground cumin, smoky paprika and some American mustard for a taste of the South or try some West Coast flavour with some French Mustard, garlic powder and a little more tomato sauce. This is a great sauce for ribs or buffalo wings.
5. Mexican-inspired sauce x MasterFoods Vegan Mayo
With the flavours of Mexico on everyone’s lips, a great sauce to finish off those tacos and fajitas is Mexican mayo made with MasterFoods Vegan Mayo and MasterFoods Mexican Chilli Seasoning. A little of the spicy powdered seasoning folded through the tangy shelf stable, and egg-free mayo, makes an attractive looking and delicious tasting sauce versatile enough to slather over your elotes or Mexican grilled corn. Microplane some cheese over and you have the taste of Mexico ready on the plate for a perfect summer dish. Put some on the side of a bowl of hot potato chips for Fries South of the Border. By looking at sauces and mayo as the beginning of a new sauce you can expand your menu and offer something that is unique and truly yours.
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MasterFoods
A fine assortment of sauces and condiments, suitable for any foodservice operator.
