Brown Sauce

I determined to cook some sauce just for fun so I borrowed a book and follow the receipt.

The sauce I choose to make is BROWN SAUCE, which is French in origin and dates back to the 18^th century. According to the book, this receipt version is a simplified version. But I took me more than 5 hours just to make 1 ¼ cup of sauce, not to mention the other half of shopping for ingredients.

Crazy French! How do they ever find time to cook?

But that is why I love French food so much!!! They pay so much attention to the details…

Here is the receipt if you have time to kill (for sure it worth it):

- Stir-fry 2 thin bacon until brown

- Add 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

- Fry 2 shallots, 1 carrots and 1 cup find chopped mushrooms until evenly brown

- Add 2 tablespoons flour and cook for 2 mins

- Remove from the heat and stir in beef stock ( you have to cook that one first)

--- Fry 4 ½ beef blade until well browned

--- Add 3 large chopped onions, 4 chopped carrots, 4 chopped celery ribs, 2 teaspoons of sea salt, 1 bouquet Garni (a 3-inch length of leek, a 3-inch length of celery rib, 1 peeled garlic clove, 2 fresh bay leaves, 2 fresh flat leaf parsley sprigs, 2 fresh thyme sprigs, 6 black peppercorns, all should be wrapped in cheesecloth, but I used leek skin due to the stress of buying all the ingredients.)

--- Add 4 quarts cold water and bring slowly to a boil

--- simmer 3-4 hours and season to taste

--- strain the stock through a fine strainer

- Return to the heat and bring the sauce slowly to a boil, stirring constantly

- Add 1 bouquet garni, 2 tablespoons tomato concentrate, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

- Simmer gently for one hour

- Strain the sauce through a fine strainer

- Add 1 tablespoon dry sherry

If that is not enough for you, you can make Demi-Glace like restaurant do, just get the book Sauce from Louise Pickford. (http://www.tower.com/details/details.cfm?wapi=111314128)

I do love this sauce, but the one I cooked is bit sweet, heavy on the carrots flavor. I prefer the sauce Rivoli (http://www.rivoli.ca/) had for the lamb. It has a sweet and sour taste, which is a typical Shanghainese taste. I have to find out how to make it….