Every sauce in this chart is made the same way: in the pan the meat just cooked in, from the brown bits left in the bottom, while it rests. What changes is the liquid and the finish.
The chart
| What you're cooking | The sauces that go with it |
|---|---|
| Beef (ribeye, bone-in rib steak, burger patties) | Peppercorn · Shallot and red wine · Gorgonzola |
| Veal (Zurich-style sliced veal) | Mushroom and cream · Wholegrain mustard |
| Chicken (breast, thigh) | Wholegrain mustard · Mushroom and cream · Lemon and caper · Honey-soy |
| Pork (chops, tenderloin) | Wholegrain mustard · Balsamic and rosemary |
| Duck (breast) | Shallot and red wine · Balsamic and rosemary |
| Fish and seafood (cod, salmon, shrimp, scallops) | Quick beurre blanc · Lemon and caper · Tomato, garlic and basil |
| Tofu, vegetables | Honey-soy · Balsamic · Tomato and basil |
The method they all share
- Take the meat out and put it on a plate. If there's a lot of fat, pour off the excess.
- Aromatics: shallot or garlic, 30 to 60 seconds on medium heat. Translucent, not black.
- Deglaze: wine, stock or water, scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon and reduce by about half.
- Finish off the heat: cold butter, cream or cheese, then the juices the meat left on the plate. Taste, salt at the end.
Alcohol always goes in with the pan off the heat: on a very hot pan, it can catch fire. Each step in detail — deglazing: a sauce in 30 seconds.
Two full recipes to start with
- Homemade peppercorn sauce, for a ribeye or a fillet.
- Shallot and red wine sauce, for beef and duck.
All ten, with quantities
The ten sauces in the chart, with quantities for two, the steps and a tip for each, are in the 10 pan sauces in 3 minutes booklet (PDF, English and French).
One condition for all of them: brown bits in the bottom of the pan. A non-stick leaves very few; stainless keeps them. The pan we film with is 304 stainless with no coating, with the 25-recipe book free.
