Sunday, October 19, 2008

Paul Gayler's Sauce Book


If you've been following this blog, you'll know that Paul Gayler is a favourite chef of mine, and this is his latest book. It's a collection of 300 sauces from around the world ranging from the classics (Hollandaise, Bearnaise) to the exotic (Nam Jim, Sambal Oelek) to dessert (Creme Anglaise, Butterscotch). Not all the sauces are vegetarian, but a large amount are and many of the others could be adapted.

I made the Sicilian Tomato Sauce which was fantastic. The flavour was so rich and deep, and it was perfect with spaghetti.

Many of the sauce recipes have suggestions on how to use them. One that took my eye was Skordalia, a sort of potato mayonnaise made with potatoes, olive oil, garlic and lemon juice. The recipe alongside, Roasted Beets with Rocket, Soft Egg and Skordalia, sounded interesting so I gave it a go. The results are pictured below, and it tasted pretty good.

The Sauce Book is excellent, well laid out with some great pictures and I expect it to be a constant reference and source of inspiration for me in the future.