Color and the 5 Basic Sauces

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Let  the Spoon Mage™ Help You Learn to create Mother Sauces!

Bechamel Sauce new Mother Sauce 101 copyColor and the Five Basic Sauces

Five sauces rule the kitchen – Béchamel, Velouté, Espagnole, Hollandaise, and Tomato. Fantastically named Mother Sauces, they form the swirling base or hefty ladle of deliciousness on top of your favorite meals.

Once you know what to look for, you’ll see Mother Sauces everywhere – in many recipes, on menus, and on cookery shows. It doesn’t take secret saucery incantations or an analysis of ancient texts to learn to identify them. The easiest way to find the big five is by mindfully considering their colors – white, light brown, deep brown, yellow, and red.

Pause a moment, breathe, and let your imagination stir up a little colorful saucy goodness.  Read More

Creating a Chiffonade

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Let the Spoon Mage™ show you how to create a Chiffonade!

sage chiffonade 3 WM Creating a Chiffonade

Alright everyone, let’s do the Chiffonade! No, it’s not the latest dance craze.

A chiffonade (pronounced shif-oh-nod) is an easy way to quickly slice herbs, leafy plants, and even tortillas into pretty slender ribbons.

It’s not just a decorative technique for turning herbs like sage and basil into a beautiful garnish.

It’s also a great way to prep large tough leaves like kale as it encourages them to cook up evenly and tender. Read More

Is it a Chile or a Chili?

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The Spoon Mage™ Explains the Difference Between Chile and Chili!

Chile Tree WM 500Chiles are peppers that grow on capsicum plants.

Chile flavors range from mild to very hot. Ancho and guajillo are two mild chiles. Chipotle and hot New Mexican are two very spicy chiles. Some chiles, like my favorite the Hatch Chile Pepper, come in both hot and mild! Tasty chiles can be used fresh or dried and ground. Use the Scoville Scale to help you select the right pepper for you. The higher the unit, the hotter the pepper! There are plenty of mild peppers to choose from, just look lower on the scale. Explore the varieties of peppers. They are not just about hot and mild. Each one brings its own special flavor to your mindful palate. Read More

Irish Soda Bread, plain

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Ingredients:

1 cups organic whole wheat flour
3 cups organic unbleached white flour
1 t salt
1 t baking soda
1 t sugar
2 cups buttermilk

Optional: 1 T caraway seeds, 1/2 cup raisins or currants

Spoon Mage™ Ingredients Note:

When using recipes that measure flour in cups instead of weight, always lightly spoon the Read More

Bechamel Sauce

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Bechamel WMBéchamel is a rich and creamy Mother Sauce made out of milk. It’s one of the five main source sauces from which other saucy recipes spring.

The smooth white sauce is begun by making a light or white roux – briefly cooking the flour and butter until the flour begins to cook. Warm or hot milk is carefully stirred into the roux (or vice versa in the traditional manner) to create the sauce.

Béchamel is then modified with seasonings or other elements such as cheese, onions, or shallots.

Once you know how to make a Basic Béchamel, you will recognize it in many dishes from au gratin potatoes to Alfredo. Add a little of this and a little of that to make the sauce sing. Read More

Roast Chicken with Lemon and Tarragon

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Ingredients:

1 whole Sunday Roaster chicken (approximately 6-7 lbs)
3 sprigs tarragon, divided use
1/4 t white pepper
1 lemon, Sliced into quarters
1 thick slice of onion, leave the skin on
2 T butter
Cracked black pepper
Coarsely ground Kosher salt
1 lemon, juiced
2 cups carrots, peeled and sliced on the diagonal
1 cup onions, sliced
2 cups chicken stock, low sodium Read More

Corn and Potato Chowder

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Ingredients:

8 thick strips meaty Applewood smoked bacon, cut to 1 inch lengths, trimmed of excess fat
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 T olive oil, if needed
1/4 cup fresh parsley, rinsed, dried, and chopped
2 (15 oz) cans creamed corn
2 (15 oz) cans sweet corn
6 cups red potatoes, skin on, chopped to large chunks
1 quart whole milk
4 cups chicken stock, unsalted
1 1/4 t thyme
8 drops Tabasco sauce
Fresh cracked black pepper to taste
Salt to taste
4 tablespoons butter, unsalted
4 tablespoons flour
1 pint heavy cream Read More