Regency Sauce

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •4-quart (3.8 L) heavy saucier or saucepan
• •Balloon whisk
• •Heatproof mixing bowl, for the fish variation
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Instant-read thermometer, for the fish variation

Instructions

1. 1

   Choose the foundation

   Choose one branch before beginning. For poultry, use the finished Allemande Sauce and poultry glaze. For fish, use the finished fish velouté, egg yolks, and fish essence. Both receive the full mushroom and truffle essences, but the two foundations are not interchangeable. Measure everything before heating; once the reduction reaches nappe, the finishing steps move quickly.

2. 2

   Concentrate the essences

   For poultry, combine all the Allemande Sauce with the mushroom and truffle essences in a heavy four-quart pan. For fish, reserve ½ cup of the fish velouté for the liaison, then combine the remaining velouté with the mushroom and truffle essences. Bring the chosen mixture to one controlled boil over medium heat while whisking across the pan floor, then immediately lower it to the barest simmer. Reduce gently for 8 to 12 minutes, until the sauce falls from the whisk in a broad glossy ribbon and coats a spoon without running off at once. If it tightens too soon, pull it from the heat and whisk in hot water one tablespoon at a time. If it begins to catch, pour the upper sauce into a clean pan immediately and leave the browned layer behind.

   The source says to boil the sauce, but this means one clean rise followed by controlled reduction. A rolling boil drives off the mushroom and truffle fragrance before their flavor has settled into the foundation.
3. 3

   Finish the poultry sauce

   For the poultry variation, whisk the poultry glaze into the reduced Allemande mixture. Hold it over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, whisking until the glaze has disappeared into the sauce and the color deepens from ivory to warm beige. Do not reduce aggressively after the glaze enters; it is already concentrated, and a hard boil can make the sauce heavy and salty. The finished Sauce Régence should nappe the spoon but still pour in a generous ribbon. Proceed to the holding step.

4. 4

   Build the fish liaison

   For the fish variation, whisk six egg yolks with the reserved ½ cup of cool fish velouté in a heatproof bowl. Whisk in two ladlefuls of the hot reduced sauce, one at a time, then slowly whisk in another two cups. Return this tempered liaison to the saucepan over low heat. Whisk without stopping until the sauce reaches 71 to 74°C (160 to 165°F), thickens slightly, and returns to nappe. Never let it boil after the yolks enter. If tiny curds appear, remove the pan from the heat and pass the sauce through a fine sieve at once. If it separates more seriously, whisk the optional extra yolk with one tablespoon of cold fish essence in a clean bowl, then rebuild the strained sauce into it a ladleful at a time. Ça se rattrape.

   A thermometer lowers the pulse, but the spoon tells the same truth: draw a finger through the coating on its back, and the line should remain clean.
5. 5

   Complete the fish sauce

   Whisk the fish essence into the finished fish liaison in two or three additions over the gentlest heat. The source deliberately leaves this quantity to judgment, so treat the measured ½ cup as a ceiling. Stop when the sauce tastes distinctly of fish beneath the mushroom and truffle, before the added liquid thins its body. Warm it only long enough to restore nappe, never to a boil.

6. 6

   Hold and serve

   If the sauce is already perfectly smooth, straining it again is brigade scaffolding and can go. Otherwise, pass it through a fine sieve into a clean pan. Hold the Sauce Régence covered in a bain-marie (warm water bath) at 60 to 65°C (140 to 150°F) for no longer than 30 minutes, whisking occasionally. If a skin forms, whisk it back in gently; if the sauce tightens, loosen it with a spoonful of hot water. Spoon the poultry variation over roasted or poached poultry, or the fish variation over simply cooked firm white fish. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Use true mushroom essence and truffle essence, meaning concentrated cooking liquors with depth, not flavored oils. Preserved truffle juice is an honest modern source when bottled essence is unavailable; truffle oil is perfume without the body this sauce expects.
• •Poultry glaze means concentrated poultry juices, not beef demi-glace. Beef changes the sauce's foundation and muddies the clean poultry flavor the source protects.
• •The fish essence should taste concentrated and clean, never merely salty. Add it gradually because the source leaves the finishing amount to the saucier's judgment, and different preparations vary enormously in strength.
• •Allow 2 to 3 tablespoons (30 to 45 ml) per plate. The sauce is concentrated, and it should cloak the poultry or fish rather than bury it.
• •A white Burgundy has enough body for either variation and enough freshness to keep mushroom, truffle, and yolk from feeling ponderous. Cooking well is not cooking fancy; a properly roasted chicken underneath is magnificent.

Advance Preparation

• •The finished Allemande Sauce, fish velouté, essences, and glaze may be prepared ahead according to their own recipes, chilled separately, and measured before service.
• •The poultry variation can be assembled one day ahead. Cool it promptly in a shallow container, cover, refrigerate, and reheat over low heat while whisking. Loosen it with hot water if it has tightened.
• •For the fish variation, reduce the fish velouté with the mushroom and truffle essences earlier in the day, then chill it. Reheat gently and add the yolk liaison and fish essence shortly before serving.
• •Do not freeze the finished sauce. The egg liaison can split after thawing, and the truffle fragrance loses its clarity.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 60g)