Chef Juliette
Sauce Bigarrade
Duck stock reduced dense, sharpened with an amber gastrique, then restored with orange, lemon, and fine blanched rind: Sauce Bigarrade teaches that clarity comes from balance, not sweetness.
Culinary Explorer
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Italian Sauce
Created by Chef Juliette
Sauce italienne proves a derivative sauce lives or dies by its foundations: dry duxelles, lean ham, and tomatoed demi-glace boiled together, then brightened with three herbs at the very last moment.
Sauces & Condiments
French
Weeknight
Dinner Party
10 min
Active Time
10 min cook•20 min total
YieldAbout 2 quarts
Sauce italienne (French tomatoed demi-glace with duxelles and ham) teaches the discipline of the derivative sauce. Its one true principle is simple: every flavor must sharpen the glaze, never cloud it. The duxelle must be dry, the cooked ham very lean and cut brunoise-fashion into tiny dice, and the herbs held until the final moment.
The original formula assumed a saucier with Ordinary or Dry Duxelle (No. 223) already prepared and a tomatoed half-glaze never far from the fire. At home, those foundations remain separate preparations, made ahead and brought together in one heavy saucepan. That brigade organization is scaffolding and can go. The ten-minute boil and last-second herb finish are the dish, so they stay exactly where the source puts them.
The source gives a compact service formula. This version multiplies its proportions fourfold to produce the requested home sauce yield of about two quarts, enough to portion and freeze, without changing the ratio or sequence. One cook, one stove, one evening. Keep the sauce moving during its ten-minute boil, because a concentrated glaze can catch quickly; if it does, ça se rattrape, and the rescue is waiting in the method.
Sauce italienne belongs to the French classical sauce system organized in the grand kitchens of Paris, where it developed as a derivative of tomatoed demi-glace rather than as an Italian regional sauce. Its name reflects the French canon's association of tomato, mushrooms, and fresh herbs with the Italian table, while lean ham gives the ordinary version its savory backbone. The source also preserves a Lenten form, omitting the ham and using a meatless Espagnole combined with fish fumet made from the fish the sauce accompanies.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
very lean cooked ham
Quantity
1½ cups (360 ml / 225 g)
cut brunoise-fashion into very small dice
half-glaze tomatée
Quantity
8 cups (1.9 L / 2 kg)
mixed fresh parsley, chervil, and tarragon
Quantity
4 teaspoons (20 ml / 5 g)
equal parts, finely minced
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Ordinary or Dry Duxelle (No. 223)finished and well drained | 1½ cups (360 ml / 320 g) |
| very lean cooked hamcut brunoise-fashion into very small dice | 1½ cups (360 ml / 225 g) |
| half-glaze tomatée | 8 cups (1.9 L / 2 kg) |
| mixed fresh parsley, chervil, and tarragonequal parts, finely minced | 4 teaspoons (20 ml / 5 g) |
Equipment Needed
- •5-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan
- •Sharp chef's knife
- •Heatproof spatula or flat-ended wooden spoon
Instructions
- 1
Prepare the fine cut
Cut the lean cooked ham brunoise-fashion, meaning into very small, even dice no larger than 3 mm. Trim away visible fat before cutting. The ham should season the sauce and disappear into its texture; large or fatty pieces interrupt the glaze and leave grease floating on its surface.
Cold ham cuts more cleanly than warm ham. Chill it first, use a sharp knife, and work in thin slices, then narrow strips, then tiny dice. - 2
Join the foundations
Put the Ordinary or Dry Duxelle (No. 223), diced ham, and half-glaze tomatée into a heavy 5-quart saucepan. Stir thoroughly over medium heat until the duxelle is evenly dispersed and the thick sauce begins bubbling across its whole surface. This is why the duxelle must already be dry: mushroom moisture would thin the glaze and make the flavors taste boiled rather than concentrated.
- 3
Boil for ten minutes
Adjust the heat to maintain a steady, controlled boil and cook for exactly 10 minutes, stirring across the bottom and into the corners every 20 to 30 seconds. The sauce is ready when the ham and mushrooms taste joined to the tomatoed glaze and the surface returns quickly after each stroke of the spoon. If it tightens before the time is up, lower the heat and loosen it with 2 to 4 tablespoons of hot water. If the bottom catches, stop stirring and pour the clean upper sauce into a fresh pan without scraping up the scorched layer. Ça se rattrape.
- 4
Finish with herbs
Take the pan off the heat. Fold in the finely minced parsley, chervil, and tarragon only at the moment of serving, then taste before considering any extra seasoning because the ham and half-glaze already carry salt. Do not boil the sauce after the herbs enter; their fresh lift is the final contrast to the dark glaze. Spoon the Sauce italienne into a warmed sauceboat or directly over the meat it accompanies. À table!
Chef Tips
- •Ordinary or Dry Duxelle (No. 223) means dry. If liquid gathers beneath it, drain it before measuring; that moisture would dilute the half-glaze and undo the preparation's purpose.
- •Choose a cooked ham with very little visible fat and no sweet glaze or smoke flavor. The classical formula wants quiet, savory depth, not a ham that announces itself before the sauce does.
- •Chervil is delicate and worth seeking here. If it is unavailable, use parsley and tarragon alone rather than replacing it with a forceful herb that changes the sauce's character.
- •For the Lenten form given by the source, omit the ham and replace the meat-based half-glaze with a meatless Espagnole combined with fish fumet made from the fish being served. This is a different foundation, not a casual omission.
- •Serve Sauce italienne with simply cooked veal, beef, poultry, or another preparation sturdy enough for its mushroom, ham, and tomatoed glaze. The sauce already has detail, so its companion needn't compete.
Advance Preparation
- •Prepare the Ordinary or Dry Duxelle (No. 223) up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate it in a covered container. Bring it directly from the cold to the saucepan when assembling the sauce.
- •The Sauce italienne can be cooked through the ten-minute boil up to 3 days ahead. Cool it promptly in shallow containers, cover, and refrigerate; reheat gently, loosening with a spoonful of hot water if necessary, then add the fresh herbs only at serving.
- •For longer storage, freeze the finished sauce before adding the herbs for up to 2 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator, reheat to a controlled boil, and complete it with freshly minced herbs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 63g)
Calories
80 calories
Total Fat
4 g
Saturated Fat
2 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
2 g
Cholesterol
15 mg
Sodium
380 mg
Total Carbohydrates
6 g
Dietary Fiber
1 g
Sugars
2 g
Protein
5 g
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