Just Cook It: The secret is in the sauce
I received a question from a reader who asked about creating the sauce for date and nut pudding, a steamed cake.
The reader said her latest attempt failed with making the sauce, which includes the ingredients: 2-3 tablespoons butter, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup milk and 1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in cold milk and 1 teaspoon of vanilla.
I’ve never made or tasted this sauce, so I will work with the information and recipe that was provided and explain how I would make the sauce.
If the recipe is accurate, then I’m very confident that I can explain the proper preparation. However if the recipe is the issue, more detective work to discover the true recipe may be needed.
The sauce itself does not seem to be overly complicated. Our objective is to combine the ingredients in such a way that they are all thoroughly combined and then add the slurry, or cornstarch dissolved in liquid, to thicken the sauce to the proper consistency. If I were preparing the sauce, I would probably strain it through a fine mesh strainer when it finishes cooking just to remove any possible lumps and ensure a smooth silky consistency.
One other important point to note before I get into the step-by-step procedure is the correct technique for preparing and using the slurry to thicken the sauce. The cornstarch will definitely need to be dissolved in some of the milk first. This will eliminate lumps in the final sauce.
Then whisk the slurry into the hot liquid to be sure that it is thoroughly combined. Occasionally stir the sauce as it slowly is brought to a boil. Anytime a slurry is used, it will never reach its full thickening potential until the liquid added to it comes to a boil.
Once it reaches a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, stir the sauce to avoid scorching, and allow the sauce to simmer for an additional two to three minutes. Cornstarch can leave a starchy film on your tongue if it is not cooked out properly, so the additional few minutes of simmering is crucial.
To make the sauce, I would first melt the butter and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until the brown sugar melts completely. I would then mix some of the milk with the cornstarch to dissolve the cornstarch and make the slurry. Then I would add the remaining milk and vanilla extract to the pan with the butter and brown sugar and whisk to thoroughly combine.
Bring the liquid to a simmer and then whisk the slurry into the sauce. Whisk the sauce occasionally and slowly bring it to a boil. When the sauce reaches a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer an additional two to three minutes.
At this point, I would make one slight modification to the recipe. I would add a pinch of sea salt to the sauce. It sounds crazy, but a pinch of salt to anything sweet really helps the flavors to pop. Just a pinch of salt will intensify the flavor without actually producing a taste of salt in the sauce.
Finally, I would strain the finished sauce through a fine mesh strainer to remove any possible lumps and then serve with the prepared cake.
One final thing to consider – if the after adding the slurry and bringing the sauce to a boil, it still looks thin, a little more slurry can always be added and the sauce can then return to a boil. Keep in mind that it’s very easy to add additional slurry and thicken the sauce more, but it is much more difficult to thin the sauce if too much slurry was initially added.
Mario Porreca of Belle Vernon is an entrepreneur, author, lifestyle solutions expert, and the host of Just Cook It Radio.
He can be reached via his website at: www.MarioPLS.com. Twitter: @MarioPorreca