Let's say you're having friend over for breakfast, or having a simple vegetable for lunch, and you want to impress them by making something French. Let's also say you don't have a lot of time and want to make something that is quick and easy but also is French. What would you make? You could do the same thing I did when I wanted to write a post about something I cooked but didn't have a lot of time to make something really time consuming. That's where "Sauce Parisiene" came in -- essentially it is a bechamel sauce (white sauce) enriched with egg yolks and cream. It was quick. It was easy. It was also pretty "blah" and seemed to be more good as a decoration rather than something that added a lot of flavor. Having made it once I wouldn't say I'd never make it again but I'd probably be a little heavier on the lemon juice and/or spices. I think I've gotten used to some of the really flavorful cream sauces lately. Well, it was pretty so here's the story.
The preparation was pretty straightforward. First I made a cup and a half of a basic bechamel sauce (a white sauce). To make it a thick sauce, the amount of butter was reduced a bit so that the ration this time was 3 tablespoons of flour and 2 1/2 tablespoons of butter (instead of the usual 3).
While the bechamel sauce was simmering, two egg yolks were mixed with a half cup of heavy cream in a mixing bowl. Time Out: I mentioned in yesterday's post that my sweetie is allergic to eggs and I'd come across a substitute -- that's what I did for this as well, and it worked well. I won't describe the whole egg substitute thing again today since you can look at yesterday's if interested. Time In: The egg/cream mixture then had a 1/2 cup of the hot bechamel sauce beat in just a couple of drops at a time and then the rest of the sauce was added in a slow stream and slowly beat in.
Adding the hot sauce to the egg/cream mixture is important to reduce the chance of the egg coagulating. I didn't have that problem at all because of the egg substitute I was using. After everything was mixed together, it all went back onto the stove over a high heat. It was beat constantly with my trusty wooden spoon for about a minute as it thickened. As a finishing touch, salt, pepper, and lemon juice were added to give it some flavor (hmmmm, it was still boring).
If real egg yolks were used, Julia suggested straining the sauce through a fine sieve because any bits of egg white would have formed little clumps -- not a problem I had to deal with. My sous chef, Kathryn, prepared some French Oeufs Brouilles Au Fromage (scrambled eggs with cheese) which was served over English Muffins (truly international fare). You can see in the photos below that the Sauce Parisiene did make the presentation a lot fancier and it did add a nice texture contrast to the toasted muffin and eggs.
Don't let me scare you away from this sauce. it has its place and it really wasn't bad. It just wasn't as flavorful of an addition as I was expecting. Easy to make, easy to serve, and it ade a simple breakfast a bit classier. It is a sauce that's recommended for use with eggs, fish, poultry, hot hors d'oeuvres, and gratineed dishes. Extra butter is added to the sauce when used for fished poached in white wine (grape juice for me!). See, there is a purpose for this sauce -- I supposed it is supposed to be a bit boring so it let's the other food shine through.
There you have it! Now you can invite some friends over -- well, wait until COVID-19 is gone, and impress them with a quick and simple French sauce!
Bon Appetit!
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