296710 Wed Apr 07 11:54:58 -0700 2004 5 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1635234 Question about rose sauce, I love it but it is not available in all restaurants. So I want to make my own. Is it just a matter of adding heavy cream into marinara or store-bought pasta sauce? Also, would it freeze well? Wed Apr 07 11:54:58 -0700 2004 0 Cecilia 1 1635254 A French version of the sauce you want is called Sauce Aurore. It's not quite the same as tomato sauce with cream--it's a veloute sauce (variation on a white sauce) with tomato puree and butter added. I have appended a recipe below. The original has you making your own tomato puree and stock, but I don't bother. I have included the recipe for the tomato puree if you want to go that far. Even using shortcuts, it still comes out great--I love it over tortellini. Light Tomato Sauce (Sauce Aurore) From LaVarenne’s Basic French Cookery by Anne Willan (H. P. Books, 1980) About 1+1/4 cups Sauce Aurore refers to the dawn and this sauce has a light rosy tint. 1/4 cup strained Stewed Tomatoes (below) OR 2 tsp. Tomato Paste 1 cup Velouté Sauce (below) Salt and Pepper, if desired 2 tbsp. Butter Prepared stewed tomatoes, if using. If you substitute tomato paste for stewed tomatoes, the sauce will have a less delicate flavour. Whisk stewed tomatoes or tomato paste into Velouté Sauce. Simmer until hot. Taste for seasoning. Add salt and pepper, if desired. Remove from heat and stir in butter. Sauce Aurore may be made 2 to 3 days ahead, covered and refrigerated or frozen before butter is added. Add butter to reheated sauce just before serving. Velouté Sauce (Sauce Velouté) From LaVarenne’s Basic French Cookery by Anne Willan (H. P. Books, 1980) About 1 cup One of the five basic sauces. Cream is added if it is to be served with veal, poultry, or fish. 1+1/4 to 2 cups Veal, Chicken, or Fish Stock (Broth) (Use low-salt canned broth if you don’t have any homemade stock.) 1+1/2 tbsp. Butter 1+1/2 tbsp. All-Purpose Flour Salt and Pepper If the stock you have is not very flavourful (canned usually isn’t), boil 2 cups stock in a medium saucepan until reduced to 1+1/4 cups, concentrating the flavour. Bring the stock to a boil. Melt the butter in a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Whisk in flour. Cook over low heat, 1 to 2 minutes, until mixture foams but doesn’t brown. Cool. Gradually whisk in hot stock. Bring sauce to a boil, whisking constantly. Season lightly; the flavour will concentrate as the sauce simmers. Reduce heat. Simmer 5 to 10 minutes, skimming and whisking occasionally (if necessary), until the sauce has the desired consistency. Taste for seasoning. Add salt and pepper, if desired. Sauce Velouté can be made 2 to 3 days ahead, covered, and refrigerated or frozen. Variations: Creamy Velouté (Velouté à la Crème) Gradually stir 2 to 3 tablespoons of whipping cream into simmering sauce. Chicken and Mushroom Sauce (Sauce Suprême) Add 1/4 cup chopped mushroom stems to butter mixture with stock. After simmering to desired consistency, strain sauce. Gradually stir in 1/4 cup whipping cream. Return to heat and simmer again to desired consistency. Remove from heat. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Stir in 1 tablespoon of butter. Serve with poultry. Sauce Suprême can be made 2 to 3 days ahead and refrigerated. It can be frozen before butter is added. Add butter to reheated sauce just before serving. Stewed Tomatoes From LaVarenne’s Basic French Cookery by Anne Willan (H. P. Books, 1980) 1+1/2 tsp. Vegetable Oil 1/2 Shallot or Small Onion, finely chopped 1/2 lb (227 g) Fresh Tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped 1 small Bouquet Garni (below) Salt and Pepper to taste Peel tomatoes by immersing in boiling water for 2 minutes, then immersing in cold water. Skins should be easily pulled off. If not, repeat operation. Seed tomatoes by cutting in half crosswise, then squeezing over a bowl. Heat oil in a medium skillet. Add shallot or onion. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until soft but not browned. Add remaining ingredients. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, 20 to 30 minutes—until nearly all the moisture has evaporated. Taste for seasoning. Bouquet Garni In a square of double-thickness cheesecloth, place the following: 2 Stalks Celery, cut in 1/2-inch (1.25-cm) lengths (or use a handful of Fresh Lovage or Celery Leaves or 1 tsp. Celery Seed--not Celery Salt) 2 sprigs Fresh Thyme or 1 tsp. Dried Thyme 4 sprigs Fresh Basil or 1 tbsp. Dried Basil 4 sprigs Fresh Parsley 2 Bay Leaves 10 Whole Black Peppercorns Pick up the four corners of the cloth and bring together to form a little bag. Fasten tightly with a piece of string or an elastic band. Feel free to add to or change this list of herbs and spices to suit your taste. Wed Apr 07 15:06:57 -0700 2004 1635234 0 Colleen 2 1635264 "But does Anne Willan have a pallet?" : - D Wed Apr 07 16:31:07 -0700 2004 1635254 0 Kirk 3 1635274 *Snort* VERY nice--I'd forgotten that remark. Evidently you don't need an educated palate to write a classic book on french cooking. :-D In unearthing that quote, you've found one of my pet peeves--spelling errors of context. I really wish people would learn the difference between palate (part of the mouth) palette (board on which painter places his/her paints) and pallet (wooden platform for loading). I'm going to be snickering, off and on, for a while. Wed Apr 07 17:06:38 -0700 2004 1635264 0 Colleen 4 1635286 Yes, I found the original error quite amusing as well. Wed Apr 07 21:17:14 -0700 2004 1635274 0 Kirk 1 1635288 I've always liked adding a bit of yogurt cheese to marinara sauce . . . not gourmet, but easy and yummy. Wed Apr 07 21:25:32 -0700 2004 1635234 0 Kasy