A sumptuous roast duck dinner can now be served at home whenever you like—with Splash! Reduction Sauce and Maple Leaf Farms Cooked Duck. Photo by Costin Tuta | IST.
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KRIS PRASAD is Wine Editor of THE NIBBLE.
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August 2008 |
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Club Sauce’s Pomegranate-Based Reduction Sauces Make A Splash!
Page 1: Reduction Sauce Overview
CAPSULE REPORT: A good sauce takes an everyday piece of protein (or even an overcooked one) and turns it into a special meal. The Splash! line of pomegranate reduction sauces delivers a professional-quality sauce with sweet-tart flavors that are delicious with chicken, duck, lamb, pork and seafood...and much more. The line is fat free, sodium free and gluten free. This is Page 1 of a of a three-page article. Click on the black links below to see other pages.
Introduction
Pomegranate, the unusual fruit that originated in Persia, is widely used for cooking in the Middle East and Mediterranean countries like Greece. It has been a flavor darling in the U.S. specialty food market for several years, appearing in everything from mustard to ice cream, and a proliferation of pomegranate juice brands (see our review of the best) have put pomegranate within reach of everyone. It’s possible to buy bags of arils (the juice sack in which the seed rests) and avoid having to deal with the cumbersome fruit altogether, and use the juice for everything from sorbet to fruit soup. Now, products like Club Sauce’s Splash! pomegranate reduction sauces, make cooking with pomegranate a snap. While it’s possible to reduce pomegranate juice to a sauce, Club Sauce’s approach, based on a centuries-old Middle Eastern pomegranate molasses recipe, makes something much more interesting.
There are no sugars or sweeteners added to this line; ruby red pomegranate molasses is combined with different types of wine and berry essences, then micro-brewed in small batches and slowly reduced in special kettles. It only takes a splash (hence the name) to add rich and complex flavor to recipes, from breakfast to dinner to cocktails and dessert.
About Reduction Sauce
A reduction sauce is one where a liquid has been reduced by half, and is one of the easiest sauces to make. The liquid can be just about anything but is usually a wine or a stock added to the juices and pan scrapings from whatever has just been  cooked—meat, poultry or vegetables—as the base. The protein (or vegetable) is removed from the pan, and a liquid(s) such as wine, vermouth, milk, cream, stock, balsamic vinegar or juice (including apple juice, lemon juice, grape juice, prune juice or verjus) or white wine vinegar. Other ingredients, including herbs, shallots and seasonings, are added later, but the first step is to add twice as much liquid as you want to end up with as sauce, and then reduce the sauce by boiling (you need two cups of stock or cream to end up with one cup of sauce, for example).
Photo: You can do all the work...or buy Club Sauce’s Splash!
Evaporating the excess liquid reduces it into a thicker consistency with a more intense flavor. The sauce can be thickened with flour (before the reduction) or cornstarch, butter, cream, extra-virgin olive oil or tomato paste (after the reduction). This technique creates many different types of sauce. If you’re going to do it yourself, remember that everything must be top quality, because reduction concentrates all of the flavors. Cheap wine or salty canned supermarket stock (or bouillon cubes) does not stand up well in a reduction sauce.
While many cooks love the task of deglazing the pan and making a reduction, others don’t have the time or inclination to reduce. For them, there’s Club Sauce’s Splash! Not only will it dazzle-up the duck; you can enjoy it on oatmeal, in salad dressing, on grilled fruit and cheesecake...even in a martini.
Continue To Page 2: Flavors & Serving Suggestions
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