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Cooking in a pan with a wooden spoon

14 min read

Five Essential Sauces

Master these five sauces and you can dress up almost any plate: vinaigrette, pan sauce, pesto, hollandaise, and marinara.

Key steps

  1. 1

    Vinaigrette: three parts oil to one part acid, emulsified with a dab of mustard.

  2. 2

    Pan sauce: deglaze the fond with wine or stock, reduce, and mount with cold butter.

  3. 3

    Pesto: basil, pine nuts, garlic, parmesan, and olive oil — no cooking required.

  4. 4

    Hollandaise: whisk egg yolks over gentle heat, then drizzle in warm butter slowly.