Friday, December 5, 2008

Dijon Mustard Cream Sauce

Ho, ho, ho!!!

The Thanksgiving hangover has finally cleared, but the Christmas headaches are only just beginning. Now that they have some more of your money, the bank wants to move into your house. Your boss, if you still have one, is after you to cover the work of the three people you just laid off, and the kids are screaming for the latest XBox720PS4000Wii2.0 with the kung-fu grip.

Ho, ho, ho!!!

Look on the bright side, gas is cheap, so you can afford a little food again. As far as your job goes, well, keep your head low and your rear end lower and you might not get hit. The kids? The best thing you can do is tell them that it's time to grow up and learn about imagination. So here's a stick, pretend it's a magic wand instead of a game controller.

I know, I know, ho, ho ho.

To help out I'm going to be posting a lot of sauces and slow cooker recipes. Slow cookers and braising are great ways to turn "more economical cuts", (i.e., tougher), into great meals. A good sauce can not only provide great flavor, but it will cover up the whip marks where the jockey beat your latest steak. So here's a very simple and inexpensive recipe for a Dijon cream sauce. This will work with beef (pictured here), boneless, skinless chicken breasts and pork chops. So, hop on Santa's lap and ask for...


Dijon Mustard Cream Sauce
from any Steak Au Poivre recipe you ever read

Approximately 4 servings

1/2 TBSP Olive Oil
1/2 cup minced shallots
1 garlic clove minced
1 cup canned beef broth
1/3 cup whipping cream
1/3 cup brandy or cognac (optional)
2 TBSP Creamy Dijon Mustard
Salt & Pepper to taste

In a medium skillet heat the olive oil on high. When hot add the shallots and garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Turn heat to medium high. Stir in broth, cream, then the brandy and 2 tablespoons of mustard. Simmer until thickened. Season to taste. Serve over your main course.


Wow, that may be the shortest recipe yet. If you make a steak or chops in a saute pan, use the same pan to prepare the sauce, (while you meats are resting). This will allow you to scrape up any brown bits and save on clean up.

OK crablings, I'm off to think of some slow cooker/braising recipes. Until next time, remember, you can do it, you can cook.



1 comment:

WineWizardBob said...

I love this sauce. Serve your favorite red wine, just about all of them should work. If you want to be fussy, use Pinot Noir since that is the grape of Burgundy and the capital of Burgundy is Dijon.

Did you know that the demand for Dijon mustard is so large that most of the mustard seed is imported from Canada into Dijon?