Bleu Cheese Sauce ‡

You can’t imagine how good this recipe is just by reading its ingredients! I first made this sauce as an accompaniment to my Chicken Charred, Chard, and Bleu recipe appearing elsewhere among these pages†. I put the remaining portion after that meal into the refrigerator, to be used in breakfast targets of opportunity, of which it found many before depletion. I have made it many times since, always with enjoyable results, both for the primary reason it was produced, as well as for its after life. Any leftover portion stored in the refrigerator will keep for at least a week (I can only guess, as the record so far has been only 4 days). The amount of bleu cheese you use is up to your taste. I have made it with amounts varying from 3 to 8 ounces, depending on what its intended application was, and each time with wonderful result. I tend to think “The bleuer* the better!”

I called it “bleu” because that’s what it said on the product label in my supermarket. If I hadn’t noted this in my jotted scribbled note, I would have called it “blue”, especially if it had been Iowa-made Maytag Blue.

  • 1/3 cup white wine
  • 1 tbsp corn starch
  • ½ cup nonfat sour cream
  • ½ cup nonfat cream cheese
  • 3–8 oz bleu cheese

Mix all ingredients in a small sauce pan, bring to a low simmer, whisking all the while until a smooth, lump-free mixture results. Continue to simmer until the corn starch has thickened and no starchy taste remains. Use immediately.

Escapade Sauce

This recipe is really just a caper* sauce that has been “kicked up a notch,” to quote a well-known Food Channel Chef. The kicking, in this case, removes as much salt and saturated fat as is practical. It goes well with fish and pork, and, when used in concert with That’s a Mornay sauce †, makes a very tasty Lobster Farewell †.
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 shallot, minced
  • 1 tbsp <butter>
  • ¼ cup fat free sour cream
  • ¼ tsp fresh ground black pepper
  • 2 tsp capers, drained
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • ¼ cup dry white wine
  • 1 tsp cornstarch

Sauté the garlic and shallot in the <butter> until soft, but not darkened. Add sour cream, pepper, capers, and lemon juice. Mix the cornstarch with the wine and add it to the other ingredients. Bring to a simmer and stir until the sauce thickens. Add more cornstarch if the mixture seems too thin, or add more wine if too thick. Continue to simmer for another 5 minutes, stirring constantly, to meld the flavors.