thefoodlessprocessed

“Most of the cold sauces…are very highly flavored and seasoned. Acids such as vinegar and lemon juice, also herbs, capers and mustard are commonly used ingredients.” Louis Diat from French Cooking for Americans (1946).

Sauce tartare is a “sauce derivées de mayonnaise” — a derivative sauce–or secondary sauce made by modifying a base sauce. In this case mayonnaise is the base and ingredients are blended in without cooking. French and other European cuisines include numerous cold sauces derived from mayonnaise. Other traditional ones, besides tartar sauce, are rémoulade, aïoli, cocktail and sauce verte (green sauce).

Once the mayonnaise is prepared, any of these sauces can be finished in a few minutes. Tartar Sauce illustrates this well.

The less processed ingredient options include: Cornichons, Capers and Parsley.

Ingredients

• a recipe of Homemade Mayonnaise
• about 1 Tablespoon of finely chopped Yellow Onion
• 3 Tablespoons of Capers, finely chopped
• about 3 Tablespoons of Cornichons, finely chopped
• about 3 Tablespoons of Fresh Italian Flat-Leaf Parsley, finely chopped
• about 1/2 teaspoon of Dried Tarragon
• about 1 teaspoon of Lemon Juice
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Making Tartar Sauce

• Having made the mayonnaise, stir into it the finely chopped onion, cornichons, capers and parsley. Add the tarragon and the lemon juice. Finish with some freshly ground black pepper.

Note: Tartar sauce made with a thoroughly emulsified mayonnaise may be stored in a glass jar in the refrigerator. Plastic wrap pressed down on the surface of the sauce will help preserve it. If it is used cold, straight from the refrigerator, it will not separate. It will remain thick. Stirring it gently will not break up the emulsion, but vigorous whisking may do. Many cooks advise not refrigerating at all, but, instead, placing it in a sealed container in a cool place. This works well if there is a cool place and if the sauce will be used within a few hours. Longer storage at room temperature depends on the specific conditions.