Pepper sauce is one of the most favorite condiments or toppings for steaks, roasted chicken and even for grilled vegetables. It’s creamy, peppery and extremely savory. No wonder, a lot of foodies are hooked with it.
Skip the store-bought and ready-made pepper sauce and try making some of your own at home. Here’s how you can make a good pepper sauce:
Making Pepper Sauce
Ingredients:
40 grams of unsalted butter
- 40 grams of wheat flour
- 230 ml of milk or almond milk
- 130 ml of chicken/beef stock
- 1 tbsp. white wine
- 20 grams of crushed peppercorns
- Pinch of salt to taste
Instructions:
- The first step is to grab your black peppercorns and crush it. You can do it manually by using a mortar and pestle. Pound it until the pepper is in powder form.
- You can also use a food processor or coffee grinder to grind the peppers.
- Another technique is to place the peppercorns inside a ziplock bag and grind it with a rolling pin. Set aside after grinding.
- Get a medium sized pan and start heating the butter to melt over low heat.
- Once the butter has completely melted, start adding the flour in small batches. Mix well every time you’re adding the flour to the butter to achieve a perfect creamy paste. Use a whisk or fork to mix the flour and butter.
- Once the flour and butter is well combined, cook it for about 3 minutes over low heat. Stir it occasionally to avoid it from getting hard.
- Then, start adding the white wine and mix well in the mixture. Turn up the heat to medium so the alcohol will evaporate and the sweetness of the wine will remain.
- Start adding the milk into the mixture and combine well. Whisk the mixture while slowly adding the milk to avoid any lumps in the sauce. Keep the heat at medium so it will evenly cook.
- Once the milk starts simmering, start adding the rest of the ingredients: stock, crushed peppers and salt. Mix well until it’s well combined. Cook for about 5 minutes with occasional stirring.
- Serve hot over a steak, roasted chicken or any grilled meats.
Storing the Pepper Sauce
- To keep the pepper sauce warm throughout the meal, you can place it in a foil plate and keep it warm in the oven at 50 degrees celsius for a maximum of two hours. Don’t store it more than that or the sauce will change its quality.
- For leftovers, you can store it in a tupperware or airtight jar. Chill it in the fridge for at least two days maximum. The pepper sauce has milk in it so it’s best to consume it immediately since dairy has a tendency to rot faster.
- Reheat the sauce only once after taking it out from the fridge. Reheating the sauce multiple times will encourage bacteria to form due to changes of temperature. Make sure to heat it once and then consume immediately.
David Nilsen is the former editor of Fourth & Sycamore. He is a member of the National Book Critics Circle. You can find more of his writing on his website at davidnilsenwriter.com and follow him on Twitter as @NilsenDavid.