Super-Fancy (Make Ahead!) Dinner Party Sauce

Guest blog by Katie Fox
October 11, 2013

Katie Fox is Director of Theatre Operations for Harbison Theatre at Midlands Technical College, where she hand-picks eleven shows per year for the 400-seat venue’s Signature Season. The next show, on Friday, October 18, 2013, is Philadelphia, PA-based contemporary dance company, Brian Sanders’ JUNK, known for their inventive use of props and humor.  During the rare moments when she is not at the theatre, Fox enjoys cooking, all things cheese, and serving as the co-chair for TEDxColumbiaSC.

Hearing that I manage a performing arts center, you might not be surprised to learn that I love to entertain.  I work many nights and weekends, but when I have a chance I love to open the door for friends and share one of my favorite pasttimes – eating.

Right, so I love to have people over but I hardly ever have time to prepare a fancy, multi-step meal that reflects the high esteem in which I hold my guests – especially as my ‘nights off’ are usually right in the middle of the regular work week.  Enter Kitchen Sink Sauce, stage right.

Kitchen Sink Sauce is not an original recipe. I stole it from a pal in graduate school (he was a fancy guy, so I’m guessing this might come from Saveur or Bon Appetit or some equally impressive publication).  
Here are the reasons I love it:

1.     It is delicious.
2.    The hands-on prep time is under 10 minutes.
3.    You can make it ahead, and it stores in the refrigerator for months, allowing you to fix a simple meal on a weeknight that then gets ultra-fancified with the addition of the reheated sauce.
4.    One batch of this beauty will cover at least three meals for four people each. 

Here’s what you’ll need:

Whoa!  I know – that looks like a ton of ingredients.  Don’t worry – chances are you already have most of it on hand, especially if you like to cook.  The big ingredient list is where it gets its name.

1 T extra virgin olive oil
2 shallots, roughly chopped
2 cloves of garlic, thickly sliced
¾ c balsamic vinegar
½ c apple cider
½ c red wine
3 T low sodium soy sauce
2 c brown sugar
1 bay leaf
2 t green peppercorns
1 c plum or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 red pepper, roughly chopped
1.5 oz bourbon

And here’s what you’ll do on a day when you’ll be home for two hours:
Warm the oil on medium low heat.

Add the shallots and keep them moving while they turn translucent.

Add the garlic and keep the whole party moving in that pot.  Nobody likes burned garlic.  This whole activity will only take about three minutes.

Then add everything else in any order, though some wet ingredients should go in before the sugar.

Now you wait while this bad boy reduces by half, about 45 minutes.
When it’s halved, pour the sauce through the strainer and into the storage container, pressing into the sludgey aftermath to squeeze out absolutely every drop of deliciousness.  Add the bourbon straight into the container – it will bubble up briefly while the heat makes the alcohol evaporate. 

Let the sauce cool before popping it into the fridge.  To reheat, just scoop out a couple of table spoons (that won’t look like enough, but trust me) and put it in your smallest sauce pan on low heat.  Swirl it around in there for a couple of minutes, and then drizzle it over whatever quick but impressive main dish you’re serving your guests.  I love this sauce over salmon, but it’s fantastic over pork, too.  Truthfully, it’s probably good on ice cream, and maybe on an old shoe.  I’ve yet to meet a guest who doesn’t end up pouring it over every item on their plate. 

 

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