Orange Butter Sauce
A lovely rich, tangy sauce to serve with crêpes , a warm plum tart or a chocolate soufflé. A few drops of Grand Marnier can be added for extra warmth.
Overview
A luxurious warm sauce combining fresh orange juice reduced to concentrate with silky butter. The result is glossy, bright, and intensely citrus, the perfect foil to rich desserts, chocolate, or delicate pastries. Restaurant-quality elegance in minutes.
Ingredients
- 6 oranges (juice)
- 100 grams icing sugar
- 125 grams butter (softened)
Method
- Strain the orange juice through a conical sieve into a heavy-based saucepan and add the icing sugar.
- Slowly bring to the boil and let bubble over a medium heat until reduced by half.
- Turn off the heat and whisk in the softened butter, a little at a time.
- Serve the sauce at room temperature.
Notes
- Orange juice: Use freshly squeezed juice from ripe oranges; bottled juice cannot replicate the brightness.
- Reduction: Cooking to half-volume concentrates flavor and creates the right consistency for whisking in butter.
- Butter incorporation: Remove from heat before whisking butter, too much heat will break the emulsion.
- Grand Marnier: Optional but highly recommended for warming spice and extra depth.
Serving
Serve with: Crêpes, warm tarts, chocolate soufflés, or poached fruits Drizzle on: Warm plates for best flavor delivery
Storage
- Best served warm or at room temperature immediately
- Keeps 1-2 days refrigerated; reheat gently over low heat, whisking constantly
- Cannot be frozen as butter separates upon thawing
- Sauce will thicken as it cools; thin with a touch of orange juice if needed
Recipes mentioned here
Chocolate Soufflé
A rich and airy chocolate soufflé that rises dramatically in the oven, creating a show-stopping dessert with a molten chocolate center. This classic French preparation requires precision timing and technique, but rewards you with an elegant and impressive dessert that looks far more complicated than it actually is.
Crêpes
Classic French crèpes: delicate, tissue-thin pancakes with a tender crumb and subtle vanilla flavor, serving as the foundation for infinite sweet and savory variations. These timeless crèpes are fundamental to French cuisine yet require precision and practice to master, rewarding with elegant, versatile results.
More like this
Akuri (Indian Spicy Scrambled Eggs)
Silky scrambled eggs infused with warm spices and fresh aromatics. The turmeric adds a earthy golden color while ginger and chilli provide warmth and complexity. Served with fresh coriander, this makes an excellent quick snack, elegant starter, or gourmet canapé topping.
Arroz de Coco
The rice toasts briefly in oil with a chopped onion (optional), then cooks absorption-style in a mixture of coconut milk and water. Covered, undisturbed, 18 minutes; rest for 5 minutes covered off the heat; fluff with a fork. The coconut milk gives a soft sheen and a slight sweetness that balances the heat of piri-piri.
Bananas Foster
Brown sugar and butter melt in a wide pan; bananas split lengthwise then halved go in cut-side down; cinnamon and a splash of banana liqueur (or extra rum) join. Dark rum pours in and flames briefly, until burnt off. The pan-syrup, slightly thickened, spoons over generous scoops of vanilla ice cream.
Blue Corn Mush
Cold water and a pinch of baking soda (standing in for juniper ash, the ash's alkali helps the corn release niacin and keeps the colour blue rather than grey) come to a simmer. Blue cornmeal whisks in steadily as the heat continues. The mush thickens over 10 minutes of stirring; salt seasons; it cooks another 3 minutes to lose any raw-flour edge. Served in bowls with honey or maple, toasted piñon nuts (or pumpkin seeds), dried cranberries or blueberries, and a splash of cream.