Buccaneer's Sauce
A pirate-named sauce: butter, garlic, lemon and a generous splash of rum.
Overview
A sophisticated sweet-savoury sauce combining tart raspberry vinegar with tropical banana sweetness. The warm ginger spice and velvety veal stock base create an unusual, adventurous accompaniment perfect for roasted game and poultry.
Ingredients
Base
- 50 grams butter (at room temperature)
- 50 grams butter (chilled and diced)
Aromatics & vegetables
- 60 grams shallots (thinly sliced)
- 40 grams ginger (peeled and finely grated)
- 100 grams banana (peeled and sliced)
Liquid
- 6 tablespoons raspberry vinegar
- 400 ml Veal stock
- salt
- pepper
Method
Stage 1 - Cook aromatics
- Melt the non-chilled butter in a saucepan. Add the sliced shallots and sweat over a medium heat for 1 minute.
- Add the ginger and cook, stirring, until the shallots are very lightly coloured.
Stage 2 - Add & cook banana
- Add the banana and cook, stirring with a spatula, over a low heat for 2 minutes until it softens and begins to disintegrate.
Stage 3 - Deglaze & reduce
- Immediately add the raspberry vinegar and continue to stir over a medium heat for another 2 minutes.
- Add the veal stock and simmer gently for 20 minutes, then pass through a fine-meshed sieve into a clean pan.
Stage 4 - Finish
- Whisk in the remaining butter, a piece at a time, until the sauce is smooth and glossy.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve at once.
Notes
- Banana disintegration: The banana should almost completely break down into the sauce, creating body rather than remaining as identifiable pieces.
- Ginger freshness: Use fresh ginger, not dried powder; fresh provides better flavour and prevents grittiness.
- Raspberry vinegar quality: Use good vinegar; cheap vinegar will create thin, acidic sauce lacking complexity.
Serving
Serve immediately with roasted game (venison, pheasant, duck), pork, or veal. The exotic flavours complement rich meats beautifully.
Storage
- Best eaten immediately after preparation.
- Keeps refrigerated for 1 day; reheat gently, stirring constantly to prevent emulsion breaking.
- Does not freeze well due to butter emulsion and banana content.
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