1 Universal sauce
To make a universal sauce to go with poultry:
Combine zest and juice 1 orange with 1 tsp ground ginger, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, ¼ cup port and 1 can drained pitted cherries (reserve the juice).
Heat gently and simmer for 2-3 minutes then thicken with 1 Tbsp cornflour mixed with 2 Tbsp reserved cherry juice.
Cook for 1 more minute until the sauce thickens; adjust thickness by adding more cherry juice if needed, and sweeten with a little brown sugar if desired.
2 Festive apple sauce
A festive twist on the classic apple, this sauce is super easy and goes wonderfully with pork.
Combine 320g jar apple purée with ¼ cup maple syrup and 1/3 cup water in a small saucepan.
Season with salt and pepper and simmer gently until it reaches a sauce-like consistency.
3 Balsamic glaze
More intense but less sharp than balsamic vinegar, balsamic glaze is excellent served with most meats (particularly beef), drizzled over salads, or as a dipping sauce or an elegant dinner-party drizzling sauce, adding a MasterChef touch to your plates.
In a small saucepan combine ½ cup balsamic vinegar with 1 Tbsp firmly packed brown sugar and simmer gently for around 5 minutes until slightly thickened.
The glaze will become more syrupy as it cools. Balsamic glaze can be stored in the fridge for several weeks.
4 All-purpose sauce
Need one quick, easy sauce to rule them all? This Christmas sauce goes with everything from goose to gorgonzola and can be whipped up in a jiffy.
Simmer 2 cups frozen cranberries in a small saucepan with 350ml spicy plum sauce, zest and juice 1 orange and ¼ cup sugar.
It’s pretty, tasty and, most importantly, easy!
Feature image photography by: Angie Humphreys. Additional photography by: Ben Dearnley/bauersyndication.com.au
