Don’t let their elegant fancy-restaurant flavors fool you. Pan sauces can spell survival for time-challenged cooks. They take about 17 minutes, start to finish, and that includes the time it takes to quickly sauté boneless beef, fish, pork or poultry. Made in the same pan, the sauce is dependent on the brown bits left behind, those caramelized drippings that the French dub the “fond.”

Liquid is added to lift the fond and it’s cooked down to concentrate the flavor. Often, but not always, a second liquid is added, and the volume is again reduced. Sometimes the sauce is finished with butter to thicken and enrich the mix. The process is speeded up by using medium-high to high heat throughout.

This Asian-themed pan sauce pairs beautifully spooned over sauteed fish fillets.

Asian-Themed Pan S

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