Chili-Corn Sauce
Submitted by chefdad
A refined chili-corn sauce built on seared beef, vermouth, reduced veal stock, and cream with fresh corn kernels. Restaurant-caliber technique for elevating grilled meats, roasted poultry, or pan-seared fish.
YIELD
1 recipePREP
20 minCOOK
40 minREADY
1 hrsThis is not your weeknight chili sauce. This is the one a chef would drizzle across a plate in a New York dining room.
Beef cubes get seared until deeply browned, then tossed with chili powder and deglazed with dry vermouth. Veal stock goes in next, along with the stripped corn cobs themselves, which simmer away and release their starchy sweetness into the liquid. The whole thing reduces until syrupy, cream gets stirred in, and the sauce is strained to silk.
Fresh corn kernels and finely diced peppers are folded in at the end for texture and color.
Chef Tips
- Simmer the corn cobs in the stock. They release natural starch and a subtle sweetness that no amount of kernels alone can replicate.
- Reduce the stock until it coats the back of a spoon before adding cream. Rushing this step means a thin, watery sauce.
- Skim the surface frequently as the stock reduces. A clean sauce has no greasy film.
- Strain half the mixture to get a smooth base, then fold in the diced vegetables for contrast.
Ingredients
Directions
Coarsely chop the reserved trimmings from your onions and peppers; set aside.
Cut the whole onion and peppers into a neat fine dice; set aside.
With a small paring knife remove the corn kernels from the cob, reserving the cobs, and combine kernels with the diced vegetable mixture.
In a large heave saucepan heat 2 tablespoons of oil until very hot but not smoking.
Add the meat cubes and stir over high heat, shaking the pan, until the meat is nicely browned .Add the chopped vegetable trimmings to the meat and toss 4 to 5 minutes.
Add the garlic to the mixture and toss 2 minutes.
Add the chili powder, ground red pepper and black pepper to the mixture and stir for 2 minutes.
Add the vermouth and reduce the mixture for 2 minutes.
Add the Veal Stock and reserved corncobs and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring.
Boil mixture gently, skimming any fat from the surface frequently, until the stock has reduced to a light syrupy consistency. Add the cream and continue to boil gently, skimming, until liquid is reduced and coats the back of a spoon .
Remove and discard corncobs.
Strain half of the mixture into a clean saucepan, add corn and vegetable mixture to strained liquid, boil for 2 minutes, and set aside.
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