Well, here at Cognac Expert we tend to talk mainly about the different ways that we can sip our favourite drink – be it neat, on the rocks or combined in a cocktail or with a mixer.  However, eaux-de-vie is a favoured ingredient for chefs all over the world, and often to be found making up many a cognac sauce, whether it’s a cognac sauce for pork, for pasta – or the famous beef stroganoff with cognac sauce. Another great recipe we’ve tried in the past is beef medaillons with cognac; with a nice cognac sauce with mushrooms.. mmh!

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So what different types of cognac sauces are there?  And can you find them for both sweet and savoury dishes?

cognac-sauce

Well, the answer to the latter is that yes, you certainly can find cognac sauces that are suitable for all different kinds of food.  Below we’ve listed three of our top picks, and naturally the instructions on how to make a cognac sauce to die for, that’s suitable for various different occasions.

#1: Cognac Sauce to Serve with Venison or other Red Meat

Serves 4, Cooking and preparation time of 45 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 2 teaspoons canola oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
  • ½ cup of cognac (brand and quality down to personal choice
  • 1 cup beef or chicken broth
  • 1 ½ tablespoons redcurrant jelly
  • 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon chopped, fresh thyme
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon cold water

How to make a Cognac Sauce to Serve with Venison or other Red Meat

  • Place oil in a skillet or pan and heat.  Add the shallots and cook for about 1 minute, stirring as you do so.  Add the cognac and continue to stir until most of the liquid has evaporated.  Add the broth, redcurrant jelly, mustard and thyme and stir well.  Continue to cook until the jelly has melted.
  • In a bowl combine the cornstarch and water.  Slowly whisk this into the simmering cognac sauce until it thickens a little.  Strain the sauce through a fine sieve and discard the solids.  Season the cognac sauce with salt and pepper as required.
  • Serve over cooked venison or red meat of your choice.

#2: Cranberry and Cognac Sauce (perfect for the Christmas dinner table)

Makes 1 ¼ cups, Cooking and preparation time of 30 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups fresh or defrosted frozen cranberries
  • 3 tablespoons of cognac (brand and quality of your choosing)
  • 1 cup light-brown sugar
  • ¼ cup fresh orange juice
  • 3 whole allspice berries
  • 2 whole cloves
  • 4 whole black peppercorns
  • ½ teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
  • 1 cinnamon stick

How to make Cranberry and Cognac Sauce

  • Place the cranberries, sugar, cognac and orange juice in a saucepan.  Mix well.
  • Place the allspice, cloves, peppercorns, red-pepper flakes and cinnamon stick in a double layer of cheesecloth.  Bundle and tie it firmly – place in the saucepan.
  • Bring the mixture to the boil and then simmer for around 15 – 20 minutes, stirring regularly.  Once it gets to a syrupy consistency remove from the heat, discard the cheesecloth bundle and place the cranberry and cognac sauce into a bowl to cool.  Keep chilled until just before you serve.

#3:  Cognac Sauce to serve with Bread Pudding or other Dessert

Preparation and cooking time – 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 8 tablespoons butter
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • ¼ cup cognac (brand and quality of your choosing)

How to make a cognac sauce to serve with bread pudding or other dessert

This is probably one of the most simple cognac sauces ever – and one that even the most kitchen phobic cook can manage.

  • Simply cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until fluffy.  Then gradually stir in the cognac until well blended.
  • To serve, pour over warm bread pudding (or other dessert of your choice).

Of course, there are a billion other cognac sauce recipes out there, but we’ve picked three that are quite different and diverse from each other.  Using cognac in cooking is nothing new, but it’s definitely becoming more common.  And it’s certainly a great way to add a little ‘je ne sais quoi’ to any meal, that’s for sure.
Pic: Wikipedia 

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Jacki has been with Cognac Expert from virtually the beginning. She's the senior editor of the blog, and has spent much of her life living in rural France. Today she's based back in the UK, where she splits her working life between writing for Cognac Expert and working as a Paramedic at a large regional hospital.

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