Dijon Butter Caper Sauce

As a former head saucier at a restaurant, making sauces is my favorite thing to do in the kitchen! Pan sauces are especially my favorite to make because they come together so quickly and are easy to make, especially for a weeknight meal you want to finish quickly.

A pan sauce is a sauce made a la minute, typically in the same pan you just cooked your meat or seafood in. You use the drippings from the meat, add aromatic vegetables, and flavorful liquids to create a sauce to pair with your meat. Pan sauces are a great way to add flavor and moisture to dishes, and they are also a convenient way to use up the drippings from cooked meat or vegetables, which can otherwise be discarded. Plus, they are easy to customize by using different ingredients and seasonings to create a wide variety of flavors.

The pan sauce we are going over today is a dijon butter caper sauce. It pairs nicely with salmon, chicken, and most seafood. It is a great emulsion sauce, which is basically combining opposite ingredients (fat and a liquid like acid or broth), in a way that it comes together to make a creamy sauce. The opposite ingredients combine together through a binding ingredient, such as the dijon mustard we use in this recipe.

This sauce is great because the butter and dijon mustard combine everything together to make it creamy and thick, without any thickening agents like flour or cornstarch. The capers also add a nice acidity and punch to the sauce that cuts through the richness of the butter.

Enjoy and make sure you tag me in your creations on Instagram!

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp of butter + 2 tbsp separated
• 1 shallot, minced
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup chicken stock or seafood stock
• 1 tbp dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp capers
• juice from 1/2 lemon
• parsley for garnish

Preparation:

STEP 1.

Cook your meat, fish, or choice of protein in the pan and remove.

STEP 2.

In the same pan over medium heat, add 2 tbsp of butter, once that is melted add the shallots and saute. Saute until translucent, salting and peppering as you go. Deglaze with the chicken stock and bring up to a low simmer, reduce for 5 minutes or until thickened by half.

STEP 3.

Whisk in the mustard and capers. Once those are incorporated whisk in the butter to make creamy.

STEP 4.

Add your protein back to the sauce to warm through. Top with parsley and enjoy! Serve immediately.