Modern Sauces: More than 150 Recipes for Every Cook, Every Day Hardcover – October 17, 2012

As it is, I learned to make and finesse my sauces the hard way: Through trial and error, a lot of thought, much experimentation, several fairly useless sauce books--and even some tears (Oh, I remember some anguished, rushed, minutes when I'd be cooking for company!). Except for one time when I actually let a roux burn, I've never dumped a sauce in frustration. I've worked with it, learned from it, and made it into something we could eat. But, sometimes it wasn't fun. Sometimes it wasn't pretty....(my responses nor the sauce...). Thinking back, I guess I also burnt some caramel, too!So, if you are looking to learn the why and wherefore of sauces--both savory and sweet, take it from me: Here is a terrific guide, written by a fantastic female chef who obviously loves to teach and coach. Her sense of humor also shines through every once in a while, too. You'd be crazy to pass by this opportunity, and the sooner you buy it, the better. (It won't do to borrow it from the library, as you'll want to refer to it often.)I was a bit skeptical of this book--I am a tough critic--when the author started out with vinaigrette. I guess I don't like vinaigrette being termed a "sauce", and I didn't like pages of the book being wasted on dressings for salads. But there are some decent recipes in that chapter. At this time of year, I always have oranges on my countertop and paprika in my pantry; so (for me) there's at least one recipe in that chapter that works very well.But she won me over in the chapter that discusses gravies. When she talks about the situation when a roast provides no juices on which to base your gravy, well, she "hit the nail on the head": She was talking about a down-to-earth, happens-in-any-home-kitchen, with any kind of roast, dilemma: What, this happens to other people, too? Not just me? (What a relief!) What to do? How do you make a gravy without any flavorful juices? In my many years of cooking, I've run into the problem often enough to have come up with some preventive measures and also some innovative fixes. This author suggests the same "insurance" measures, plus gave me even more ideas.Why I dinged it one star: It's hard to recognize pairings for the sauces. You have to read (and then memorize) the hints and comments provided with each sauce recipe for ideas on what to use the sauce with, or you need to look further into the chapter to find a recipe that uses the sauce. Okay, so I'm finding it hard to explain exactly what I mean by this, so here is an example: The other day I had several boneless chicken breasts that I wanted to use. I didn't want to spend much time trying to develop the flavor of the meat itself, but I wanted to create a beautiful sauce to pair over a very neutral, but very succulent white meat. I wanted the sauce to shine and act as a counterpoint for the white meat chicken. I went looking for a sauce recipe on which to spend my time. I looked through the index of this book, didn't see anything I could use, and went on to another cookbook. While looking through "Modern Sauces" again today to study it further, what did I find? The perfect sauce recipe for my chicken breasts that I cooked the other day: A Lime-Brown Butter Hollandaise. So, what I'm saying is: This cookbook is wonderful, but kind of hard to use when I'm trying to create a dish. I'm thinking that the tables will turn when I start to memorize the recipes in this book, but that will take a lot of time.Just a little gripe: Personally, I would have liked to see more savory sauce recipes and less dessert sauces. Not that there were more "sweet" sauces than savory, but I just wanted more sauces for the main meal. Actually, I would have loved one cookbook for savory sauces and another cookbook for dessert sauces. I would have bought both books.I think the portion sizes are on the skimpy side: People who like sauces, tend to like more than a tablespoon of it. I know, that's an old-fashioned view in this streamlined world we now live in, but it's my opinion and I'm sticking to it. Of course, you can double any recipe, so that's not a big issue.I'm very happy that I bought this cookbook and look forward to seeing another by this author.

I have at least 2 other books about sauces, one a tome! I read prior reviews of this book before purchasing it and was a bit skeptical, but jumped into it nonetheless, simply because I love a well made sauce. It has not disappointed. I have returned to this book more often than either of the other books on sauces I have available to me. Each sauce I have made has been a delightful addition to the meals they were to accompany. My go to sauce for vegetables and fish is the Sauce Vierge, an herby green sauce with just the proper piquancy. What I find appealing about this book is that it takes the mystery out of making a good sauce by incorporating store bought ingredients with home produced ingredients. The instructions make most sauces accessible without looking daunting or feeling laborious to reach a good final product. There are some time-honored, well applauded sauces in the book - like hollandaise, but it also offers up variations (e.g. saffron-red pepper hollandaise) and tips on how to recreate them in the modern kitchen . Well worth the investment.

The author Martha Holmberg writes "The day I realized that I could make my own sauce for enchiladas was a day when life's lovely possibilities glowed a few degrees brighter." For me, that's the "you had me at hello," line! This book is a great resource and I recommend it to all adventurous home cooks. There are many intriguing combinations of flavors. She includes many classic sauces as well. The book is well organized and recipes are included that go well with particular sauces.The book is beautifully designed and made by Chronicle Books of San Francisco, although I wish they hadn't used orange ink for lists of ingredients in the "Butter Sauces" chapter or orangish ink in the Mayonnaise chapter. It's too hard to read. Maybe when they do a second edition they will change that. I hope so. There are lovely photos by Ellen Silverman.I hope the book is sturdy enough to hold up to my frequent use of it in the kitchen.

Modern Sauces by Martha Holmberg is the best reference on how to make delicious sauces I have purchased to date. Definitely purchase the hardback, you'll be cooking sauces around it. The book covers many, many sauces1. Vinaigrette's2. Herb sauces3. Tomato sauces4. Vegetable, Chile, and Nut Sauces5. Butter Sauces (yumm)6. Cream Sauces7. Hollandaise Sauces8. Gravy, Jus, and Pan Sauces9. Sabayon Sauces10. Custard Sauces11. Fruit Sauces12. Carmel Sauces13. Chocolate SaucesRecipes included with each sauce section that incorporates some of the sauces is a big help, more recipes would have been nice. Additionally there are many helpful notes from the author. This book really has it covered when it comes to sauces. I recommend you add it to your collection.E.SeitzPleasant Hill, Oregon

I am a man who loves books, I am also a Chef in NYC who has been wanting to perfect my sauces, I've been looking at this book for some time, I went to a major event and saw another chef using some amazing sauces as presentation on her plates and I was in shock, after talking with her I immediately grabbed my phone and ordered this book, once it came in I locked into it right away and read it every day, so yeah, I as that guy in the corner of the train with his nose buried in a book and it was this book.This book is amazing ND is very detailed when it comes to making sauces, you cannot go wrong with this book.

A perfect source of inspiration for anyone who wants to master sauces.It is grouped into categories of sauce types, describing a very practical approach in a delightfully chatty way.Then they are elaborated on with recipes for ringing the changes and practical use in the kitchen.The author gives great tips and methods to ensure preparation is flawless.A great book!

En general, el libro no es atractivo, hay muy, muy pocas imágenes y, como se dice, comemos con los ojos. Estaba decepcionado y lo habría devuelto, pero ya había escrito algunas notas dentro de la portada.

Thought this would be a good book to reference while teaching Culinary students, doesn’t really have much more than the classic leading sauces/mother sauces. A few extra recipes but in the end it’s up to the individual’s creative thinking to create sauces

Terrific book that covers all the basics and evolves to more complex sauces where you learn the refined art of a great sauce! Ample photos make the book inviting to read and peruse. Very difficult to find a good sauce book, but this meets the challenge! Highly recommended.

Modern sauces is one of the most cohesive sauce books. It lays everything out so simple and deliciously for the beginner to the more advanced cook.