First things first, what is piquant sauce? Basically of Louisiana origin, this red-colored condiment is a delight that you can not only use for any kind of meat you are serving, but can also be used to baste meat while grilling it. It is very similar to Cajun sauce in many ways. Piquant sauce is basically made from savory vegetables, primarily tomatoes, which are usually commingled with tarty vinegar and a variety of other spices and flavorful herbs, that renders the sauce agreeably pungent and hot. It does use a roux of the usual fat and flour as a base for the sauce, but this roux makes up only a very small part of the condiment. It is fantastic, really, because of the variety of spices that you can use to tweak this condiment. For instance, instead of the usual Creole seasoning, using Chinese five spice (made from blending together bajiao or star anise, cloves, cinnamon, brayed fennel seeds, and of course Sichuan pepper which is called huajiao) will optimize the extent of hot spiciness of your piquant sauce, besides infusing the sauce with all the major five aromas of sweetness, tartness, bitterness, and an acrid saltiness in an Oriental way. So, let us see the variations that you can opt for when dealing with piquant sauce recipes. Basic Piquant Sauce This is the traditional Cajun style picante for which you need to gather,

• Consomme, 1 cup (½ tsp. of beef extract dissolved in 1 cup boiling water can also be used)
• Wine vinegar, 2 tbsp.
• Butter, 2 tbsp.
• Capers, 1 tbsp. (cut up)
• Cucumber pickles, 1 tbsp. (thinly sliced)
• Flour, 1 tbsp.
• Eschalots, ½ tbsp. (chopped very finely)
• Worcestershire sauce, ½ tsp.
• Sugar, ½ tsp.
• Salt, ½ tsp.
• Cayenne pepper, a dash

Procedure Begin by heating the butter in a thick-bottomed sauce pan. Adding the flour to molten butter and stirring will give you the roux for your piquant sauce. Make sure that you stir enough to get a uniform roux. Let it simmer until it adopts a brown hue. Now, pour in the consomme and season with salt. Add some pepper too, if you want. Increase the heat to medium and once you see the fluid is boiling, reduce it to low and allow a steady simmering for another 10 minutes or so. After that, you must add the eschalots, sugar, and the vinegar to the pot. Increase the heat to medium-high and stir the sauce as it heavily simmers for another 5 - 7 minutes. Finally, throw the pickles, the cayenne pepper, and the Worcestershire sauce into the already simmering sauce and see to it that it boils steadily for 5 minutes. After that, remove it from heat and serve piping hot on boiled or roasted meat, grilled fish, or fried mushrooms. Piquant Sauce with Mustard This sauce recipe can be modified to be used for caking meatloaves or as a basting sauce. Simply get your hands on,

• Cream, ¼ cup
• Dijon mustard, 2 tbsp.
• Seeded mustard, 2 tbsp.
• Tomato sauce, 2 tbsp.
• Brown sugar, 2 tbsp.
• Red wine vinegar, 1 tbsp.
• Olive oil, 1 tbsp.
• Worcestershire sauce, 1 tbsp.
• Garlic clove, 1 (minced)
• Nutmeg, ¼ tsp.
• Cracked pepper, to taste

Procedure Place a cooking pan on medium heat and then add the olive oil to it. After a minute, add garlic and nutmeg and sauté thrice. Then add the brown sugar and sauté two-three times more. Finally, add the mustard varieties and pour the tomato sauce, red wine vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce to the pan. Season with cracked pepper. Allow a steady simmer to set in. After 5 - 8 minutes, increase the heat to high so that a boil sets in. It is at this juncture that you should remove the sauce from the heat if you wish to use it as a basting or coating agent. If not, then add the cream to the concoction and reduce the heat. Stir continuously until a smooth uniform liquid is formed. Do not allow the fluid to boil. The cream harnesses the overtly dominant flavors of each ingredient and sees to it that the aroma is just correct. Serve hot with a steak, roasted venison, or grilled beef. This sauce is délicieuse even on some plain boiled potatoes. Mexican Picante Salsa Now for 5 pints of some hot piquant sauce perfect for cheesy quesadillas, you must have,

• Tomatoes, 4½ lbs. (ripe, scalded, peeled, seeded, and diced)
• Concentrated tomato purée, 5½ oz.
• Jalapeño peppers, 6 (cut up)
• Green chilies, 3 (finely chopped)
• Garlic cloves, 2 (crushed)
• Spanish onion, 1 (large, diced)
• Green capsicum, 1 (large, cubed)
• Red pepper, 1 (medium, chopped)
• White vinegar, ¾ cup
• Brown sugar, ¼ cup
• Pickling salt, 1 tbsp.
• Hungarian paprika, 2 tsp.

Procedure Take a Crock Pot and throw in all the ingredients. Cover it after that and heat it on medium. Stir occasionally and allow it all to boil for an hour. Taste and see it you want it to be thicker or spicier in which case you must add a few more jalapeños. Store in clean glass jars and serve with nachos topped with molten cheese, sour cream, and scallions. Piquant Sauce with Dill and Sour Cream Serve this version with poached salmon fillets and people will kiss your hands out of sheer delight. You will need to have,

• Leeks, 2 (only the white portion, finely chopped, and thoroughly washed)
• Garlic cloves, 2 (minced)
• Jalapeño chile, 1 (seeds and membranes removed, finely diced)
• Dill, 1½ cups (fresh, lightly packed, stems removed before measuring)
• Vegetable stock, 1 cup
• Sour cream, ¼ cup
• Butter, 2 tbsp.
• Lemon juice, 2 tbsp. (freshly squeezed)
• Black pepper, ½ tsp. (freshly ground)
• Salt, ¼ tsp.

Procedure Heat the butter in a frypan over medium heat and then sauté the chopped leeks, the garlic cloves, the jalapeños. Fry for about 5 minutes and once the leeks turn semitransparent, pour in the stock. Let this mixture simmer for a solid 15 minutes. Do not cover it. Once only half the original quantity is left, remove it from the heat and let it cool down. Next, add all the ingredients (barring the sour cream) into a mixer, pour in the buttery stock, and blend until smooth. You can store this sauce in the fridge and reheat it before serving. The sour cream has to be added right at the last moment after reheating. Piquant Sauce with Creole Seasoning You can make 1⅓ cups of this Bayou delight with,

• Chicken stock, 2 cups
• Olive oil, ¼ cup and 2 tbsp.
• Tomatoes, 1 cup (skinned, seeded, and diced)
• Celery, 3 tbsp. (chopped)
• Green capsicums, 3 tbsp. (diced)
• Onions, 3 tbsp. (chopped fine)
• Jalapeño peppers, 1 tbsp. (de-seeded and finely hacked)
• Parsley, 1 tbsp. (fresh, hacked)
• Thyme, 1 tbsp. (fresh, hacked)
• Oregano, 1 tbsp. (fresh, hacked)
• Garlic, 1 tbsp. (crushed)
• Bay leaves, 3
• Creole seasoning, as per preference
• Red pepper, a pinch (crushed)
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Procedure Heat the 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a cooling pan on high heat and throw in the bay leaves, celery, capsicum, onion, jalapeños, thyme, oregano, and garlic. Sauté vigorously for 3 minutes or so and then add the diced tomatoes, the Creole seasoning, the red pepper, and chicken stock. Mizzle salt and pepper from top. Sauté for a bit and then allow the mixture to boil for a good 5 minutes. Lower the heat after that, so that the sauce can simmer for 20 minutes. Then turn off the heat and allow it to cool a tad. Next, pour the sauce into a thermomix or a blender to make it smoother. Gradually, pour the ¼ cup of olive oil while the sauce is being churned. When the sauce is all uniform and lump-less, pour it back into a warmed cooking pan, add the parsley, stir well, and serve with some freshly baked French bread! Piquant Sauce with Chinese Five Spice This slightly exotic version is perfect for braising spareribs. You will require,

• Chicken stock, 150 ml.
• Chinese black rice vinegar, 65 ml. (cider vinegar can also be used)
• Spring onions, 3 tbsp. (finely chopped)
• Chinese rock sugar, 3 tbsp. (using white sugar or chunky amber coffee sugar crystals will also do)
• Shaoxing rice wine, 3 tbsp. (you can use dry sherry)
• Garlic, 2 tbsp. (finely chopped)
• Orange peel, 2 tbsp. (dried, grated)
• Light soy sauce, 1½ tbsp.
• Five spice, 2 tsp. (powdered mixture of cinnamon, cloves, fennel, Sichuan peppercorns, and star anise)

Procedure In a thick-bottomed pan, put in all the ingredients and heat. Once the concoction starts to boil, lower the heat and let a steady simmer set in. Stir occasionally and wait till it reaches the desired consistency. Add a little water if the sauce becomes a tad thick for your liking. You can add marinated spareribs to it at this juncture and cook. The other option is of course to take it off the heat, let it cool, spin it in the blender once if you wish it to be ultra smooth, and then store in a clean glass container. Another variation of the last recipe involves the use of 6 oz. of sugar, 4 oz. each of celery, onion, red pepper , and tomato (all very finely chopped), half a pint vinegar, and five spice, chopped fresh thyme, salt and pepper added as per liking. Heat the ingredients and let the concoction simmer down to the desired consistency, cool, blend in a mixer, run through a sieve, and then store. This version is perfect for chicken and fish delicacies. The veggies render it savory, the vinegar makes it tarty. All in all, it is one hell of a condiment. Piquant Sauce with Dark Cherries This sauce is such a wonderful hot and sweet delight that you can actually bottle it up and gift it to a close person. This sauce works its magic with chicken, pork, and duck dishes the most and does not take more than 15 minutes to be ready! Can be served hot or chilled. Gather,

• Dark, sweet cherries, 1 can (drained and chopped)
• Water, ¾ cup
• Brown sugar, ½ cup (firmly packed)
• Sugar, ¼ cup
• Dijon mustard, 2 tbsp.
• Horseradish, 2 tbsp. (prepared)

Procedure In a deep cooking pan, make a solution of the sugars and water by stirring continuously. Place the pan on medium heat and wait for a boil to set in. Boil for a good 5 minutes and then throw in the cherries. After another 5 minutes, add the horseradish and mustard and stir until you have a uniformly mixed condiment. Some people tend to make the sauce along with the cooked meat itself. But I wanted to give you piquant sauce recipes that will help you to make the sauce individually and then have it with whatever you want. Try and experiment a little with the ingredients as this recipe is open to any adaptation. People are known to add lemon zest and carrots. If you do find any other way to concoct this, please feel free to fill me up on it. Until then, au revoir!