Sauces started off as simple accompaniments to food. The basic sauces of ancient civilizations may have consisted of ingredients like vinegar, salt and oils with flavorings of olives, maybe figs or fruit pulps or crushed seeds of plants like sesame. These evolved over centuries to the elegant concoctions of culinary experts, combinations of flavors and accompaniment suitability, all things taken care of by gourmet chefs down the ages. French chefs took the skill of sauce making to the level of a fine art. Classic recipes have played a very important part in French cuisine being what it is. Sauces can be a motley crowd, from the simple salsa, which may even be termed a salad in a way, to the rich hollandaise sauce... they are all created with one aim - to add that extra something to the dish they accompany. Cranberry Sauce This is a bitter-sweet sauce that is best known as an accompaniment to roast turkey. Christmas turkey traditionally is accompanied by Cranberry sauce. Here is the magical recipe: You need: 1 ½ cup cranberries (If using frozen cranberries, take 250 grams) 1 large cooking apple (cored and chopped) 125 grams molasses 1/3 cup Cointreau Juice and grated zest of one large orange 1 tsp coriander seeds, roasted and crushed ¼ tsp ground black pepper ½ cup water In a large pan, boil together the cranberries, orange parts, apple and sugar, in water. Then reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, till the fruits turn squishy. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the Cointreau, pepper and coriander seeds. Mix well. This sauce goes best with turkey, but can also be used with roast pork and lamb dishes. Orange and Saffron Sauce This is an extremely fragrant sauce and as a combination with strong-tasting fish, makes a very impressive dish. This sauce needs a fish stock base, so first we have the method for making fish stock. For fish stock, put together: 1 kg of fish bones, head and trimmings, thoroughly cleaned 1 tbsp unsalted butter 1 chopped carrot 1 chopped celery stick 2 chopped leeks 1 cup of dry white wine Bouquet garni ( 2 sprigs of thyme,1 leaf of celery,2 sprigs parsley and 1 bay leaf - tied together in a string) 3 liters water 3 slices of lemon 8 peppercorns In a hot pan, add butter, then sauté together carrots, celery stick, and leeks till soft. Then add the fish, wine and bouquet garni, bring to a boil. Skim for any sediment. Then add the peppercorns and lemon slices, boiling all the while. Simmer the stock for about 30 minutes then strain through a soft muslin cloth and remove the bouquet garni. Cool and use as the base for this sauce. You need: 2 cups fresh orange juice 2 cups fish stock ¼ tsp saffron strands soaked in a tablespoon of warm water ½ tsp arrowroot or corn flour dissolved in 1 tbsp of fish stock Zest of one orange, cut into fine julienne ½ tsp finely chopped red chilies 50 grams of chilled butter Boil together the orange juice and the fish stock. Then simmer gently until it reduces to one third. Keep skimming the surface for any residue. Then add the arrowroot (or corn flour), saffron strands, and orange zest, whisking all the while. The sauce will thicken slightly in a minute of so. Then add the lemon juice and chili pieces. Simmer for a couple of minutes more and remove from heat. Serve with whole baked, grilled or fried fish, preferably strong-tasting ones like mullet or tuna.