What is Vatel sauce and how is it eaten? A detailed description of the fill and its useful properties. Are there any contraindications to the use of the product? Recipes for sauce and dishes with its use.
Vatel sauce is a French sauce designed primarily for meat dishes. It is usually served with cold duck or hot rabbit. The sauce has a medium fat content, persistent aroma of herbs and cream. Vatel is preparing quickly enough, although it is considered aerobatics for professional chefs. The sauce gained fame and respect thanks to the tragic story of the chef after whom it is named. But more on that later, first let's find out all the intricacies of the composition and preparation process of Vatel.
Composition and calorie content of Vatel sauce
The standard composition of Vatel sauce can include about 17 ingredients, the main ones are:
- celery;
- tomato paste;
- Champignon mushrooms;
- medium fat cream;
- onions (necessarily shallots).
To enhance the taste and aroma, the sauce always includes weak notes of alcohol (brandy and wine vinegar), as well as herbs (thyme, nutmeg, salt, etc.). Modern chefs significantly expand the list of ingredients of the sauce, making it more refined and interesting for the sophisticated connoisseur of French cuisine.
The calorie content of Vatel sauce per 100 g is small, because the mushrooms and vegetables that make up it are low-calorie foods.
The only ingredient in a product that can trigger weight gain is cream. However, Vatel is served with a dish in small quantities, so it is almost impossible to recover from it.
The composition of Vatel sauce contains:
- amino acids;
- vitamins (B, C, D, E B, etc.);
- minerals (Mg, Ca, F, P, K, Na and many others).
Useful properties of Vatel sauce
For the preparation of Vatel, a lot of useful ingredients are used, so it is recommended to be eaten by almost all people with healthy digestion. For example, shallots are rich in vitamin C, which has a beneficial effect on the state of human immunity. Celery is a tonic that can help rejuvenate if you are overworked. Thanks to the spices, Vatel stimulates appetite and thereby optimizes the production of gastric juice, which significantly improves the digestion of foods in the stomach.
The main benefits of Vatel sauce:
- Saturates the body with protein - the sauce contains mushrooms rich in protein. Safe and everyone's favorite mushrooms contain no less of this element than in the usual meat or, for example, in chicken eggs.
- Optimizes the functioning of all internal organs, improves the condition of the skin and hair - all the same champignons, shallots and spices are rich in folic acid, useful amino acids, vitamins and minerals. The listed nutrients allow you to maintain normal circulatory system, metabolic process and more.
- Optimizes memory and thought processes - this property is inherent in the sauce mainly due to the specific substances contained in the mushrooms.
Contraindications and harm of Vatel sauce
The harm of Vatel sauce for a healthy person is more a myth than a reality. The product contains a lot of useful substances, moreover, it is eaten in small portions.
Many doctors believe that eating Vatel regularly and in large quantities can harm your digestion. Champignons contain a lot of chitin - an organic material that is practically not absorbed in the human body (especially in children). As a result, such a product is difficult to digest, especially if it is paired with a fatty meat dish.
Limiting the amount of Vatel sauce should be used by people suffering from dysfunction of the pancreas and liver.
It is known that mushrooms absorb harmful substances from the atmosphere, like a sponge. If the mushrooms that are present in the sauce were grown in an environmentally polluted area, Vatel can cause toxic substances to clog your body.
How to make Vatel sauce?
If you are a lover of French food or meat, you need to learn how to make Vatel sauce. This filling will turn any trivial dish into a special one. At the same time, it prepares relatively quickly and easily.
Step-by-step recipe for Vatel sauce (1 cup):
- Cut the mushrooms into the smallest possible pieces so as to end up with 2 tbsp. l. of this product.
- Fry the prepared mushrooms in oil (it is better to choose butter, not vegetable).
- Now look for a deep saucepan in your kitchen. Pour 1 tsp into it. finely chopped onions (preferably shallots), the same amount of finely chopped celery and already cooked mushrooms.
- Sprinkle the ingredients in 1 tsp each. fresh thyme and chervil (if fresh ingredients are not available, use 1/2 teaspoon each dried seasoning).
- Pour 1 tbsp into a saucepan. l. wine vinegar and the same amount of brandy.
- Cook the future sauce over high heat until the mass in the saucepan is halved.
- Remove the sauce and let cool slightly.
- When the fill has cooled to room temperature, add 1 tbsp. l. tomato paste and start stirring the saucepan as vigorously as possible. Without stopping, start adding egg yolks (3 pcs.) To the sauce.
- Add 3 tablespoons to the saucepan. l. butter and place the pan on moderate heat. Stir the Vatel until smooth.
- Sprinkle the filling with salt and pepper to your liking.
- To achieve an original taste, add a pinch of ground nutmeg to the sauce.
- In another bowl, heat 3/4 cup low-fat cream slightly.
- Add cream to the sauce just removed from the stove. Vatel is ready!
Professional advice! To make the sauce as tasty as possible, all its ingredients must be of high quality and fresh. Take mushroom purchases very seriously. Fresh champignons should be dull and colored in the correct color - mostly white, less often brownish. Make sure that there are no spots and small inclusions on the cap. Also remember that fresh mushrooms should not smell like dampness or other stench.
Vatel sauce recipes
Vatel sauce is versatile in use, and the following recipes are proof of this:
- Pork in foil … This dish is considered the best substitute for pork kebab. Rinse and dry 2 pork bones with meat. Marinate the pork in the spices. To do this, use a mixture of salt, pepper, and a ready-made meat spice kit available from your store. It is important that the pork is grated with aromatic spices on both sides. Sprinkle lemon juice on the meat. Now he should be left alone for a few minutes. Meanwhile, cut 1 onion into large rings. Remember the onion with your hands and sprinkle with freshly squeezed lemon juice. Combine the resulting mass with the pork on the bone and leave to marinate for 20-30 minutes. When the meat is saturated with sweet and sour spices, you can start frying. Fry the pork in a saucepan in a little vegetable oil until golden and hard. Then send the dish to the oven for 20 minutes. To do this, put the meat on a baking sheet, pour over the juice from a saucepan, sprinkle with onions from the marinade and wrap in foil. Serve with Vatel sauce and a few sprigs of fresh herbs.
- Baked vegetables … Peel and wash 1 bell pepper, 4 medium potatoes, 1 eggplant and 3 young small squash. Cut the prepared ingredients into rings (potatoes and peppers can be sliced). Next, peel 1 large carrot and cut it into bars. Please note that if you are using a mature eggplant, it must be chopped and soaked in salt water for 30 minutes before cooking. This will help get rid of the bitter taste that the eggplants acquire after they are fully ripe. Sprinkle the prepared vegetables with your favorite spices (be sure to salt and allspice). Place the dish to bake in the oven in the sleeve for 45 minutes. Before serving, place on a large plate, garnish with herbs and serve with Vatel sauce.
- Rabbit with vegetables … Rabbit meat is considered very healthy, especially when stewed rather than fried. To increase the health index of a dish, we will stew it along with multivitamin vegetables! So, cut up the rabbit carcass and lightly fry in well-heated vegetable oil. Coarsely grate 3 carrots. Chop 2 onions into rings or half rings. Combine the resulting ingredients with the meat in a deep saucepan or frying pan. Add a few bay leaves, dill and parsley to the bowl, and finely chopped garlic (2 cloves). Season the meat with salt and pepper. Fill all the ingredients with water so that it completely covers them. Simmer the rabbit over low heat after boiling for about 1.5 hours. Serve the finished dish with the leftover gravy or Vatel sauce (in a separate bowl).
- Beef tongue … Rinse your tongue thoroughly and soak it for 30 minutes. Then boil the meat in boiling water without adding salt - this stage of cooking will take you about 2-4 hours. During cooking, make sure that the water boils moderately, otherwise the meat will acquire an undesirable aftertaste. 30 minutes before the tongue is ready, add chopped carrots, 1 bay leaf, celery (root) and onion to it in a saucepan. Rinse the finished tongue under cold water, and then remove the film from it. The tongue should be cleaned quickly, if this has not happened, then it is undercooked. Cut the cooked meat into oblong pieces and serve with Vatel sauce. This dish is an excellent snack for alcoholic drinks.
Interesting facts about Vatel sauce
The sauce is named after the world-famous French chef Francois Vatel. None of the historians and culinary experts can say unequivocally whether the sauce was prepared by the chef himself, or whether someone else invented the recipe and dedicated it to the icon of French cuisine.
It is known that Vatel was always too responsible for his work, which is why he died at a fairly young age. There is a legend that the culinary specialist killed himself with a sword during a reception organized in honor of Louis XIV. Vatel was in charge of serving food to the distinguished guests invited to the event. The cook plunged his sword into himself when he learned that the fresh fish he had ordered for the reception would not arrive on time. Some historians add that the wagon with the fish still arrived at the royal palace at the specified time, but François was already dead.
Historians know little about the life of a French culinary specialist. According to one version, Vatel was born into a simple, poor family of a roofer, and his godfather, a master of pastry, Jehan Everard instilled in him a love of cooking.
After Vatel's death, he was not remembered for a long time, and only at the end of the 19th century his name began to appear in culinary encyclopedias and even literary works. Humanity began to admire not only the professional merits of the cook, but also his responsibility, honor and courage. Some chefs have chosen to dedicate several of their recipes to Vatel.
In world literature, there are also negative responses about the French cook. Some authors accuse him of cowardice and unprofessionalism. Many do not at all believe that a respected chef could have committed suicide for such a trifling reason. New guesses about the circumstances of Vatel's death appear even today, but the version about the "late" fish remains the most popular.
It is worth noting that theatrical performances and films were even staged about Vatel's death. A large number of works on this topic have been written by rhymes from all over the world.
Interesting! It was the mysterious Vatel who first came up with the recipe for whipped cream. Thanks to this delicacy, the monarch of France invited the culinary specialist to work at the king's palace, in which the cook later committed suicide.
How to make Vatel sauce - watch the video:
Vatel sauce is a traditional French sauce that you can easily prepare yourself. The product is quite healthy and appetizing. It can be added to the simplest recipe for a real restaurant meal. People with digestive system problems should limit the amount of sauce consumed.
