Sauces

Guy Fieri’s Donkey Sauce

Get your culinary passports ready because today we are going to Flavor Town. Guy Fieri likes to serve his burgers and sandwiches covered in a mysterious sauce called “Donkey Sauce” that packs a strong garlic punch. However, during an appearance on the Rachael Ray show, he admitted that Donkey Sauce is just a simple garlic aioli, but calling something an “aioli” doesn’t exactly jive with his brand. The real trick to getting a delicious Donkey Sauce is to use freshly roasted garlic in the recipe, but we won’t blame you… Read More »Guy Fieri’s Donkey Sauce

Shake Shack Cheese Sauce

Recently, Shake Shack started a new cooking-along series where they are sharing some of their recipes. They have included my favorite, the cheese sauce. See the video that they shared below, or the written instruction below the video. Ingredients 2 cups of American cheese 2 cups of cheddar cheese 1 tbsp of canola oil 1 tbsp of white wine vinegar 6 thin slices of jalapeños ¾ cup of sliced onions ½ tsp of salt 2 tsp of peppercorns 2 cups of heavy cream 2 tsp of white wine Preparation Sweat the… Read More »Shake Shack Cheese Sauce

Aaron Franklin’s Espresso Barbecue Sauce

Aaron Franklin is the master of Texas barbecue. This espresso based-sauce has a subtle coffee flavor and a sharp vinegar taste that cuts though fatty meat. For this recipe, I made the espresso using a moka pot. If you’re interested in how to use one of these, the guide by ChefSteps and James Hoffman is great. Ingredients: 1½ cups ketchup ½ cup white vinegar ½ apple cider vinegar ¼ dark soy sauce 1 tablespoon garlic powder 1 tablespoon onion powder ¼ packed brown sugar 3 tablespoons of fresh espresso (optional)… Read More »Aaron Franklin’s Espresso Barbecue Sauce

Virginia White Salsa

Don’t want to hear the backstory? Jump straight to the recipe. I have lived in Virginia my whole life, but white salsa is not something that I came into contact with until probably the time when I was in college. This is usually served at local Tex-Mex chains alongside a regular tomato salsa and thin corn tortilla chips. It is a thick, creamy, sweet salsa that balances out a spicy salsa that is it usually served alongside. When this started showing up at my local restaurants, I assumed that this was… Read More »Virginia White Salsa

North Country Michigan Sauce

Don’t want to hear the backstory? Jump straight to the recipe. My wife’s family on her father’s side is from a small town in the very Northern tip of New York state. This is far beyond upstate New York (which a lot of New Yorkers that I know joke is anything North of The Bronx). All that I knew about this town was a regional specialty of Hot Dogs called “Michigans” when I visited for the first time in April of 2019. I went on a mission to taste every Michigan… Read More »North Country Michigan Sauce

Chunky Blue Cheese Dip

Don’t want to hear the backstory? Jump straight to the recipe. By now you should know that I am big chicken wing fan. I used to always gravitate towards the sticky-sweet sauces like General Tso’s, but I’ve seen the light of the classic Buffalo sauce. The spicy sauce is always really well balanced by a creamy dip like ranch or blue cheese dressing. When I was younger I always picked ranch dressing. I did not like blue cheese at all. Something about the funky taste always put me off. However, as… Read More »Chunky Blue Cheese Dip

General Tso’s Sauce

Don’t want to hear the backstory? Jump straight to the recipe. Zuo Zongtang (General Tso) was born in 1812 during the Qing Dynasty in Xiangyin, China. He rose to great power in his life in the military and government. The origins of General Tso’s chicken are disputed, but it was definitely never created or consumed by Zuo Zongtang. Most people believe that the General Tso’s chicken recipe was created during the 1970s in New York City. There are a lot of people that claim to have invented the recipe for General… Read More »General Tso’s Sauce

The Best Vegan Ranch Dressing

I am not a vegan (or event a vegetarian), but try to keep a plant-based diet whenever possible. I used to be a huge fan of “Just Ranch” from Hampton Creek, but it is impossible to find now due to some internal issues at that company. For the past few months I have been working on a formula for the perfect substitute. Luckily, the same source from the Outback Honey Mustard recipe sent me their bulk ranch dressing recipe. I scaled this and combined it with a few other recipes… Read More »The Best Vegan Ranch Dressing

The Best Buffalo Sauce

My favorite wing sauce is Bleu Bayou Sauce but sometimes if I am in the mood for something quick and easy I go for the classic Buffalo sauce. A classic buffalo sauce should be made of pepper sauce and melted butter. I like mine really well-emulsified to give it a creamy and thick texture that sticks to wings. Using an immersion blender and optional xanthan gum in this recipe will really increase the emulsion of your sauce. Ingredients: ½ cup of hot sauce 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter ¼ –… Read More »The Best Buffalo Sauce

Halal Guys White Sauce

Don’t want to hear the backstory? Jump straight to the recipe. . For the last six years, I have been obsessing over halal cart chicken and rice. I got my first taste of it at a cart in Arlington, Virginia and quickly was getting it for lunch multiple times per week. There was something that drew me to the juicy chicken and spiced rice, but it was mostly all about the white sauce. My standard order was chicken over rice with a side of chickpeas – extra white sauce with a… Read More »Halal Guys White Sauce