Annual Food & Drink Issue
Delectable dishes aren’t hard to come by in the Scenic City. But sometimes, even when the food is cooked to perfection, the real secret is in the sauce. Next time you’re looking to elevate a meal, try one of these tasty toppings that is sure to steal the show.
By Christina Cannon
Photography by Rich Smith
3 Tbsp. butter
1 shallot, minced
2 cups muscadines
1/2 cup syrah
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. thyme, chopped
Melt 1 Tbsp. of butter in a small sauce pot. Add minced shallots and cook until translucent.
Halve muscadines and deseed them. Then, combine all remaining ingredients to the pot, excluding butter, and cook until muscadines are soft. Purée sauce and strain through a fine sieve. Add additional butter using residual heat from the sauce to slowly melt, which adds a nice gloss to the sauce’s finish.
“The muscadine gastrique blends sweet and sour to give a crispness and added flavor. It can brighten a chicken breast or cut through the fatty, almost spicy flavor that duck can have.” – Sara White, Chef
