But what a strange name! Turtle sauce . Come on. So what is this bizarre antiquity that Cella brings out from her grimoires today? In a scholarly article on the origins of turtle sauce, the great Hervé This suggests that it is undoubtedly linked to past consumption of the animal. Its tasting having passed (except for the siege of Paris in 1870) - and prohibited - what remained was this very spicy sauce with these "essential ingredients (...): Madeira, mushrooms, veal, Spanish ingredients (the demi-glace mother sauce, editor’s note) , and all well seasoned…” .

👉 Every week, other recipes with the newsletter

Cayenne pepper in the spotlight

Seasoned, yes, but not with pepper but with Cayenne pepper which seemed to be more popular then than the noble grain. This sauce was popular throughout the 19th century to accompany veal's head . If the veal head, dear to the good town of Rambervillers which calls itself the capital, is just waiting for this turtle sauce to change from the frangines gribiche and ravigote, let's also think of other dishes which will delight in its spicy topping : various dumplings, brains, veal and beef tongues…

“Very warming”

In 1835, in L'Indicateur des mets, J.-A. Thorre, declined this recipe as follows: "put in a saucepan a little Madeira wine parfait, two bay leaves, thyme, a little coarse pepper , three cloves; after a suitable boiling time, pass through cheesecloth and mix with a worked Spanish sauce. When serving, add a pinch of cayenne pepper and as much chili pepper. This very spicy dish is very warming.” Antonin Carême had established an equivalent version a few years earlier with chopped shallot, infused ham and “a little Isigny butter” before serving. Writing the recipe is then simple, lively, joyful. Mind more than measure.

Slow feast

A little later in the century, at Jules Gouffé, the turtle sauce became Hugolian, composed in the same proportion of “essence of ham” , “essence of truffles” , “essence of mushrooms” and “Madeira wine”. » . Added to this is a meat glaze and demi-glace sauce – also called Spanish – which is reduced then strained through cheesecloth before adding the Cayenne pepper.

Difficult to navigate between these versions!

Let's postpone our confusion until tomorrow and perpetuate the trouble with this version inspired by the great Escoffier where everything is a question of organization. Like the turtle, for the preparation, festina vite (hurry slowly):

Ingredients

Turtle sauce

• 250ml of veal stock
• 6 sage leaves
• 1 sprig of marjoram
• 1 sprig of rosemary
• 1 sprig of thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 25g mushroom peels
• 700ml demi-glace sauce
• 300ml tomato sauce
• 100ml truffle essence
• Pinches of cayenne pepper to taste

Truffle essence

• 100ml madeira or port
• 100g of broken truffles

Demi-glace sauce

• 1.5l of veal stock
• 50g bacon
• 50g carrots
• 50g onions
• 300g crushed tomatoes
• 40g of concentrate
• 25g mushrooms
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 bouquet garni
• 50g butter
• 50g flour
• Salt
• Pepper

Preparations

Preparation of truffle essence

The day before, to make your truffle essence, boil 100ml of Madeira or port. Add 100g of broken truffles. Infuse for at least 24 hours and pass everything through cheesecloth. Reserve in the fridge. Your truffle essence is ready.

Preparing the demi-glace sauce

The same day, prepare the demi-glace sauce, the queen of sauces. In a saucepan prepare 1.5l of veal stock. Cut your carrots and onion into mirepoix. Next, melt the butter in a saucepan, throw in the diced bacon. Add the chopped vegetables. Pour in the flour and form a roux. Add the tomato paste and brown it to remove its acidity. Then remove the pot from the heat. Now pour in the boiling veal stock, stirring with a whisk until you reach the broth. Add your herbs and crushed tomatoes. Let simmer over medium heat and reduce by half for 1h30, skim. Finally pass everything through cheesecloth. Correct the seasoning of the 700ml of sauce. Reserve.

Preparing the turtle sauce

In 250ml of boiling veal stock, add the herbs and your sliced ​​mushrooms or peelings. Cover and let everything infuse for 25 minutes. Then add 4 peppercorns a few minutes before straining the infusion. Pour the infusion through cheesecloth into 700ml of the demi-glace sauce prepared just before. Add 300ml of fine tomato sauce. Reduce the whole thing by a quarter, pass through cheesecloth again. Adjust the sauce with 100ml of truffle essence and, as an essential final touch, season with sufficient cayenne pepper. Be careful, as Escoffier points out, “this sauce must have a certain amount, the use of Cayenne is indicated, but it is advisable to dose its use with the greatest care”. How gallantly these things are said!

The sauce must be powerful, supple, coating . A rediscovered delight in short. You can taste a veal head hot of course but also cold, sliced, like cold meats, nicely topped with this same sauce.

And since we're here, you can adapt this recipe by replacing the truffle essence with a shiitake mushroom essence from Marco Demacon . Powerful and tasty, these Asian mushrooms grown on oak logs, straight from the Vosges, will work wonders.

Do you want to improve a recipe? Would you like our advice for preparing a dish? Contact us directly by email or telephone . Our customer team will be happy to answer you.