Chasseur sauce is a French brown sauce that is usually served with chicken or beef. The sauce is also referred to as hunter's sauce. It is a fairly easy sauce to create and often contains fresh ingredients. Even though it has a French origin, this sauce is used in dishes all over the world.
This sauce is thought to have been created by Duke Philippe De Mornay. This French governor of Saumur, France, lived in the 1600s. He was a Protestant writer and was called the Protestant pope. De Mornay has also been credited with other French culinary sauces, such as mornay sauce and sauce porto.
The word sauce itself is a French word that means a relish to make food taste better. The word chasseur is a French word that means "hunter," which is why chasseur sauce is sometimes called hunter's sauce. The French called the sauce "hunter's" because it was originally used to make tough game birds taste better. They also called it hunter's because the vegetables used to make the sauce were found by the men while hunting.
Chasseur sauce is often made from a demi-glace base. Demi-glace is a thick brown sauce used in French cuisine. Sometimes it is used by itself as a glaze or as a base for other sauces. Veal stock was the original stock used, but now it is mostly made with even parts of beef and chicken stock. Demi-glace is very rich and one of the five mother sauces used in classical French cooking.
Fresh ingredients are added to chasseur sauce's meat stock base. This sauce most often contains fresh mushrooms, shallots and tomatoes. It also has a good portion of white wine added to it. Chasseur can be very rich, as it often contains a good amount of butter as well.
Many meat dishes use chasseur sauce. It pairs well with chicken and beef, but can be used with any other type of meat. Two of the most common dishes that use this sauce are coq au vin and cacciatore. Coq au vin is a French dish that combines chicken, vegetable, and brown sauce. Cacciatore is an Italian dish that is also made with chicken, vegetables and brown sauce.
Even though chasseur sauce contains healthy vegetables, it may be high in fat and calories depending on how it is made. Some recipes for this sauce contain a high amount of oil or butter, which will add extra fat. Most dishes that use this sauce only require a small amount per serving.