National Sauce Month

Peanut sauce is good for more than just pad thai, so if you're a fan of the Asian staple, we're highlighting a variety of ways to incorporate the sauce in different dishes. Whether you prefer to make it yourself or buy it at the store, these ideas are sure to help you come up with new, original recipes. In honor of National Sauce Month, check out these five different ways to use peanut sauce:

1. In a wrap: Spice up your next lunch wrap by spreading a thin layer of peanut sauce over the tortilla, then sprinkle crushed peanuts on top for an extra nutty flavor.
2. On a salad: Toss basic peanut sauce over your salad for a sweet, creamy dressing, or give it an extra boost by adding fresh ginger, chopped green onions, and dry-roasted peanuts.
3. For pasta sauce: Before you top your favorite noodle dish with peanut sauce, try thinning it out a bit by mixing it with chicken broth.
4. As a dip: Peanut sauce is the perfect dip for fresh vegetables, crispy tofu, meats, and spring rolls, but you can also venture out with seafood skewers or dumplings.
5. In a marinade: Blend peanut sauce with soy sauce, ginger, onions, and a dash of hot sauce for a delicious meat or vegetable marinade.

What do you use peanut sauce for?

Ever heard of the five French mother sauces? Originally classified by Antonin Carême in the 19th century and later updated by Auguste Escoffier in the 20th century, the sauces include béchamel, velouté, espagnole, hollandaise, and tomato. Most other sauces find their origins in these five types, hence the term "mother." Here's a brief rundown on the ingredients of each sauce, plus common pairings:

1. Béchamel. This classic milk-based white sauce was named after Louis de Béchamel, chief steward to Louis XIV. It's composed of three main ingredients: flour, butter, and milk. The thickness of this cream sauce depends on the ratio of flour and butter to milk: the more milk, the thinner the sauce. It's usually served with eggs, fish, steamed veggies or poultry, or pastas, like macaroni and cheese.
2. Velouté. This sauce is made just like béchamel, only milk is swapped for stock. Whether it's made from chicken, veal, or fish stock, velouté is typically not flavored with extra seasonings, and it's regularly used on veal, eggs, fish, steamed vegetables, poultry, or pastas.
3. Espagnole. A brown stock-based sauce that may sound Spanish but is actually French in origin. Espagnole includes rich meat stock, browned vegetables, browned roux (a butter and flour mix), plus herbs and tomato paste. Unlike velouté, though, it's served mainly with roasted meats.
4. Hollandaise. Egg yolks and fat, usually butter, are the basic ingredients for this yellow emulsified sauce. Like mayonnaise, this rich, creamy sauce tends to top eggs, vegetables, light poultry, or fish.
5. Tomato. Whether it's made with raw, stewed tomatoes or a tomato paste, tomato-based sauce is generally used on pasta, fish, vegetables, veal, poultry, breads, and dumplings.

This list is still up for contention today, as still others believe that different sauces (like allemande, the egg-enriched velouté sauce, and vinaigrette) belong in the category of "mother sauce." How many of these have you made at home or sampled at a French restaurant?