Simple Sauces

Sauces are amazingly simple to make in the microwave--some barely require any cooking time at all--yet too often we forgo them. And that is a shame, because if you’re trying to refashion leftovers a dozen different ways, there’s nothing like a sauce to make things come together.

For example, Cheese Sauce can turn a batch of leftover noodles into a macaroni-and-cheese-style dish that kids love. Leftover vegetables can become a delicious warm salad with the proper salad dressing. Strips of baked, leftover pastry dough can become the foundation for a simple dessert. A few strips can be arranged on each dessert plate, topped with a scoop of ice cream and dribbled with Caramel Sauce and a handful of berries.

To encourage you to use sauces more in cooking, we want to tell you that they are practically impossible to ruin.

The keys to a good microwave sauce are: 1) stir two or three times during cooking; 2) choose a large-enough cooking dish, and 3) don’t overcook.

The good news is that even if you disregard all of these rules, the sauce will still be intact. It might have bubbled onto the floor of the microwave oven (no trouble to clean up), it might be a little lumpy (pass it through a sieve), but it will never be fodder for the disposal.

Now let’s look at these guidelines one by one.

* First, stirring two or three times during cooking redistributes the heat on the outside of the bowl to the inside. In the Cheese Sauce, stirring prevents lumps. The Caramel Sauce, whose high sugar content attracts the microwaves, will heat very quickly and needs to be stirred often. And don’t assume that because the microwave oven has a turntable that you don’t need to stir. A turntable merely rotates the food--it doesn’t move it around within the dish the way stirring does.

* Second, it is always better to use a cooking bowl that is twice the height of the sauce mixture. This will make stirring easier and will prevent unexpected boiling over. Even the warm salad dressing can boil over, although it is heated for only a few minutes.

* Third, don’t overcook. This may seem obvious, but the reason is not that the mixture will burn onto the bottom of the dish. It’s that sauces are cooked uncovered, and that overcooking may cause them to evaporate down to almost nothing. And if a sauce thickened with flour or cornstarch is overcooked, it will start to thin out again. When a sauce has reached its desired thickness, it’s time to stop.

Serve this sauce with cooked fish or chicken. You may even want to make it a dip for vegetables.

INDIAN YOGURT SAUCE

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 tablespoon margarine or vegetable or canola oil

2 tablespoons finely chopped onion

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger root

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3/4 cup plain yogurt

Crush coriander and cumin seeds in mortar and pestle. Place in microwave-proof bowl and stir in margarine, onion and ginger. Microwave on HIGH (100% power) 1 to 2 minutes or until onion and ginger are tender.

Stir in lemon juice, lemon zest, cayenne and yogurt. Microwave on HIGH 2 to 4 minutes or until heated through but not boiling, stirring once. Makes about 1 1/4 cups, enough for 6 servings.

This dressing is delicious over spinach, chicory or any tossed greens. Leftover vegetables (green beans, carrots, peppers and beets) become a vibrant salad when gently warmed in this dressing.

WARM VINAIGRETTE

1/4 cup olive oil

1 red, sweet or yellow onion, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine olive oil and onion in 4-cup glass measure. Microwave on HIGH (100% power) 2 minutes. Stir in vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. Microwave on HIGH 1 minute more.

Toss with greens and serve. Makes 2/3 cup, or enough for 8 cups torn salad greens, enough for 6 servings.

Toss this sauce with cooked macaroni or cauliflower, or spoon over roast beef or turkey slices in a sandwich.

CHEESE SAUCE

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

2 tablespoons flour

Dash salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup milk

1/2 cup shredded yellow (Cheddar-type) cheese

Place butter in 4-cup glass measure. Microwave on HIGH (100% power) 35 to 45 seconds or until melted. Stir in flour, salt and pepper to form smooth paste. Gradually whisk in milk until smoothly blended.

Microwave on HIGH 4 to 5 minutes or until boiling and thickened, stirring every 2 minutes to ensure smoothness. Stir in cheese (make sure sauce is completely thickened first). Stir until melted. Makes about 1 1/3 cups, 6 servings.

Try this sauce over ice cream, apple pie or poached pears. Leftover pastry from a pie can be rolled out, cut into strips, baked and frozen. Defrost pastry strips a few minutes at room temperature and serve them as a base for scoops of ice cream with a few berries and Caramel Sauce on top.

CARAMEL SAUCE

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup whipping cream

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

Combine brown sugar, cream and corn syrup in 4-cup glass measure and whisk to blend. Microwave on HIGH (100% power) 2 minutes. Whisk again.

Microwave on HIGH 1 minute. Whisk again.

Microwave on HIGH 1 minute more or until slightly thickened and caramel-colored. Whisk well until mixture stops boiling. (It will thicken as it cools.) Makes 3/4 cup, 4 servings.