I think everyone should have a magical butter sauce recipe up their sleeves. One that you can pull out of a hat in an instant, without even looking the recipe up.
Don’t know what to make for dinner and don’t have time to think? Take any ingredient, sear, steam, broil, grill or even microwave … and pour the magical butter sauce on top. Bam!
Instant delicious.
I have several magical butter sauce recipes, and I discovered one yesterday that so far, I’ve had with four different dishes. Yes, in the past 24 hours, I’ve already paired it with pan-seared salmon (first photo), steamed asparagus, grilled artichoke halves and microwaved green beans.
That’s how magical it is!
What? You want me to share? Oh of course!
The magical butter sauce is derived from a brand new cookbook that I got called Southern Living Farmers Market Cookbook. Of course, they don’t call it magical butter sauce, but that’s my name for it, and I’m sticking with it!
Magical Butter Sauce Recipe
In a microwave safe bowl, melt 1/3 cup butter. Add 2 tablespoons fruit preserves (apricot, mango-jalapeno, blackberry, etc.), 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, a good turn of the pepper mill and a generous pinch of salt.
Pour this over whatever your little heart desires.
And then tuck this simple little recipe in your mind’s recipe box, right between your killer cocktail and spaghetti ‘n meatballs recipe. There, you’ll always have it now!
Do you have a favorite magical sauce recipe you can divulge? One that is simple yet tastes good on everything?
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Jaden Hair is a food writer, television personality, and food photographer based in Tampa Bay, Florida. Find more of her recipes in her blog, Steamy Kitchen, where you can also read more about Jaden’s new book, The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook, and the rave reviews it’s received!
my life in tune on Thursday, March 18
My palate is obviously unrefined, but I think A1 steak sauce and good ol' Hidden Valley Ranch dressing are good on just about anything. Not that I use it on everything, of course. I'm not five anymore. (I'll admit to still dipping my steamed artichoke leaves in Ranch dressing, though. Mmmmm...)1
Carolette on Thursday, March 18
My favorite go-to sauce for chicken is: mix some mayo with some mustard - alot of mustard or a little depending on how you like it. Add a spash of hot sauce and a good handful of chopped green onions. Salt and pepper and you're done. Its really good!2
Susie @ Hick Chick on Thursday, March 18
Balsamic Sauce: 1/3 cup sugar or sugar substitute (like splenda) 1/2 cup Balsamic Vinegar 1 tsp. coarse ground black pepper (or less) Combine balsamic vinegar, Splenda or sugar, and black pepper in small saucepan. Let it come to a very low simmer and cook until reduced by half, about 10-15 minutes. This rocks my world. I want to eat it on everything. Fish & veggies are particularly good - but some got on my cottage cheese and it was super delicious on that too!3
mirinblue on Thursday, March 18
My "magical" dipping sauce-take some apricot jam (abt 1/3-1/2 cup) add 1 or 2 tablespoons grainy mustard and 1 tsp or so of sriracha to taste, stir together, nuke for abt 30 seconds and voila! good as a quickie for eggrolls, chicken fingers etc. Also, leave out the hot sauce, add vinegar and oil and instant salad dressing!4
steffiweffi on Thursday, March 18
Mmmmmmm! This might just have to be included in tomorrow night's dinner!5
Debby on Thursday, March 18
Being a fan of Jaden, and having her cookbook, the photo is a gorgeous. The sauce is so simple, and I can hardly wait to make it on chicken tonight. This is kind of a cheater pan sauce, and that's good enough for me. I just happen to have some homemade apricot-pineapple jam. Thanks, Jaden! You rock! PS: Why would someone put Splenda in balsamic vinegar? For real?6
lisa on Thursday, March 18
While I like the name "Magical", I think I'll re-name it "3-2-1 Butter Sauce" so I can remember it (3 = 1/3 butter, 2= 2 tbl preserves & 1= 1 tbl balsamic) There ... now it's stuck in my "filing cabinet" : )7
KristineB on Thursday, March 18
I memorized a mushroom wine sauce from a recent chicken recipe (can't remember the blog though!) but I put it on almost anything savory. Just keep adding ingreadients to the pan in steps as they are listed. 2 T butter (melt in sauce pan) 1/4 c. onions sliced (2 min. in butter) 1/2 lb. mushrooms (3-4 min. in butter) 1/4 c. white wine (reduce by 1/2) 1/2 c. chicken stock (reduce reduce by 1/2) 1/4 t fresh nutmeg salt and pepper (I season along the way, salting the onion first) Chicken, pork, beef, potatoes...anything that goes with shrooms. (P.S. Notice the 2,4,2,4 pattern -makes it easier to memorize)8
big2beautiful on Thursday, March 18
I made this magical butter sauce and I was asked my my so "mom why haven't you made veggies like this before?" Then he said :can I take some to school my friends never eat their vegetables but I bet a million bucks they will eat theses". Thanks for the recipe. We love J's magic butter sauce.9
Abby @ They Lend Me Their Hearts on Thursday, March 18
GOING to make this!!! Sounds delicious! And EASY!!10
terri on Thursday, March 18
Love this!11
Kawa on Thursday, March 18
Filipino adobo! Equal parts vinegar and soy sauce, garlic, onions, salt, peppercorns, and maybe a bay leaf. You can cook *anything* in some variant of that sauce and it would be pure glory.12
missinthekitchen on Thursday, March 18
DELICIOUS!!!13
steamykitchen on Thursday, March 18
@susie and @mirinblue - oh wow, both sound so fab! esp over roasted veg! @deb (blush!) @lisa you are a genius! totally right on! @kawa ADOBO rocks!!!14
Sarah S on Thursday, March 18
That is pure genius! Will definitely be making magical butter sauce at my house tomorrow night I'm a fan of Mark Bittman's flank steak marinade. I've used it on various cuts of beef, chicken, salmon and sometimes drizzle over stir fry veggies as they're cooking. Guessing it would be tasty on white fish, shrimp or scallops 3 Tbs fresh lime juice 2 Tbs soy or fish sauce 1 tsp minced garlic 1 tsp fresh grated ginger 1 tsp sugar (I sub agave nectar) salt and pepper to taste marinate meat for at least 30mins, grill or broil to desired doneness and voila! Pure scrumptiousness! Oh and then there's a Dijon vinaigrette that I'm not above eating with a spoon sometimes. It's made with fresh lemon juice, olive oil, a bit of Dijon mustard, agave nectar, finely diced shallots, salt and pepper to taste then shake shake shake to combine. Sometimes I jazz it up with a hit of cayenne or sub spicy mustard for Dijon. Other times I do half lemon juice half champagne or pinot vinaigrette. I put it on salads, drizzle over cold chicken and use it as a dip for crudite15
MS Hospitality on Friday, March 19
Gosh... how simple yet perfect! Love all the other sauce ideas too... thanks girlfriends! I have a simple butter, capers, lemon juice, garlic mixture I use as my go to sauce. I vary the portions according to what I'm serving...more lemon juice for veggies, more garlic for chicken, pork and more capers for seafood. Love it! Thanks Jaden!16
Jessica @ How Sweet It Is on Friday, March 19
I love a good brown butter sauce. This pretty much makes my life - butter is love.17
Emily F. on Friday, March 19
hmmm this is basically the sauce I make. i usually make it with chicken and use my homemade strawberry jam. So good!!18
Patricia C on Friday, March 19
That sounds absolutely delicious!19
jorja on Friday, March 19
This sounds great, and with Lisa's trick, I will actually remember how to make it! Now I'm actually excited about making dinner!20
Balayne on Friday, March 19
My favorite "go to" sauce is one I just posted this week! It's my Thai Style Coconut Curry Sauce. I put it on everything! - http://tastykitchen.com/tasty-kitchen/recipes/condiments/thai-style-chili-coconut-curry-sauce/21
Rachel on Friday, March 19
That sounds completely and udderly fab! Magic, indeed.22
Jennifer Eyring on Friday, March 19
My favorite simple sauce, and salad dressing lately is a mixtures of mayonaise (2T or so) and soy sauce (1t). Thin with a bit of water if you need it thinner. Also good with fresh garlic, or powd. garlic added. Its amazingly good on cooked veggies, meats, or salad!23
Miss T on Friday, March 19
YUM!!! This looks pretty amazing...I love butter. It is the salve that heals all bad days! LOL! I will have to try Balayne's thai cocunut sauce recommendation too!24
Mimster on Friday, March 19
My only Magical Butter Sauce (until I read this) is a mix of melted butter and sour cream mixed with any herbs or seasonings you like. I used this on any variation of potatoes and my family thinks it's genious. I think that's sweet...they have no idea it's my biggest cheat.25
sallyk on Friday, March 19
That sounds great! I think I'd add a splash of soy sauce to up the umami quotient. It's an idea I got from Melissa D'Arabian (Food Network) and David Lebovitz.26
amandaecoupe on Friday, March 19
yum!!!27
YellowBird on Friday, March 19
My favorite sauce for steak and burgers is my Daddy's concoction from years ago - his friends call it "Thunder sauce" since Thunder was his nickname. Melt some butter in a pan, add some Worcestershire sauce, fresh lemon juice, chopped green onions, sliced mushrooms and a splash or three of red wine. Let it reduce a little and serve over grilled steak or burgers. Soooo good!28
Erin Weston on Friday, March 19
I am loving all the posts on magical sauces. Thanks all for sharing...I can't wait to give 'em a try. I love the 3-2-1 idea and am totally trying Thunder sauce. Yum.29
Anjie-abehunin on Friday, March 19
I can't wait to try this one with my homemade Pepper Jelly. Thanks for sharing. :)30
Patti Thames on Friday, March 19
I make a sauce for blanched veggies, like asparagus, broccoli, green beans. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in small skillet. Add 1/2 cup chopped cashews. Saute 1 minute and add 3 tablespoons honey. Stir one more minute. Pour over veggies & toss. Wonderful.31
jerseylou on Friday, March 19
Recovering from a cold and preparing a delayed St. Paddy's dinner!32
Julia L. on Friday, March 19
That's going on some tilapia filets tonight, for sure. yum.33
Kelly on Friday, March 19
Mine is the 1-2-3 Sauce~ 1 tsp chopped Garlic (or TBSP depending on who's @ the table) 2 TBSP ea. butteror olive oil (depending on what's on the plate) 3 TBSP chopped almonds (or cashews, or peanuts) fab on fish, great on veggies and not to shabby for chicken!34
Life of a Doctor's Wife on Friday, March 19
That looks fantabulous! I may try it tonight! I'm no chef... But my go-to "magic" sauce is 1/2 cup balsamic, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1/4 cup water, 1/8 to 1/4 cup brown sugar (depending on how sweet you like things to be). Stir together in a sauce pan, bring to a bubble until it thickens (real chef-types might say "reduces"?), drizzle over asparagus, baked potatoes, pork, chicken, steak, salmon... and even ICE CREAM. Yum.35
Amy on Friday, March 19
My daughter is in a play, so I'll help put eyeliner on 65 kids!36
Liz Chambers on Friday, March 19
Balsamic vinegar and fruit are always a great combination. This sounds like a terrific marinade for all the great produce that's about to come through the farmers markets! Also: do you ever dip fresh strawberries into balsamic vinegar w/cracked pepper? B/c you should. =)37
Saradrums on Friday, March 19
My special sauce is really wonderful on cooked carrots, fish, other veggies . The proportions can be varied to taste --- melt some good butter -- my fave is Kerrygold -- then add candied ginger, chopped into pieces about the size of a couple of grains of rice. Squeeze in some meyer lemon juice. Cook it until it is syrupy from the candied ginger sugar. Alternatively, you can use a lot of juice and make it much lighter -- don't cook it down in that case. YUM!!!38
steamykitchen on Friday, March 19
my goodness! all these fantastic ideas! I'm on butter overload!39
Trish in MO on Friday, March 19
Oh, wow, fellow foodies! I have to make a new recipe subsection in sauces called 'magic sauces'! Thanks for sharing, and thanks Jaden for kicking it off!40
slobee on Saturday, March 20
1. yogurt+tahini+s/p 2. soy sauce+sesame oil+garlic+sugar/honey/splenda 3. garlic+mayo41
Amalia on Saturday, March 20
I definitely try this sauce on top of asparagus, it sounds easy and delicious thanks42
Susan on Saturday, March 20
Here's one I found recently on Allrecipes.com and it's stupid easy!. 1/4 cup Mayonaise 1 tbsp Honey 1 tbsp prepared Mustard (I like Dijon) 1 tsp Lemon juice pinch each- salt and pepper Mix and serve as a salad dressing, a sauce for fish, pour over vegetables or use as a dip.43
freckles2stars on Saturday, March 20
Great sauces to add to my personal cookbook. Love it! I have something I do with butter for dipping artichokes. 1/2 cup Hellman's mayo, 2 to 4 tbl butter, fresh squeezed lemon juice to taste. And then there is this onion relish/sauce recipe from Martha Stewart that we love on steaks, chicken, fish, and brushetta. It really goes on and on. We make double and keep on hand in the fridge. 1 tbl Honey; 3 tbl sherry vinegar; course salt, pepper; 1/4 cup olive oil, preferably Spanish; 1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped(about 1/2 c); 1 tbl minced garlic; 1/3 c brine cured pitted green olives, cut into 1/4 inch rounds; 1 navel orange, peel and pith cut off, flesh cut into 1/2 inch cubes; 1/4 c chopped fresh flat-parsley. Whisk together honey and sherry vinegar ; season with salt and pepper. Whisk slowly oil in a steady stream until emulsified. Stir in onion, garlic, olives, orange, and parsley. I hope you enjoy.44
Nella on Saturday, March 20
Got up early to make brunch for a neighbor. They lost their son in an accident. Since it snowed here also...Kansas City, we are staying home and just hanging out. Basketball will certainly keep Mr. Wii entertained from 1pm until 9pm. A yummy, lazy day. N45
Elizabeth on Saturday, March 20
I love Piri Piri sauce on just about anything! I am planning to have some magical butter sauce(with balsamic fig preserves) tonight on some chicken, asparagus and taters!46
Jane on Saturday, March 20
Wow! How cool is that? I've always wanted to have a little magic - now I do. Thanks!!47
Kari Walker on Saturday, March 20
Chive & Onion Cream Cheese cooked with Chicken Broth - cook down to make a sauce serve with chicken & rice.48
cuddaben on Saturday, March 20
1/2 cup Heinz 57 1/4 cup honey 1-2 tbsp. hot sauce 1 tsp. thyme 1 tsp. oregano mix, heat slap on beef, pork, or yard bird. Use to dip anything fried into it or eat it with a spoon if you want to.49
Julie on Saturday, March 20
This was wonderful. Grilled some t-bones last nite, made the sauce with orange marmalade and it was so good! Someone mentioned strawberry jam, think I'll try that next time. And all these other recipes, I can't wait to try them! Thank you to everyone for all the great ideas!50