Mustard Cream Sauce

I love how a sauce can really elevate a dish. For whatever reason, a (mostly) simple liquid drizzled over a piece of chicken or salmon or a crawfish cake can bring in a certain elegance, and give a dish depth. That's why they're great for dinner parties. With this one particular recipe, where I cheated by buying pre-made crawfish cakes, the sauce helped tie in a homemade element to personalize the meal. And  honestly, you can't go wrong with a mustard sauce in almost any situation... mustard just equals delicious in a way that few condiments can exemplify.

I don't make sauces this complex often because they usually involve butter, cream and other fatty ingredients, but sometimes you have to splurge. Though even just some reduced white wine with mustard and chicken stock would make a delicious topping as well, it's the special occasion feeling that allows me to indulge with cream. And over a simply grilled chicken breast or broiled salmon fillet it isn't as much of a caloric splurge as it may seem.

Mustard Cream Sauce
1 Tbl butter or olive oil
1 shallot- minced
1 c. dry white wine
1 1/4 c. stock (chicken, seafood, vegetable)
1/2 c. heavy cream
2 Tbl. mustard (I like to use a spicy horseradish mustard)
1 Tbl tarragon- finely chopped

1. In a saute pan melt oil or butter. Add shallot and saute until soft and transparent. Deglaze the pan with wine and let reduce by 1/2.

2. Stir in cream, mustard and stock and let reduce by half until thickened. If it's too thick add a little stock, too thin then just keep reducing. Add in tarragon and serve over protein.