MyGourmetConnection Finds and Reviews is a a collection of great product finds for food lovers. We look for new and interesting cookbooks, gourmet foods, kitchen tools, table decor, and wine and spirit so our readers can stay on top of what's new and delicious!

Michel Roux Sauces: Revised and Updated

Michel Roux's Sauces is the quintessential guide to virtually any sauce recipe you can dream up. In fact, this revised and updated edition is quite possibly the only cookbook you'll ever need on the subject.

Roux reveals the classic techniques and French "secrets" of sauce making in more than 200 recipes to accompany and transform a wide variety of dishes ranging from savory to sweet.

The first recipes featured are "mother sauces" like stocks that serve as the foundation for other sauces. Immediately following the basic stock recipes comes flavorful marinades. From there, Roux progresses to infusions and nages, white sauces, emulsion sauces, vinaigrettes, flavored oils and butters, salsas and other piquant sauces.

These chapters include really useful ideas for recipe variations, such as a half dozen variations on the classic mayo or myriad flavored vinegars and vinaigrettes - something for every palate.

From there, Roux dives into vegetable coulis, sauces for fish, seafood, meat, poultry and game, savory fruity sauces and chutneys, coulis and other fruity dessert sauces, custards and sabayons, and chocolate and other rich creamy sauces.

Throughout these sections, you'll find thorough instructions, such as how to create the perfect coulis, as well as a step-by-step guide to a classic sabayon. Sauces concludes with a helpful indexed guide to pairing food with sauces.

Some of the more notable and unusual recipes that caught our attention include:

• Parmesan Water (recommended as an amuse bouche along with tiny sage-potato gnocchi)
• Champagne Sauce (a decadent accompaniment for poached white fish)
• Mango Coulis with Saffron (drizzle atop poached meringues or fresh sliced fruit)

Sauces is a wonderful resource for several reasons: firstly, Roux's attention to detail and straightforward instructions for classic techniques and preparations; secondly, the sheer volume of recipes included; and lastly, the inspiration that comes from the carefully planned food pairings.

About $16.50 from Amazon.com