How to create a 'split' sauce

[Morning Glory]

This may be a question for ChefBasics. I'd like advice on how to create a split sauce (please no jokes about you having done it many times by accident!). Its a bit of a cheffy trick and looks very pretty. I've made split salad dressings (vinegar dripped into oil or oil dripped into a yoghurt dressing for example - mainly by trial and error) but I'm not certain of the principles and whether the same applies to split hot sauces. This is the sort of effect I mean:

Of course if I try to Google this it just leads for lots of advice on how to repair and accidentally split sauce! Hence my asking here.


In fact I don't think the above image is quite what I'm talking about as I think that the image is of parsley or dill oil dripped into a creamy sauce. What I mean is an actual sauce poured into another sauce.

 

[GadgetGuy]

I've never done that before.

 

[flyinglentris]

I've never done that before.

Like Morning Glory said, it sometimes happens by accident. I can see it being done intentionally with Oils mated with possibly, some Syrups, etc., with Creamy Stuff, but not for many Sauces. With Oils and Syrups, Fats and some other Stuff, there is a tendency for things to separate and float, allowing things to be mixed all at once and be allowed to separate and do that thing. The time taken for separation gets to be a critical thing and it should happen quickly for things that are not intended to cool and be served hot.

Often, a Sauce weds with just about everything in it and needs to be simmered for some time and often stirred, making the concept improbable, if not impossible. So with Sauces, the Split Sauce idea depends largely upon the intended product, with the base Sauce being the one that is simmered and stirred while the split might be applied on top as something prepared in another pot - possibly also simmered and stirred, but added when the Meal is served. I am assuming in that vein that both elements of the split are Sauce. I like to an occasion, drizzle melted Butter on top of Clam Chowder, but Clam Chowder is a Creamy Dish. However, that's not what MG is after here.

It is possible to create a Sauce which has ingredients that separate out, even when stirred. Again, it depends upon the Sauce base and its reaction, usually to an Oil. The nice thing here is that Oils can retain a lot of flavor elements, like Tomato and Pepper Sauce. But what you don't want is a base Sauce that will be accepted into the Oil. You want the Base to reject the Oil and the Oil to reject the Base. Cream Sauces are probably best candidates, although there are possibly others. As I pointed out, Oil and Tomato will mate up pretty well, so Tomato based Sauces shouldn't be considered for this.

Fats from some cooked Meats also separate out in certain bases.

You need to develop a food ingredient grammar to deal with the concept of splits and understand what ingredients reject others, as well as the time it takes for that to happen.

BTW: Acids and Oils don't mix - vinegar for example, can be rejected by cooked Meat Fats and Salad Oils.

 

[ChefBasics]

This may be a question for ChefBasics. I'd like advice on how to create a split sauce (please no jokes about you having done it many times by accident!). Its a bit of a cheffy trick and looks very pretty. I've made split salad dressings (vinegar dripped into oil or oil dripped into a yoghurt dressing for example - mainly by trial and error) but I'm not certain of the principles and whether the same applies to split hot sauces. This is the sort of effect I mean:

View attachment 55534


Of course if I try to Google this it just leads for lots of advice on how to repair and accidentally split sauce! Hence my asking here.


In fact I don't think the above image is quite what I'm talking about as I think that the image is of parsley or dill oil dripped into a creamy sauce. What I mean is an actual sauce poured into another sauce.

You have it pretty much said already, in the simple form, its a sauce that just before serving, you blend a flavoured oil into. So for example, a lobster bisque with chilli and dill oil blended in. It will not hold an emulsion and so you have large droplets of suspended oil (usually brightly coloured) throughout.

This needs to be served very soon after blending as the oil will quickly float to the top and just form a layer of grease on top of your sauce.
Sometimes ingredients such as xanthan gum are added to the base sauce to change the viscosity which holds the oil droplets in place longer.

 

[Morning Glory]

You have it pretty much said already, in the simple form, its a sauce that just before serving, you blend a flavoured oil into. So for example, a lobster bisque with chilli and dill oil blended in. It will not hold an emulsion and so you have large droplets of suspended oil (usually brightly coloured) throughout.

This needs to be served very soon after blending as the oil will quickly float to the top and just form a layer of grease on top of your sauce.
Sometimes ingredients such as xanthan gum are added to the base sauce to change the viscosity which holds the oil droplets in place longer.

I'm not quite understanding this. You are saying that the two elements are blended before serving? I've seen chefs on TV pouring one sauce over another (on the serving dish) and the sauce 'splits' as this happens.

 

[ChefBasics]

I'm not quite understanding this. You are saying that the two elements are blended before serving? I've seen chefs on TV pouring one sauce over another (on the serving dish) and the sauce 'splits' as this happens.

Oh you can certainly do that, i prefer to lightly blend the two sauces together with a stick blender for literally a second or two, this creates a lot of small oil droplets rather than the larger pools that you see often. Its just a matter of preference to the look you are going for. Pouring one over the other creates random 5mm-ish splits and blending creates 1 to 2mm-ish droplets, i prefer the later more often than not as it allows you to taste both sauces simultaneously in every bite. Again it depends on the end goal

 

[Morning Glory]

Oh you can certainly do that, i prefer to lightly blend the two sauces together with a stick blender for literally a second or two, this creates a lot of small oil droplets rather than the larger pools that you see often. Its just a matter of preference to the look you are going for. Pouring one over the other creates random 5mm-ish splits and blending creates 1 to 2mm-ish droplets, i prefer the later more often than not as it allows you to taste both sauces simultaneously in every bite. Again it depends on the end goal

OK - I like both effects. Does it have to be a pure (flavoured) oil? Could it be some other kind of sauce containing oil? I suppose I'm thinking of the times I've seen this and the part to be poured in is really quite a lot as opposed to a few droplets. Or that is how it looks. The thought of all that oil on the dish would seem excessive. I really wish I could find a video or photo of what I mean!

P.S. Its possible I have a false memory and that it is simply flavoured oil I've seen added.

 

[ChefBasics]

OK - I like both effects. Does it have to be a pure (flavoured) oil? Could it be some other kind of sauce containing oil? I suppose I'm thinking of the times I've seen this and the part to be poured in is really quite a lot as opposed to a few droplets. Or that is how it looks. The thought of all that oil on the dish would seem excessive. I really wish I could find a video or photo of what I mean!

P.S. Its possible I have a false memory and that it is simply flavoured oil I've seen added.

I have never seen it done first hand with anything other than flavoured oils, im sure that you could get the effect as long as the 2 sauces had different specific gravities, however the blend technique would not work for these as it would just mix them together.
Using different specific gravities is how you get layers cocktails so the theory is solid.