Au jus
Au jus is French for "with [its own] juice"; jus is the juice itself. In American cuisine, the term is mostly used to refer to a light sauce for beef recipes, which may be served with the food or placed on the side for dipping. In French cuisine, jus is a natural way to enhance the flavour of dishes, mainly chicken, veal and lamb.[1]
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Ingredients and preparation [edit]
'Jus' means the natural juices given off by the food.[2] To prepare a natural jus, the cook may simply skim off the fat from the juices left after cooking and bring the remaining meat stock and water to a boil. Jus can be frozen for six months or longer, but the flavor may suffer after this time.[3]
American recipes au jus often use soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, white or brown sugar, garlic, onion, or other ingredients to make something more like a gravy. So-called jus is sometimes prepared separately, rather than being produced naturally by the food being cooked. An example could be a beef jus made by reducing beef stock to a concentrated form, (also known as Glace de Viande) to accompany a meat dish.
Jus can also be made by extracting the juice from the original meat and combining it with another liquid e.g.: red wine (thus forming a red wine jus).
A powdered product described as jus is also sold, and is rubbed into the meat before cooking or added afterwards. Powdered forms generally use a combination of salt, dried onion, and sometimes sugar as primary flavoring agents.[4]
English language [edit]
In an entrenched United States usage, the term "au jus" has become corrupted from the French meaning and pronunciation; it is commonly used to refer to the broth, rather than its literal translation, "with the broth", and the silent s is pronounced.[5] So rather than a "sandwich au jus", the menu may read "sandwich with au jus". It is typically served with the French dip sandwich.
References [edit]
- ^ "Justin Quek: Passion & Inspiration", Justin Quek with Tan Su-Lyn, Bon Vivant Publishing Pte Ltd, 2006, Page 30
- ^ http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=au%20jus
- ^ Labensky and Hause (1999), On Cooking, Prentice-Hall
- ^ http://www.americanspice.com/catalog/20083/search/Au_Jus_Mix.html?SEARCH=3&WORDS=Au%2Bjus%2Bmix%2Bingredients&orig=30&PAGE=0&_ssess_=39a41c5c1f61c6791bc73af54c25f271
- ^ Garner, Bryan A. (2000). The Oxford Dictionary of American Usage and Style. Oxford University Press. p. 33. ISBN 978-0-19-513508-4. Retrieved 2013-01-06.
