Cook's Thesaurus: European Condiments

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European Condiments

aioli = garlic mayonnaise Substitutes: roasted garlic

anchovy paste   Shopping hints:   Supermarkets carry tubes of this, usually near the canned tuna. Substitutes: mashed anchovy fillets (1 fillet yields about 1 teaspoon of paste. This substitute has a stronger flavor than prepared anchovy paste.) OR shrimp paste (more pungent than anchovy paste).

chrain See horseradish.

Dijon mustard Shopping hints:   Grey Poupon and French's are well-regarded brands. To make your own: See the Dijon Mustard recipe posting on Recipesource.com.

garlic mayonnaise See aioli.
Grey Poupon See Dijon mustard.

Hollandaise Sauce   Notes:   You can cheat and buy this in cans, but the tinny flavor will rat you out. To make your own: See the recipes for Hollandaise Sauce, Hollandaise Sauce--Microwave or Quickie Hollandaise Sauce posted on RecipeSource.com.   Substitutes: See RecipeSource postings for   Mock Hollandaise Sauce or Mock Hollandaise Sauce (low cholesterol).

horseradish (prepared) This pungent condiment goes well with meats and fish, and it’s a key ingredient in cocktail sauce. It’s best to buy horseradish in small amounts and store it in the refrigerator—it turns dark and loses much of its bite after a few months. Look for it in the deli case. Varieties: The most common is white horseradish, which is made with vinegar. Creamed horseradish = cream-style horseradish has a little mayonnaise and/or sour cream added; horseradish sauce has a lot. Red horseradish = beet horseradish is made with beet juice.

To make your own: When exposed to air, the flesh of the horseradish root begins an enzymatic reaction that causes it to become increasingly pungent within the first few minutes, and then milder after that. Adding a sour liquid stops the reaction and locks in the heat for several months. If you’re making your own white horseradish, make sure your kitchen is well ventilated, wear rubber gloves, and avoid touching your eyes. Begin by preparing a sour liquid solution of one cup vinegar and one teaspoon salt. Next, peel a horseradish root, chop it into small pieces, and grind it in a blender, adding just enough water to enable the blade to turn freely. To make a mild sauce, immediately mix in ½ cup of the vinegar solution for each cup of grated horseradish root. To make the sauce hotter, add the solution after a few minutes when the pungency is peaking. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to use. Substitutes: grated horseradish root OR wasabi (This Japanese condiment comes in green paste or powder.) OR wasabi cream sauce OR grated wasabi root (This is hard to find in American markets.)

horseradish relish See horseradish.
horseradish sauce See horseradish.

mayonnaise   To make your own: See RecipeSource.com postings for Mayonnaise, Homemade Mayonnaise and Eggless Mock Mayonnaise. Substitutes: mustard OR roasted garlic (as a sandwich spread) OR aioli OR yogurt (especially in chicken or tuna salads; less rich tasting but lower in calories) OR mashed avocados (This is a good sandwich spread. Avocados are also high in fat, but it's most monounsaturated fat, which isn't as harmful as other kinds of fat.)

mint sauce Notes:   The British like to serve this with roast lamb. To make your own:   Bring to a boil 1/2 cup cider vinegar mixed with 1 teaspoon sugar. Pour over 1/4 cup chopped mint and stir.

olive butter To make your own: Mix pitted green olives in a food processor, adding enough olive oil to make the mixture spreadable. Substitutes: tapenade

piccalilli relish = green tomato relish Notes:   This goes especially well with ham.

piri piri sauce = piri-piri sauce   Notes: This is a fiery Portuguese sauce. To make your own:    See the Piri Piri Sauce recipe posted on RecipeSource.com.
prepared horseradish  See horseradish.

tapenade To make your own: See the recipe for Tapenade posted on About.com. Substitutes: olive butter

tomato paste = (in Britain) tomato puree Substitutes: tomato sauce (Use twice as much, but compensate by reducing another liquid in recipe. Tomato sauce has salt, pepper, and other seasonings added; tomato paste includes only salt.) OR tomato puree (Use twice as much, but compensate by reducing another liquid in recipe. Tomato puree is unseasoned, while tomato paste has salt added.)

tomato puree Substitutes: tomato sauce (This has salt, pepper, and other seasonings added, while tomato puree is unseasoned) OR 3 parts tomato paste + 5 parts water (tomato paste has salt added, while tomato puree is unseasoned) Notes: tomato puree (in Britain) = tomato paste (in the US)

tomato sauce Substitutes: tomato puree (this is unseasoned, while tomato sauce has salt, pepper, and other seasonings added) OR 3 parts tomato paste + 4 parts water (tomato paste has only salt added, while tomato sauce includes salt, pepper, and other seasonings. Notes: tomato sauce (in Australia) = catsup (in the US)

Worcestershire sauce    Notes: Health foods sell a vegetarian version of this. To make your own:   See the recipe for Worcestershire Sauce posted on RecipeSource.com. Substitutes: steak sauce OR soy sauce

Copyright © 1996-2005 Lori Alden

	Hollandaise Sauce *Notes:* You can cheat and buy this in cans, but the tinny flavor will rat you out. *To make your own:* See the recipes for Hollandaise Sauce, Hollandaise Sauce--Microwave or Quickie Hollandaise Sauce posted on RecipeSource.com. *Substitutes:* See RecipeSource postings for Mock Hollandaise Sauce or Mock Hollandaise Sauce (low cholesterol).
	horseradish (prepared) This pungent condiment goes well with meats and fish, and it’s a key ingredient in cocktail sauce. It’s best to buy horseradish in small amounts and store it in the refrigerator—it turns dark and loses much of its bite after a few months. Look for it in the deli case. Varieties: The most common is white horseradish, which is made with vinegar. Creamed horseradish = cream-style horseradish has a little mayonnaise and/or sour cream added; horseradish sauce has a lot. Red horseradish = beet horseradish is made with beet juice.
*To make your own:* When exposed to air, the flesh of the horseradish root begins an enzymatic reaction that causes it to become increasingly pungent within the first few minutes, and then milder after that. Adding a sour liquid stops the reaction and locks in the heat for several months. If you’re making your own white horseradish, make sure your kitchen is well ventilated, wear rubber gloves, and avoid touching your eyes. Begin by preparing a sour liquid solution of one cup vinegar and one teaspoon salt. Next, peel a horseradish root, chop it into small pieces, and grind it in a blender, adding just enough water to enable the blade to turn freely. To make a mild sauce, immediately mix in ½ cup of the vinegar solution for each cup of grated horseradish root. To make the sauce hotter, add the solution after a few minutes when the pungency is peaking. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to use. Substitutes: grated horseradish root OR wasabi (This Japanese condiment comes in green paste or powder.) OR wasabi cream sauce OR grated wasabi root (This is hard to find in American markets.)

	tapenade To make your own: See the recipe for Tapenade posted on About.com. Substitutes: olive butter
	tomato paste = (in Britain) tomato puree Substitutes: tomato sauce (Use twice as much, but compensate by reducing another liquid in recipe. Tomato sauce has salt, pepper, and other seasonings added; tomato paste includes only salt.) OR tomato puree (Use twice as much, but compensate by reducing another liquid in recipe. Tomato puree is unseasoned, while tomato paste has salt added.)
	tomato puree *Substitutes:* tomato sauce (This has salt, pepper, and other seasonings added, while tomato puree is unseasoned) OR 3 parts tomato paste + 5 parts water (tomato paste has salt added, while tomato puree is unseasoned) Notes: tomato puree (in Britain) = tomato paste (in the US)

	tomato sauce Substitutes: tomato puree (this is unseasoned, while tomato sauce has salt, pepper, and other seasonings added) OR 3 parts tomato paste + 4 parts water (tomato paste has only salt added, while tomato sauce includes salt, pepper, and other seasonings. *Notes:* tomato sauce (in Australia) = catsup (in the US)
	Worcestershire sauce Notes: Health foods sell a vegetarian version of this. *To make your own:* See the recipe for Worcestershire Sauce posted on RecipeSource.com. *Substitutes:* steak sauce OR soy sauce