Cumberland Sauce
Cumberland sauce is one of the great classic English sauces, it is served cold as a condiment, and it is thought to have been named after the Duke of Cumberland. It goes well with cold cuts of meat, pâtés, cold gammon, tongue, cold goose or game, and at Christmas or Thanksgiving – it also goes well with a slice of Game Pie.
Cumberland Sauce Recipe
Makes about 750ml to store. This sauce should not be too thick – it is meant to have a thin consistency.
Recipe Ingredients:
- 4 oranges
- 2 lemons
- 450g redcurrant jelly
- 150ml port
- 1 tsp English mustard powder
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
Recipe Method:
Scrub the oranges and lemons, then remove the rind thinly, (use a veg peeler) paring away any white pith. Cut the orange and lemon rind into very thin strips, as long as possible. Put the strips into a heavy-based saucepan, cover them with cold water, and bring this up to the boil. Simmer the rind like this for 2 minutes, then drain.
Put them back in the cleaned saucepan, cover with cold water, and bring to the boil for a second time, and simmer for about 3 minutes (doing this twice extracts any bitterness from the rind). Drain well and return the rind to the cleaned pan.
Squeeze the juice from the flesh of the citrus fruits, (remove any pips) then add it to the pan with the redcurrant jelly. Reserve 30ml (2 tbsp) of the port and add the rest to the pan.
Slowly bring the mixture to the boil, stirring until the redcurrant jelly has melted. Simmer for 10 minutes until (only slightly) thickened. Blend the mustard powder and ground ginger with the small amount of reserved port (into a paste) and then stir this into the Cumberland Sauce. Cook this out over a low heat, stirring until the sauce slightly thickens and boils. Simmer for 2 minutes.
Leave the sauce to cool for about 5 minutes, then stir again briefly. Pass the sauce through a fine-meshed sieve over a bowl. Pour the Cumberland Sauce into a warmed sterilized wide-necked bottle and seal. The sauce will keep for three weeks in the fridge. Once opened, store in the refrigerator.