Sauces

Gordon Ramsay’s chimichurri is bright, coarse and herby, made with five fresh herbs pounded in a mortar with garlic, rock salt and sugar, loosened with lemon juice and olive oil. It takes about 5 minutes and the rough texture is the whole point, because this isn’t pesto. Ramsay makes chimichurri in three different ways across …

Gordon Ramsay’s cranberry sauce starts with a caramelised sugar base spiked with star anise and cardamom, then loaded with cranberries and sliced apples, finished with port and fresh orange. It takes about 15 minutes and the caramel gives it a toffeed depth that no other cranberry sauce recipe comes close to. The recipe comes from …

Gordon Ramsay’s burger sauce is tangy, smoky and creamy, made with homemade mayonnaise, pickled cucumber relish, American mustard, white wine vinegar and smoked paprika, ready in 5 minutes. It goes on cold and the flavours sharpen overnight in the fridge. In Quick and Delicious, Ramsay writes that “for Americans, burger sauce is almost as important …

Gordon Ramsay’s pesto is bright, loose and basil-heavy, made with fresh basil, extra virgin olive oil, pine nuts and Parmesan, pulsed in a blender for 45 seconds. Five ingredients, no cooking, and the basil does all the talking. The recipe comes from his official restaurant website, where he serves it with linguine and shellfish. Across …

Gordon Ramsay’s horseradish sauce is three ingredients: crème fraîche, creamed horseradish and seasoning, stirred together in a bowl and ready in under 5 minutes. The recipe comes from Fast Food, one of five books where he uses horseradish in everything from Yorkshire pudding batter to salmon cures to beef cheek dumplings. He pairs it with …

Gordon Ramsay’s chilli jam is a sticky, punchy condiment made with six red chillies, red onion, garlic, spring onions and fresh ginger, caramelised in one pan and finished with sherry vinegar and oyster sauce. The recipe comes from Passion for Seafood, where he keeps a jar in the fridge to add to fish dishes and …

Gordon Ramsay’s BBQ sauce is smoky, sweet and sharp, made with caramelised onions, brown sugar, smoked paprika, cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and tomato ketchup. It takes about 20 minutes on the hob and tastes nothing like anything from a bottle because the onions cook for 10-15 minutes before any liquid goes in. The recipe comes …

Gordon Ramsay’s hollandaise sauce is bright, buttery and sharp, made with egg yolks, melted butter, tarragon vinegar and lemon juice, ready in about 10 minutes. It should coat the back of a spoon like a thick custard, glossy and golden, not thin or grainy. In Ultimate Home Cooking, Ramsay uses this as the centrepiece of …