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I'm thinking of making a white wine sauce which will consist of

  • White wine
  • chopped garlic
  • squeeze of lemon
  • (maybe) mixed herbs.

What I have in mind is something that will pour with the consistency of a thick oil, but if I just add these components together it'll pour like water. What is the best way to thicken this so that it remains relatively clear and the taste of each component above isn't masked with the thickener?

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3 Answers

I'd just simmer and thus reduce it. No added thickener required.

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If you want it to stay clear your best bet is xanthan gum but you really need a proper scales to use that stuff because you only add around 0.4% to 0.7% of the weight of the liquid you're trying to thicken. Best thing is that at such low concentrations there is little to no masking of the flavours of your sauce.

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I'd use arrowroot powder. It works well with acidity, doesn't add much in the way of flavor, and gels at a low temperature.

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