Types, Uses, and Preparation of Dessert Sauces

Sauces enhance desserts by both their flavor and their appearance, just as savory sauces enhance meats, fish, and vegetables. Crème anglaise, chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, and the many fruit sauces and coulis are the most versatile. Sauces are a great way to highlight flavors. Choose ones that will create balance on the plate, not just for color, but also with all the components. A tart berry sauce will complement a rich cheesecake or chocolate dessert because sourness (acid) will cut through fat, making it taste lighter than it is. A sweet sauce served with a sweet dessert will have the overall effect of hiding flavors in both. Hold back on sweetness in order to intensify other flavors. Many modern presentations have a minimal amount of sauce, sometimes done just for aesthetic reasons and not for how it will complement the dessert. Think of the dish and the balance of the components. This is the most important factor: flavor first, presentation second. One or another of these sauces will complement nearly every dessert.