Recipe: Marmalade Mustard Sauce (using anise and orange juice)

MARMALADE MUSTARD SAUCE

"The combination of orange, anise, mustard, and rosemary is particularly well suited to seafood, but the sauce is also complementary to pork, dark meat of poultry, and especially lamb chops."

1/4 teaspoon anise seeds
1/2 cup orange marmalade
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary (or 2 teaspoons dried rosemary)
1 teaspoon grated orange zest

Toss the anise seeds in a small skillet set over medium heat until fragrant and color begins to darken, about 2 minutes. Immediately remove from pan to prevent burning. Let the seeds cool, then coarsely crush them with a mortar and pestle or by placing in a heavy plastic sandwich bag and pounding with a meat mallet or rolling pin; set aside.

In a small saucepan, combine the remaining ingredients. Stir in the anise, then simmer over medium-low heat, stirring often, until lightly thickened, about 8 minutes.

The sauce can be made up to a week ahead. Reheat gently to use as a table sauce. Return to room temperature to brush on during the last 10 minutes of grilling.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups; reserve 1/2 cup to use as a table sauce and use remainder as a grilling sauce for 1 pound of tuna, halibut, or swordfish steaks, 1 1/2 pounds of boneless pork chops or 1 12/ pounds of chicken drumsticks.

Source: Marinades by Melanie Barnard