Dairy-Free Lemon Cream Sauce Recipe

Eggs, in my opinion, are truly one of the most amazing ingredients to use in cooking and baking. Not only do they add both lift and richness to countless dairy-free desserts, but they can add amazing flavor and depth to sauce recipes as well.

Many dairy-laden sauce recipes use heavy cream as a base, and, contrary to what many people think, this has less to do with the taste and more to do with stabilizing the sauce, as heavy cream remains stable at higher temperatures than milk, table cream or non-dairy milk alternatives, for that matter. Adding eggs to a sauce that contains both fat and acidic ingredients, like lemon juice, will both keep your sauce from "separating" as well as contribute a rich texture and body to the finished product. This dairy-free lemon sauce is an example of this kind of egg-based sauce, most often referred to as an emulsion, and it is so quick and easy to prepare. For an easy spring-time meal for the workweek, toss steamed peas or asparagus with some cooked pasta and serve with the warm sauce, garnishing with a little store-bought dairy-free Parmesan if desired.

Photo © 2008 Ashley Skabar, licensed to About.com, Inc.