Is This Something Like Harry Potter Sauce?

We chose brown sauce on our luxury sausage rolls last time.  Well, as promised we will make a homemade version of the fruity, savory sauce.  It is quite dear to buy stateside and you lose out on undesirable additives with the homemade version.  The major brand HP is widely available (with perhaps, in some cases, a different recipe).  The other major brand Daddy's is less available, but not unheard of, in specialty stores.

Can you bare a bit of brown sauce history?  Many a Brit will ask for brown sauce on a bacon butty (that is if they aren't in the red sauce camp). Here is a basic run down of where this sauce originated.   There are many brands , including off brands; HP, Daddy's, Branston and Heinz has a version, just to name a few.   The original idea is that the sauce originated from Harry Palmer, a gambling addict who sold his recipe for "Harry Palmer's Famous Epsom Sauce" to cover his debts.  Somewhat muddled in a not official history is the claim that A Nottinghamshire grocer concocted the recipe in the 1870's. He registered the name HP Sauce in 1895, claiming that Parliament had started serving it.  Hence the depiction of the Parliament buildings on the HP (Houses of Parliament) bottles.  The sauce has been also known as Wilson's gravy, as the PM at the time Harry Wilson supposedly loved the stuff and dosed everything edible with it.  The motorway near Brum had a pipeline over it carrying malt vinegar within the factory in Aston. Doom for the workers in Brum and the original recipe came with buy out of HP by an American company.

For the preparation of the homemade version!


 The savory side:

1/2 c. malt vinegar
 1 tbsp. mustard
 3 tomatoes, chopped
 1 tsp. onion powder
 1 tsp.  garlic powder
 2 anchovy fillets (not shown)

 The sweet elements:

 1/3 c. dark brown sugar
 1/4 c.  molasses


The fruity bits:

 3 tbsp. tamarind pulp
 1/3 c. pitted dates, roughly chopped
 2 apples, roughly chopped


Just a word about tamarind:

A long bean that is brown in colour, with a tangy, fruity flavour.  This pod grows on trees that originated in Africa.  It is rich in vitamin B and calcium.  It is said that tamarind helps with stomach complaints. It is used ina wide range of cuisines and food products, everything from Pad Thai to candy to beverages....Oh, and of course, sauce!

A bit of spice:

1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1/4 tsp. cayenne

It is a given you need some salt and pepper, a couple of dashes each.


Bang all this in a large pot.  Cook and reduce for an eternity (30 minutes).  Using a hand blender, whiz up into a lovely smooth, dare I say sauce?  Cook and reduce another 15 minutes., or until the consistency you desire.  Adjust seasoning and strain. You can keep this in a rather large bottle/jar in the refrigerator.

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