Most sauces use a high-calorie base of butter, cream and meat fat. But if you are dieting and want to reduce calories, it is easy to converted those sauces into low-calorie ones. Add wine, or sherry to accentuate the flavor of the dish, or simply choose a different cooking method.
Wine sauce
Heat a small amount of oil or butter in a saucepan and add an equal amount of flour. Cook 2 minutes to form a thick paste. Pour in 1 cup of your favorite wine, and cook until alcohol has cooked off and sauce looks like heavy cream. Good with stir-fried chicken or broiled beef.
Deglazing sauce
Deglazing captures the rich flavor of wine and turns it into a sauce without adding fat. Once the poultry or meat is completely cooked, remove it to a platter and keep warm. Add directly to the pan juices in the roasting pan about the same amount of dry wine and bring to a boil. Boil rapidly at high heat until reduced to half the original amount. This cooking method called reduction: pan juices are cooked at high heat to evaporate the excess liquid and concentrate the flavors.