Rajská Omáčka

Rajská Omáčka (Czech Tomato Cream Sauce)

A classic Czech tomato cream sauce, gently sweet and finished with a flourish of whipped cream. Traditionally served ladled over meatballs (masové koule), bread dumplings (houskový knedlík), or sliced beef.

Prep

10 min

Cook

30 min

Total

40 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •500 g (1 lb 2 oz) ripe tomatoes, fresh, blanched and peeled; or use 400 g canned whole peeled tomatoes
• •2 tbsp unsalted butter
• •1 tbsp all-purpose flour, for the roux
• •1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• •2 tbsp granulated sugar, essential for the characteristic sweet note
• •1 tsp fine sea salt, adjust to taste
• •0.5 tsp ground white pepper, or freshly ground black pepper
• •1 tbsp tomato paste, for deeper color and umami
• •250 ml (1 cup) beef or chicken stock, homem preferred for depth
• •1 bay leaf bay leaf
• •3 allspice berries allspice (nové koření), lightly cracked; authentic Czech touch
• •150 ml (2/3 cup) heavy whipping cream, minimum 30% fat, cold
• •1 tsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed, to finish

Steps

1. 1 Score an X in the base of each tomato, blanch in boiling water for 30 seconds, then transfer to ice water. Slip off the skins, halve, and grate the flesh on a box grater, discarding the cores. (Skip this if using canned tomatoes — just crush them by hand.)
2. 2 Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté until soft and translucent, about 4–5 minutes. Do not brown.
3. 3 Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir constantly for 2 minutes to cook out the raw flavor, forming a pale blonde roux.
4. 4 Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute until fragrant and darkened slightly.
5. 5 Add the grated fresh tomato (or canned), sugar, salt, white pepper, bay leaf, and cracked allspice. Stir well and bring to a gentle simmer.
6. 6 Pour in the stock and stir to combine. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and the raw tomato flavor mellows.
7. 7 Remove the bay leaf. Purée the sauce with an immersion blender until smooth, or pass through a fine mesh sieve for a silky finish (the traditional Czech method).
8. 8 Return the sauce to a low flame. Taste and adjust salt and sugar — the sauce should be gently sweet, tangy, and savory in balance.
9. 9 In a separate small bowl, whip the cold cream to soft peaks (do not over-whip). Off the heat, fold the whipped cream into the sauce along with the lemon juice. The sauce will turn a beautiful pale orange-pink.
10. 10 Reheat gently to just below a simmer — do not boil, or the cream may split. Serve immediately, ladled generously over meatballs, beef slices, or bread dumplings.