Red Pepper Coulis

Today in culinary class we made Red Pepper Coulis, which essentially is a red pepper sauce. Unlike the previous sauces i've mentioned, which are laden with fat, butter,  and cream, this sauce is very healthy and basically fat-free. The reason it is called "coulis" is because fruit or vegetable is used as the thickener, instead of roux or butter or eggs. You can make a coulis out of practically any vegetable or any fruit, but red pepper happens to make an excellent sauce. Tonight I paired it with breaded tilapia, roasted vegetables and rice.

Here's the recipe (the amounts should be tailored to how much you like each ingredient and how much you are making overall.)

First, dice 1/4 onion and 1 garlic clove and sweat in a smidge of butter or oil. Sweat means to bring out the flavors and make tender without browning. This is important to maintain color in the sauce.
Then add one diced red pepper and continue to sweat until tender.
De-glaze the pan with a few ounces of white wine and bring to a simmer so the alcohol can evaporate.
When sufficiently simmering, add a cup of chicken stock and bring back up to a simmer. It will take about 15 minutes to get all the flavors melded and the liquid to the proper consistency.
Pour mixture into a blender (make sure to let it rest for a few minutes so its not too hot) and puree until all of the chunks are out of the sauce and it is nice a smoother. If you would prefer a chunkier sauce then puree until the consistency you desire.
Make sure to finish the sauce with salt and pepper and any other seasonings to your own personal preference. I'm a huge fan of cayenne pepper and so I added that plus more garlic and a little fat free-half and half to make it even smoother.
You can use this sauce with any fish or chicken, over vegetables or even if you wish, you could turn it into a soup by adding more chicken stock after pureeing.