Saucy, Saucy, Saucy...Lesson 2

Stocks and Sauces Part 2

Sauces:

With few exceptions a sauce is a liquid plus a thickening agent (which we will cover a little later) and seasonings. 

By using the stocks you have made on hand and use a thickening agent properly you can end up with a fantastic sauce with great flavor and texture, for any recipe.

When it comes to sauces there are what we call Mother Sauces and Small Sauces.  Mother Sauces are the major sauce that Small Sauces are made from, for instance a Béchamel Sauce is a Mother Sauce and you make a Cream sauce or a Cheddar sauce with it, which are Small Sauces.

In this entry I will cover the 5 Mother Sauces and the different thickening agents you use for each.

5 Mother Sauces:

1.    Béchamel:

a.     The easiest of the sauces to make, Traditionally with cream and thickened with a White Roux, it is creamy with no graininess and should have be cream in color with a deep shine and thick enough to coat food lightly.

2.    Veloute:

a.     Made with White Stock or Fish Stock and thickened with a blond roux.  It should be thick, rich and smooth and free of any lumps.  It should taste like the stock you used to make it, ivory in color with a deep shine. Should also be thick enough to coat foods.

3.    Espagnole or Brown Sauce:

a.     Made with Brown Stock, and thickened with a Brown Roux, with Mirepoix and tomato paste added, usually used with Meats.  Should be smooth and silky with a deep rich flavor, brown in color and a deep shine.

4.    Tomato:

a.     Made with Tomatoes, Vegetables, White Stock and seasonings and thickened with a Blond or Brown Roux or cooked over time and pureed down to thicken.  Should be thick rich and full of flavor, texture should be grainier then most other Sauces.

5.    Hollandaise:

a.     Made using egg yolks as natural emulsifiers which are used to emulsify warm butter and a small amount of water, lemon juice or vinegar by whipping the yolks with the liquid.  Should be a buttery sauce, pale yellow in color and very rich.  It is a lump free sauce that should not show signs of breaking.

Thickening Agents:

Use a heavy pan to prevent scorching and heat the clarified butter. Add all the flour at once and stir into a paste. Cook paste over medium heat until desired color.  Stir often to avoid burning.

1.    White Roux: Equal parts flour to Fat, cooked briefly to remove flour flavor.

2.    Blond Roux: Equal parts flour and fat, cooked a little longer the Whit Roux, should have a light golden color.

3.    Brown Roux: Equal parts flour and fat, cooked until it is a darker color and a nutty aroma and flavor.

Have fun experimenting with the flavors and thickness of your sauces.

Darcy