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Kitchen Essentials: Mother Sauces

by Malia Kirby L.Ac. A well-made sauce will make even an elephant or a grandfather palatable. -Grimod de la Reynire What is a mother sauce? Does it tuck you into bed at night? Does it constantly hassle you about your budget or your business strategies? Is "mother sauce" a reference to Girls Night Out when women just can't take the terrible twos or teenage years of their children anymore? Not exactly. Mother sauces in classical French cooking are the five families of sauce upon which every other sauce is formed. Memorize these five sauces, and everything else from there is generally a breeze. But first, before we get to the mother sauces themselves, let's talk about roux, the mother of three out of the five mother sauces.

greater thickening agent Peanut butter roux 6 minutes Blond roux 4 minutes

more flavor

Chocolate roux 8 minutes

Dark brick roux 10 minutes

White roux 2 minutes

Examples of Different Roux

Roux: Equal parts wheat flour & fat (usually clarified butter or vegetable oil) Roux is one of the most commonly used thickeners in sauces, made from equal parts flour and fat by weight. First, the fat is heated or melted in a saucepan over medium low heat, then the wheat flour is added to the heated fat and stirred continuously until the flour begins to smell toasty for white roux (usually 2-3 minutes) or longer until desired color is achieved. Differences in color change both the flavor and the purpose of the roux, as wheat flour loses its thickening ability as it cooks, but gains flavor. Bechamel (white sauce): White roux + milk + nutmeg
Classically served with: Eggs, fish, poultry, steamed vegetables, pastas, veal Method: Make a white roux. Whisk in scalded milk and nutmeg, stirring continuously. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Common Derivatives: Aomard l'Anglaise - Bechamel + anchovy + cayenne + lobster Cardinal - Bechamel + fish stock + truffle + cream + lobster butter Crme - Bechamel + cream + lemon juice Mornay - Bechamel + butter + Gruyre &/or Parmesan cheese Nantua - Bechamel + mirepoix (2 parts onion, 1 part celery, 1 part carrot) cooked in crawfish butter + crawfish + white wine + cognac + tomatoes + cayenne Soubise - Bechamel + chopped onion sauted in butter Oeufs l'Anglaise - Bechamel + diced hard boiled egg + nutmeg

Veloute: White roux + white stock

Classically served with: Eggs, fish, poultry, steamed vegetables, pastas, veal Method: Make a white roux. Whisk in hot stock, stirring continuously. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Common Derivatives: Allemande - Veloute made with veal stock + mushrooms Normande - Veloute made with fish stock + mushrooms + oysters + egg yolk + butter + cream o Diplomate - Sauce Normande + lobster butter + lobster + truffle Suprme - Veloute made with chicken stock + reduced heavy cream o Aurore - Sauce Suprme + tomato o Hongroise - Sauce Suprme + onion + paprika + white wine Vin Blanc - Veloute made with fish stock + shallot + butter + herbs (thyme, tarragon, parsley, chives, etc.)

Espagnole (brown sauce): Dark roux + veal stock + mirepoix + bouquet garni Classically served with: Roasted meats Method: Saut mirepoix in butter in a saucepan. In another saucepan, make a dark roux, then whisk in hot veal stock. Add the cooked mirepoix to the sauce, along with the bouquet garni. Simmer 30-45 minutes, skimming as necessary. Strain before serving, salt and pepper to taste. Common Derivatives:
Demi-glace - Espagnole + veal stock reduction Bourguignonne - Espagnole + red wine + shallot + bouquet garni + butter Bordelaise - Espagnole + red wine reduction + poached marrow

aux Champignons - Espagnole + butter + shallot + mushroom Chasseur - Espagnole + mushrooms + shallot + white wine Lyonnaise - Espagnole + chopped onions sauted in butter Madeira - Madeira wine Prigueux - Espagnole + chopped truffles + madeira Robert - Espagnole + white wine + onions + mustard + butter

Hollandaise: Egg yolk + butter + lemon juice + white wine vinegar + cayenne

Classically served with: Eggs, vegetables, poultry, fish, beef Method: Heat egg yolks, lemon juice, white wine vinegar, & cayenne in a double boiler. Whisk in melted butter until smooth. Serve immediately or keep warm in a double boiler over no higher than medium-low heat to prevent curdling or separation. Salt and pepper to taste. Common Derivatives: Bavaroise - Hollandaise + horseradish + thyme + bay + parsley + vinegar + crawfish + crawfish tails garnish Barnaise - Hollandaise + tarragon + chervil o Choron - Barnaise with tomato o Foyot - Bearnaise with demi-glace Maltaise - Hollandaise + blood orange zest &/or juice Mousseline - Hollandaise + whipped cream Noisette - Hollandaise made with brown butter Paloise - Hollandaise + mint

Tomato: Pork belly + carrot + shallot + blond roux + tomato + tomato paste + stock + garlic + bay + thyme Classically served with: Pasta, fish, grilled vegetables, polenta, veal, poultry Method: Render the fat from the pork (Place the pork in the saucepan with 1 T water over medium heat. Cover for 5 minutes), then saut the carrot and shallot in the pork fat. Sprinkle the flour for the roux over the cooked vegetables. When a blond roux has been achieved, add tomatoes, tomato paste, stock, garlic, and herbs. Simmer 2+ hours. Puree, then strain for a smooth sauce, or leave as is for a chunkier sauce. Salt and pepper to taste. Derivatives:
Chaufroid - Tomato sauce + aspic jelly Meat - Tomato sauce + cooked ground meat Portugaise - Tomato sauce + fried onions, tomato concass + meat glaze + garlic + parsley Provenal - Tomato sauce + sliced mushrooms + white wine + sugar + garlic + parsley + butter