SAUCES

Objectives

 To be able to differentiate the mother

sauces and their ingredients.
 To know the different sauces and their
uses.
 To know how to make the sauce the right
way.
FUNCTIONS OF SAUCES
 A sauce may be defined as a flavorful
liquid, usually thickened, that is used to
season, flavor, and enhance other foods.
 A sauce adds the following qualities to
foods: Moistness, Flavor, Richness,
Appearance, Interest and Appetite
Appeal.
Parts of A Sauce
 Liquid – provides base or body
 Thickening Agents – a sauce must be
thick enough to cling lightly the food
without being heavy and pasty.
 Flavoring Ingredients – added to make
variations on the basic themes and to
give a finished character to the
sauces.
 Sauces

Structure of Sauces
Liquid
 Liquid provides the body or base of most
sauces. Most classic classes are built on five
liquids or bases. The resulting sauces are called
leading sauces or mother sauces.
• White stock (Velouté)
• Brown Stock (Espagnole)
• Milk (Béchamel)
• Tomato + Stock (Tomato Sauce)
• Clarified butter (Hollandaise)
Thickeners
 Thickeners
• Starches are the most common and most
useful thickeners for sauce making.
• Gelatinization – a process by which starch
granules absorb water and swell to many
times their original size.
Thickeners - Roux
 Mixing the starch with fat – this is the
principle of the roux.
 ROUX (roo) – is a cooked mixture of equal
parts by weight of fat and flour.
 Mixing the starch with a cold liquid – this is
the principle used for starches such as
cornstarch.
3 Kinds of Roux:

 White Roux – used for bechamel or other white

sauces.
 Blond Roux – used for veloutes, sauces based
on white stocks.
 Brown Roux – for brown sauces
Thickeners
Fats – the cooking fats employed for
making roux are as follows:
- Clarified Butter

- Margarine

- Animal Fats

- Vegatable Oil and Shortening

Other thickening agents
 Beurre Manie  Waxy maize
• (burr mahnyay)  Pregelatinized
 Whitewash starches
 Cornstarch  Bread Crumbs
 Arrowroot  Vegetable Purees,
ground Nuts, other
solids
Finishing Techniques:
 Reduction
 Straining
 Deglazing
 Enriching with butter and cream (liaison,
heavy cream, butter)
 Seasoning
Enriching
Egg Yolk and Cream Liaison
 Egg thicken a sauce due to coagulation of egg
proteins when heated.
 Egg yolks have only a slight thickening power. The
liaison, which is a binding agent made of cream
and egg yolks, is used primarily to give richness of
flavor and smoothness of texture to a sauce.
 The process of adding the liaison is called
“tempering”.
Reduction

 Simmering a sauce to evaporate some of the

water thickens the sauce because only the
water evaporates not the solids.
 As the solids become more concentrated, the
sauce becomes thicker.
Standards of Quality for Sauces
 Consistency and body.
 Flavor
 Appearance

*Mother sauce
Bechamel*

 Liquid – milk
 Thickener – roux
 Flavoring – onion, bay leaf, other spices
(pepper, nutmeg)
Veloute*

 Liquid – white stock (chicken, veal, or

fish)
 Thickener – roux
 Flavoring –spices (depending upon
the flavor called for in the recipe)
Espagnole or Brown Sauce*

 Liquid – brown stock

 Thickener – roux

 Flavoring –mirepoix, spices

Making this sauce also involves roasting

the bones and deglazing the pan.
Fond Lie

 Fond lie or jus lie, is a brown stock thickened

lightly with cornstarch. Its quality can be
improved by applying the technique used for
making espagnole.
Tomato Sauce*

 Liquid – tomato juice and stock

 Thickener – tomato puree
• This type of sauce may be referred to as coulis - a
puree of vegetables or fruits.
 Flavoring – mirepoix and herbs or meat flavors
Hollandaise*

 Liquid – clarified butter

 Thickener – egg yolk (emulsification)
 Flavoring – lemon juice, spices
Flavored Oils
 Flavored oils make a light, interesting
alternative to vinaigrettes and other sauces.
 The simplest way to flavor an oil is to put
some of the flavoring ingredient (herbs,
spices) and let it stand until the oil has
taken enough of the flavor.
 Refrigerating flavored oils is
recommended.
Pan Gravies

Pan gravy is a sauce made with juices or

drippings of the meat or poultry with which
it is being served.
 Liquid – white stock (chicken, veal, or fish)

 Thickener – roux

 Flavoring – meat drippings and juices

 Tips for Sauce Success

 Constantly stir roux-thickened sauces while

cooking to prevent lumps.

 If a roux-thickened sauce develops a few

lumps, beat them out with a rotary beater or
wire whisk.
Tips for Sauce Success

 Cook egg-thickened sauces over low heat, or

on top of a double boiler over hot, not boiling,
water.
• Temper (warm) the egg yolks before adding them to
the sauce by first stirring in a little of the hot sauce
mixture into them, then add to the remainder of the
sauce mixture.
• Never let a sauce boil after the egg yolks are added
as the sauce may curdle.
Tips for Sauce Success

 Don't let water boil in the bottom of the double

boiler if you use it to make egg-thickened
sauces.
• Be sure that the water doesn't touch the bottom of the
pan holding the sauce.