SAUCES

Function of Sauces

Sauce – defined a s flavorful liquid, used to season, flavor and enhance other foods.
A sauce may add the following qualities of food:
-Moistness
-Flavor
-Richness
-Appearance (color and shine)
-Interest and appetite appeal
The Structure of Sauces
The major sauces we consider here are made of three kinds of ingredients:
1. A liquid, the body of the sauce
2. A thickening agent
3. Additional seasoning and flavoring ingredients
LIQUID
A liquid ingredient provides the body or base of most sauces.
Most classic sauces are built on one of five liquids or bases. The
resulting sauces are called leading sauces or mother sauces.
-White stock (chicken, veal, or fish)—for velouté sauces
-Brown stock—for brown sauce or espagnole (ess pahn
yohl)
-Milk—for béchamel
-Tomato plus stock—for tomato sauce
-Clarified butter—for hollandaise
The most frequently used sauces are based on stock.
THICKENING AGENTS
A sauce must be thick enough to cling lightly to the food. Otherwise, it will just run off
and lie
in a puddle in the plate. This doesn’t mean it should be heavy and pasty.
Starches are still the most commonly used thickening agents.

OTHER FLAVORING INGREDIENTS

Although the liquid that makes up the bulk of the sauce provides the basic flavor,
other
ingredients are added to make variations on the basic themes and to give a finished
character
to the sauces.
Adding specified flavoring ingredients to basic sauces is the key to the catalog of
classic
sauces. Most of the hundreds of sauces listed in the standard repertoires are made
by adding
one or more flavoring ingredients to one of the five basic sauces or leading sauces.
As in all of cooking, sauce-making is largely a matter of learning a few building blocks
and then building with them
 Roux

Starches as Thickeners

1. Starches are the most common and most useful thickeners for sauce-making. Flour is
the principal starch used. Others available to the chef include cornstarch, arrowroot,
waxy maize, instant or pregelatinized starch, bread crumbs, and other vegetable and
grain products, like potato starch and rice flour. These are discussed later.
2. Starches thicken by gelatinization, which, as discussed in Chapter 4, is the process by
which starch granules absorb water and swell to many times their original size.
Another important point made in Chapter 4 is that acids inhibit gelatinization.
Whenever possible, do not add acid ingredients to sauces until the starch has fully
gelatinized.
3. Starch granules must be separated before heating in liquid to avoid lumping. If granules are not separated, lumping occurs because the starch
on the outside of the lump
quickly gelatinizes into a coating that prevents the liquid from reaching the starch
inside.
Starch granules are separated in two ways:
• Mixing the starch with fat. This is the principle of the roux, which we discuss now,
and of beurre manié, which is discussed in the next section.
• Mixing the starch with a cold liquid. This is the principle used for starches such
as cornstarch. It can also be used with flour, but, as we note later, the result is an
inferior sauce. A mixture of raw starch and cold liquid is called a slurry.
Roux Ingredients
Roux (roo) is a cooked mixture of equal parts by weight of fat and flour.

FAT
The cooking fats employed for making roux are as follows:
-Clarified butter is preferred for the finest sauces because of its flavor. The butter is clarified (p. 192)
because the moisture content of whole butter tends to gelatinize some of
the starch and makes the roux hard to work.
-Margarine is widely used in place of butter because of its lower cost. However, its
flavor is inferior to butter, so it does not make as fine a sauce. The quality of margarine
varies from brand to brand.
-Animal fats, such as chicken fat, beef drippings, and lard, are used when their flavor
is appropriate to the sauce. Thus, chicken fat can be used for chicken velouté, and beef
drippings can be used for beef gravy. When properly used, animal fats can enhance
the flavor of a sauce.
-Vegetable oil and shortening can be used for roux but, because they add no flavor,
they are not preferred. Solid shortening also has the disadvantage of having a high
melting point, which gives it an unpleasant fuzzy feeling in the mouth. It is best reserved
for the bakeshop and the fry kettle.
FLOUR
The thickening power of flour depends, in part, on its starch
content. Bread flour has less starch and more protein than cake
flour. Eight parts (such as ounces or grams) of cake flour has the
same thickening power as 10 parts of bread flour.
Bread flour frequently is used for general cooking purposes in
commercial kitchens even though it has less thickening power than
cake flour or pastry flour. Most sauce recipes in this book, as well
as in other books, are based on bread flour or on all-purpose flour,
which hassimilar thickening power. The proportions of roux to liquid
must be adjusted if another flour is used.
 Finishing Techniques
Remember that the three basic elements of a finished sauce are a liquid, a
thickening agent,
and additional seasoning and flavoring ingredients. We have discussed in
detail how liquids
are combined with thickening agents to make the basic sauces. In the next
section, we look
at the way families of sauces are built on these bases by the addition of
flavoring ingredients.
Sauces may be modified or added to in a great many ways. Among these
methods are
a number of basic techniques used over and over again for making sauces.
Before we
study the structure of the sauce families, it will be helpful to look at these
basic finishing
techniques.
Reduction

1. Using reduction to concentrate basic flavors.

If we simmer a sauce for a long time, some of the water evaporates. The sauce
becomes
more concentrated, and the resulting product is more flavorful. This is the same
technique used when making glazes from stocks. Some reduction takes place in
nearly all
sauces, depending on how long they are simmered.

2. Using reduction to adjust textures.

Concentrating a sauce by reduction also thickens it because only the water
evaporates,
not the roux or other solids. A skilled sauce chef uses both reduction and dilution to
give a sauce the precise texture sought. If a sauce is too thin, it may be simmered until
it reaches desired thickness. Or the chef may add a large quantity of stock or other
liquid
to a thickened sauce to thin it out greatly, then simmer it again until it is reduced to
just the right consistency. By doing this, the chef also gives more flavor to the sauce.
3. Using reduction to add new flavors.
Straining
If you have learned how to use a roux properly, you should be able to make a smooth, lump-
free sauce. However, to bring a sauce’s texture to perfection, to create the velvety smoothness
that is important to a good sauce, straining is necessary. Even a slight graininess that you
can’t see can still be felt on your tongue.
Straining through a china cap lined with several layers of cheesecloth is effective. Very fine
sieves are also available for straining sauces. Straining is usually done before final seasoning.

Deglazing
To deglaze means to swirl a liquid in a sauté pan or other pan to dissolve cooked particles of
food remaining on the bottom.
This term was discussed in relation to the basic technique of sautéing in Chapter 4 and
again in connection with the production of brown stock. It is also an important technique for
finishing sauces that accompany sautéed items.
A liquid, such as wine or stock, is used to deglaze a sauté pan and then is reduced by
one-half or three-fourths. This reduction, with the added flavor of the pan drippings, is then
added to the sauce served with the item.
Enriching with Butter and Cream
1. Liaison.
In addition to being a thickening agent, a liaison of egg yolks and cream is used to finish
a sauce by giving it extra richness and smoothness.
2. Heavy cream.
Heavy cream has long been used to give flavor and richness to sauces. The most obvious example is
adding cream to basic béchamel sauce to make cream sauce.
3. Butter.
A useful enriching technique, both in classical and in modern cooking, is called finishing
with butter, or monter au beurre (mohn tay oh burr).
To finish a sauce with butter, simply add a few pieces of softened butter to the hotsauce and swirl them in
until melted. Finishing a sauce with butter gives it a little extra shine and smoothness as well asadding to
it the rich, fresh taste of raw butter.

Seasoning
Whether or not a sauce is to be given a final enrichment of liaison, cream, or butter, it must be
checked carefully for seasonings before serving. Remember that the last step in any recipe,
whether written or not, is “adjust the seasonings.”
Salt is the most important seasoning for sauces. Lemon juice is also important. These
two seasonings emphasize the flavors already present by stimulating the taste buds.
Cayenne and white pepper are perhaps third and fourth in importance.
Standards of Quality for Sauces
1. Consistency and body.
Smooth, with no lumps. Not too thick or pasty, but thick enough to coat the
food lightly.
2. Flavor.
Distinctive but well-balanced flavor.
Proper degree of seasoning.
No starchy taste.
The flavor should be selected to enhance or complement the food (such as
suprême
sauce with chicken or white wine sauce with fish) or to provide a pleasing
contrast
(such as a béarnaise sauce with grilled beef or raisin sauce with ham).
3. Appearance.
Smooth, with a good shine.
Good color for its type (rich, deep brown for brown sauce, pale ivory for
velouté,
white—not gray—for cream sauce).
 BECHAMEL
Béchamel sauce, the classic version of the standard white sauce, was a sauce most often served to the
rich or to royalty. Made out of a roux of flour, boiled milk and butter, the creamy white sauce added a
smooth touch to white meats such as chicken, vegetables and eggs.

Ingredients:
5 tablespoons butter
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 quart milk
1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Directions:
[Link] butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and whisk into the melted butter until smooth. Cook
and stir until flour turns a light, golden, sandy color, about 7 minutes.
[Link] heat to medium-high and slowly whisk in milk until thickened by the roux. Bring to a gentle simmer, then
reduce heat to medium-low and continue simmering until the flour has softened and no longer tastes gritty, 10 to 20
minutes. Season with salt and nutmeg.
Velouté
A velouté is a light roux whisked with chicken, turkey, fish or any
other clear stock. It is a light ‘cream’ sauce made with chicken, fish,
veal, or vegetable stock thickened with a blond roux of butter and
flour.

Ingredients:
- unsalted butter
- all-purpose flour
-chicken, veal, or vegetable stock
-salt to taste
-white pepper
Method:
[Link] the blond roux
In a heavy-bottomed 6 cup saucepan over medium-low heat, melt 2
tablespoons butter. Add the flour and whisk together until the butter and
flour mixture has small bubbles but does not brown, about 2 minutes.

[Link] in the stock

Whisk in 1 cup of the stock all at once, and continue to whisk until it is
smooth and lump-free. Gradually whisk in the remaining 1 cup of stock,
salt, and pepper. Over medium heat, bring the sauce to a low boil
(small bubbles break over the surface of the sauce), stirring constantly
with a whisk. Once the sauce reaches a low boil, keep whisking the
sauce for 2 minutes.
Espagnole Sauce
Espagnole is a classic brown sauce, typically made from brown stock, mirepoix, and tomatoes, and thickened
[Link] is a classic French mother sauce made with beef or veal stock, a dark brown roux, and mirepoix. Use this
sauce on braised and roasted meats, even sauteed mushrooms.
To make the espagnole sauce, soften the mirepoix in butter, whisk some flour into the pan and cook until golden brown
to form a roux. Gradually whisk in stock, tomato puree, and aromatics and simmer until the sauce is reduced by about a
third. Once strained, the sauce is ready to use.
Ingredients:
-unsalted butter
-onion, finely diced
-celery, finely diced
-carrot, finely diced
-all-purpose flour
-unsalted or low-salt brown beef stock, preferably home-made
-tomato puree
-Pinch of salt
-whole peppercorns
-bay leaf
-parsley stems, optional
Tomato sauce
Tomato sauce is arguably the most popular of the French mother
sauces.
Classical French tomato sauce is thickened with roux and seasoned
with pork, herbs, and aromatic vegetables. However, most modern
tomato sauces primarily consist of puréed tomatoes seasoned with
herbs and reduced into a rich, flavorful sauce.
Hollandaise
This is the one mother sauce not thickened by a roux. Instead, it’s
thickened by an emulsion of egg yolk and melted butter. It is a mixture
of egg yolk, melted butter, and lemon juice. It is usually seasoned with
salt, and either white pepper or cayenne pepper.
Method:
[Link] the butter slowly in a small pot. Try not to let it boil—you want the moisture in the butter
to remain there and not steam away.
[Link] the egg yolks until lightened:
Add the egg yolks, lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and cayenne (if using) into your
blender. Blend the egg yolk mixture for 30 seconds at a medium high speed, until it lightens in
color. Use a timer or count out loud, blending for the full 30 seconds. This step gives the sauce
more body.
The friction generated by the blender blades will heat the yolks a bit. The blending action will
also introduce a little air into them, making your hollandaise a bit lighter.
[Link] add the butter:
Transfer the melted butter to a glass measuring cup with a spout so it’s easy to pour in a thin
stream. Remove the plug from the blender lid. Turn the blender speed to low (if you only have
one speed on your blender, it will still work). With the blender running, slowly drizzle in the
melted butter.
Continue to blend for another couple seconds after the butter is all incorporated.
[Link] to taste:
Turn off the blender and taste the sauce. It should be buttery, lemony and just lightly salty. If it is
not salty or lemony enough, you can add a little more lemon juice or the remaining salt to taste.
If you want a thinner consistency, add a little warm water. Pulse briefly to incorporate the
ingredients one more time.
Store until needed in a warm spot, e.g. next to the stove top. Use within 30 minutes or so.
Béchamel: Roux + Dairy (traditionally milk or cream)
Velouté: Roux + White Stock (traditionally chicken, but also
vegetable or fish)
Espagnole: Roux + Brown Stock (traditionally veal or beef)
Tomato: Roux + Tomatoes (or, go the Italian route by skipping the
roux and simply reducing tomatoes over medium-low heat until
thick)
Hollandaise: Egg Yolks + Clarified Melted Butter + Acid (like
lemon juice or white wine
• Béchamel, a white sauce that is often used as a base for many
cheese sauces.
• Espagnole, a brown sauce that works as a base for many
sauces, such as demi-glace.
• Hollandaise, an emulsion of melted butter with egg yolk and
lemon juice.
• Velouté, a white sauce that has wide number of derivative
sauces, such as white wine sauce.
• Sauce tomate, or tomato sauce, that can be combined with a
variety of ingredients to make condiments such as ketchup and
hot sauce.
THANK YOU!!!