All About Sauces

I love sauces… which is why I’m the “Saucy Girl”!

Sauce can easily make or break a dish.  The word “sauce” is actually a French word that means a relish to make our food more appetizing.  Sauces are liquid or semi-liquid foods devised to make other foods look, smell, and taste better.

The “Mother Sauces”, also referred to in French as Grandes Sauces or Sayces Meres, are the five most basic sauces that every cook should master, as all other sauces are derived from these!

THE FIVE MOTHER SAUCES

1.  Hollandaise Sauce (butter, thickened with egg yolks)

Some derivatives of Hollandaise Sauce are:

• Bernaise – White wine or vinegar, diced shallots, tarragon, chervil
• Chantilly – add whipped cream
• Maltaise – add orange juice
• Choron – add tomato
• Girondine – add mustard
• Noisette – add Buerre Noisette

2.  Bechamel Sauce (white – based on milk, thickened with a white roux)

Some derivatives of Bechamel Sauce are:

• Mornay – the addition of Gruyere cheese (or any cheese you like)
• Mushroom Sauce – add mushrooms
• Sauce Allemande – add lemon juice
• Sauce Américaine – white wine, brandy, salt, cayenne pepper and  butter
• Suprême sauce – chicken stock, lemon and finely diced mushrooms

3.  Veloute Sauce (blond – based on a white stock, thickened with a white or blonde roux)

Some derivatives of Veloute Sauce are:

• Bordelaise – the addition of reduced red wine and poached beef marrow
• Allemande Sauce – Veal veloute with egg yolk and cream liaison
• Supreme Sauce – Chicken veloute reduced with heavy cream
• Vin Blanc Sauce – Fish veloute with shallots, butter, and fines herbs

4.  Espagnole Sauce (brown or demi-glace – based on brown stock thickened with a brown roux)

Some derivatives of Espagnole Sauce are:

• Lyonnaise – white wine, vinegar and onions
• Bourguignonne sauce – reduced red wine with onions and parsley and thyme and butter
• Chateaubriand sauce – veal stock, shallots, thyme, bay leaf, white wine, butter, lemon juice, parsley, tarragon, salt and pepper
• Chasseur – mushrooms, shallots, white wine (sometimes tomatoes and parsley)
• Sauce Robert – chopped onions cooked in butter, a reduction of white wine, pepper, an addition of demi-glace and is finished with a mustard
• Madeira – finely chopped celery, scallions, carrots, mushrooms, and herbs
• Piquante – shallots, white wine, vinegar, gherkins, parsley Perigueux – with Madeira and truffles Charcutiere -chopped gherkins
• Devile (diable) – garlic, shallots, steak sauce, dry mustard, black pepper, crushed red pepper
• Mushroom – mushrooms, white wine, onion, garlic, thyme

5.  Tomato Sauce (red – based on tomato plus stock, with an optional roux)

Some derivatives of Tomato Sauce are:

• Marinara (vegetarian) – olive oil, garlic, basil, oregano, parsley, red wine
• Creole sauce – onion, celery, green pepper, garlic, salt, pepper, cayenne
• Portuguese sauce – yellow onion, green pepper, green olives, thyme, cumin
• Spanish sauce – onion, garlic, green chilies, jalapenos

Here are some thickening agents used in preparing sauces:

• Roux
• Egg Yolks
• Flour
• Cornstarch
• Beurre Manie (described below)
• Cream
• Cheese
• Tapioca
• Arrowroot
• Ground Nuts or Other Solids

What is a “roux” and how do I make it?
A roux is equal parts flour and fat.  Any cooking fat can be used to prepare a roux, including butter, chicken fat, or bacon fat.  Typically 1 tablespoon of roux will thicken about 1 cup of liquid.  You can add a little roux at a time to gauge the thickness that you desire.  Keep in mind that sauces thickened with a roux will thicken as they cool.

Here are a few other sauce-thickening techniques:

Monter au beurre – This is a French term which means to finish a sauce with butter. Beurre is butter in French.  As the last step in making a sauce, you add chunks of cold unsalted butter one at a time.  Whisk until the butter is melted.  This will give the sauce a rich flavor and a velvet-like texture.

Beurre manié – (French “kneaded butter”) This is a mixture of flour and butter.  It is added for a quick and easy thickening at the end of the cooking process.  Add 2 ounces of flour to 3 ounces of softened butter. Mix into a paste using a wooden spoon.  If you are not using immediately this will hold well in the refrigerator.

Liaison – This is a mixture of egg yolks and cream, used to thicken sauces and soups.  Add 3 egg yolks (beaten well) to one cup of heavy cream.   Add a small amount of the hot sauce or soup to the liaison to gradually increase the temperature.  Once it is tempered you can add it to your sauce or soup.

Reduction – This is the process of cooking a liquid until some or most of the water has evaporated. This will not only thicken the sauce, but will intensify the flavors, as well. Using a heavy pot bring the liquid or sauce to a simmer and cook until the required consistency is achieved.

Slurry – A slurry is a mixture of starch and cold water or milk.  You can use cornstarch, potato starch, arrowroot, rice flour, or regular flour. Typically 1 part starch to 2 parts liquid.

Other Common Sauces/Condiments

• Mayonnaise is an emulsion consisting of oil, egg, salt, vinegar or lemon juice, and egg yolks as an emulsifier.  Many other sauces can be created using this base, with the additional of herbs and seasonings.

• Aioli (eye-YO-lee) – (French) The French word for garlic is “ail.” Traditional aioli is made by grinding the garlic in a mortar with a pinch of salt, while adding olive oil, a little at a time.  Basically, aioli is garlic-flavored mayonnaise made from pounded cloves of garlic, egg yolks, oil, and lemon juice.  Adding Dijon mustard is a common variation of basic aioli.  If you are fearful of using raw eggs, you can start with mayonnaise, which is made from pasteurized egg yolks. Basic aioli can be seasoned with just about any chopped herbs, spices, or hot pepper sauces.  I love to dip my fries in it.

• Coulis (koo-LEE) – A French culinary term.  It is a type of a sauce, usually a thick one, which is either entirely or in part from pureed fruits or vegetables.  A sauce of cooked down tomatoes can be a tomato coulis, as can a puree of strained raspberries.

• Newburg Sauce – This sauce was created at the famous Delmonico Restaurant in New York City by French chef, Charles Ranhofer. This delicious sauce is made with butter, cream, egg yolks, sherry or brandy, paprika and a pinch of cayenne pepper. It is usually served over buttered toast points. If the sauce is used with other foods the dish is given the name “Newburg” such as “Lobster Newburg”.

• Remoulade (ray-muh-LAHD) – A chilled flavored mayonnaise used in French cuisine.  It is often aioli or mayonnaise based and may include anchovies or anchovy paste, mustard, capers, horseradish, paprika, curry, chopped pickles, etc.  that are served as a dressing for cold meats, poultry or seafood.