Sauces Chapter 24

Sauces: Sauces are thickened liquids that complement other foods Sauce making is considered one of the most challenging skills to master

The role of sauces Can be traced back at least 2,000 years to the Roman Empire Roman sauces were often flavored with numerous spices and fermented fish called garum Today sauces are thinner and are designed not to overpower, but to complement by adding a complexity and balance to the dish They perform the following roles: improve the appearance, contribute flavors that complement or accent the flavors, add moisture to keep the dish from drying out, add richness, add visual appeal to a simple center of the plate items.

Thickening sauces Nearly all sauces are thickened liquids They are traditionally thickened to a nappe consistency. Which means that it is thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Ways to thicken a sauce: Stach Roux Slurry Beurre Manie Reduction Puree Egg yolk Emulsion bread

Starch: Is in the category of carbohydrates Commonly used to thicken sauces include flour, cornstarch and arrowroot When they are combined with hot liquid they absorb liquid in a process called gelatinization. When using starch the liquid must come to a full boil, if it doesn’t then the starches thickening abilities are not attained.

Roux: A classic starch based thickener A mixture of equal parts flour and fat by weight that is cooked to varying degrees of doneness and used to thicken liquids The fat surrounds the starch granules and it distributes the starch evenly in the liquid so then the sauce will not be lumpy. Three different types of roux: White-cooked until the raw flour taste disappears Blond- cooked until the color turns a straw color Brown- cooked until the color turns brown

Cold roux is often added to a hot liquid to help prevent lumps In a professional kitchen large batches of roux The desired amount of roux added to a liquid depends on the desired consistency of the finishing sauce: Light sauce: 1 gal of liquid plus 8 to 10 oz roux Medium sauce: 1 gal liquid plus 12-16 oz roux Thick sauce: 1 gal liquid plus 18 to 20 oz roux

Slurry Is a mixture of cold liquid and starch Must be mixed well so the starch is evenly distributed in the liquid to avoid lumps To thicken the slurry is slowly poured into the boiling liquid while whisking constantly, slurries thicken liquids quickly A few starches that are commonly used to make slurries Cornstarch: consists entirely of starch derived from corn it is an inexpensive and produces a glossy sauce Arrowroot: a pure starch comes from a tropical root. It is expensive and produces a glossy sauce Flour: not a pure starch does not produce a glossy appearance. A slurry made with flour is called a whitewash

Beurre Manie A mixture of softened whole butter and flour It is used to thicken sauces and stews at the last minute. Unlike a roux the longer it is in the liquid the more pronounced the flour flavor will be.

Reduction A way to concentrate the flavor and a way to thicken sauces A reduction is accomplished by boiling a sauce to evaporate some of the water A reduction based sauce are expensive to make since they cook for long periods of time and the volume is greatly reduced

Puree Another way of thickening a liquid is by adding finely ground solids to them Ground solids include: fruit, vegetables, seeds, and nuts A sauce made from pureed fruits or vegetables is called a coulis

Egg yolk Adding egg yolk to sauces takes practice because if you add a yolk directly to a hot liquid it will curdle. When they curdle the liquid and solid portions separate from each other To avoid curdling: egg yolks are mixed with a small amount of chilled cream before adding to a sauce. Then a small amount of the liquid is added to the egg yolks and cream to bring them up to temperature before pouring them slowly into the rest of the liquids. This technique is called termpering.

The yolk and cream mixture that is used to thicken liquids is called a liaison Once the yolk mixture is added the liquid must be cooked slowly and stirred constantly.

Emulsion A mixture of fat and water that is homogeneous, or uniform throughout Properly made emulsions will thicken a sauce Maintain the recommended temperature ranges Use natural emulsifiers Add the fat portion slowly to the water portion

Bread: One of the oldest and most rustic ingredients used to thicken sauces Toasted or untoasted bread crumbs can be added to the sauce They do produce a pasty texture; so they are rarely used

Mother sauces and Derivative sauces Sauces created by the French, and therefore many of the sauces have French names The French sauce system consists of 5 mother sauces from which a large number of derivative sauces are produced. They are the base sauce from which other sauces can be quickly made Derivative sauce is a sauce that is made from a mother sauce, some chefs prefer to derivative sauces as compound or small sauces The five mother sauces include: White sauce or béchamel sauce Veloute sauce Brown sauce or demi-glace sauce Tomato sauce Hollandaise sauce

White Sauces Consist of milk thickened with a white roux and flavored with onion, bay leaf, and a small amount of nutmeg Classically this sauce is called a béchamel sauce. An onion pique is when you spear the bay leaf with the cloves into the onion so that it is easily retrieved from the sauce Derivative sauces: Cheddar sauce- by adding aged cheddar cheese Crème sauce- addition of cream and small amounts of lemon juice Soubise- cooked with a generous amounts of sweated onions Mornay- addition of gruyere and parmesan cheeses

Veloute Is a French sauce that means velvety It is made by thickening a white stock with a blond roux, it should have a beige appearance. Since the principal ingredient of the sauce is stock it must be well flavored and free from any defects Derivative sauces: are also instrumental in making soups Allemande- addition of mushroom cooking liquid, lemon juice, egg yolk, and butter Supreme- addition of cream and butter

Brown sauce Is a thickened brown stock Three principal ways to make a mother sauce: the fastest type is called a jus lie, which is a reduced brown stock that is thickened with corn starch or arrowroot slurry. Espagnole sauce is made by slowly reducing brown stock, a small amount of tomato product, mirepoix and brown roux for hours Demi glace sauce- is classically made by reducing espagnole sauce to proper nappe consistency. Brown stock is reduced until it reaches a sauce consistency and right before it is served butter is mixed in to give it a better mouth feel

Brown sauces: Derivative sauces: has the largest family of derivative sauces, often made by combining an acidic ingredient like wine, vinegar, or fruit juice with other flavors Bordelaise: addition of red wine, shallots, black pepper, and bone marrow Charcutiere addition of julienne of cornichon, a small acidic principal, to Robert sauce Chasseur- addition of mushrooms, shallot, white wine and tomatoes Madere- addition of madeira wine Robert sauce- addition of onion, dry or Dijon mustard, and whit wine Bercy- addition of shallots, white wine, and chopped parsley

Tomato sauce Is an example of a puree thickened sauce A basic tomato sauce consists of tomatoes cooked with flavoring elements such as vegetables, herbs and even pieces of raw or cured meats. Derivative sauces: has the fewest derivative sauce, it can be varied in a couple ways by: Paprika and cream Fresh herbs such as basil, parsley, and chervil Pureed roasted garlic Sweet red peppers and chiles

Hollandaise sauce Is a hot emulsified sauce that combines egg yolks and warm clarified butter. To produce a stable emulsion the sauce must be prepared with care, if it is made improperly the emulsion will break. An emulsion breaks when the egg yolk and clarified butter separate Derivative sauces: the most famous is béarnaise sauce, Bearnaise sauce: addition of a vinegar, shallot, parsley and tarragon reduction Chantilly- addition of unsweetened whipped cream Choron- addition of cooked diced tomato or tomato pured to béarnaise sauce Maltaise- addition of blood orange juice and zest

Causes and remedies for broken hollandaise When they start to break small droplets of fat separate from the yolk mixture When it is completely broken droplets of egg yolk float in a pool of clarified butter Reasons as to why they break: Butter was added too quickly The egg yolks weren’t cooked enough The butter was too cool or the egg yolks were overcooked

Too fix If too cold warm gradually over boiling water or add a small amount of hot water If the sauce is too hot, add a small amount of cold water or crushed ice If the sauce is completely broken make a fresh batch of hollandaise, once the egg yolk water, and lemon juice are hot enough remove from the heat and whisk in the warm broken sauce instead of the clarified butter. Hollandaise should only be made with pasteurized eggs only and properly held since the egg isn’t fully cooked

Non traditional sauces Includes butter sauces, salsas, relishes and chutneys Butter sauce- or beurre blanc is a delicate emulsified sauce that is composed entirely butter. It is versatile and can be flavored in different ways. Beurre noisette is a browned butter finished with lemon juice.

Other non traditional sauces: Salsa- less acidic then relishes. They originate from Latin America and tend to be spicy hot due to chilies. Relishes: a combination of coarsely chopped vegetables and fruits marinated with a large amount of vinegar Moles: originate from Mexico, and are complex sauces that rely on pureeing for their texture. There are nine basic Moles from white to yellow, red or black. Pipians: are the precursor to moles, they are made throughout Mexico and are easier to prepare. They come in a variety of colors and styles.

Asian dipping sauces: are very thin and are used as a condiment for different dishes. They are often soy based and are flavored with ingredients such as mirin. Chutney: originate in India, they are similar to relishes, but use different spices. Some are cooked while some are raw. Curry: Is a broad category of sauces that are popular from India and Southwest Asia. They are complex sauces that bring together a wide range of flavors into one cohesive sauce.

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