Sauces

Sauces
Do you know who deserves the big bucks at that fancy French restaurant you love so much? It’s the saucier (the sauce maker)! These alchemists are the most talented at balancing flavors to create the personality of the dish it accompanies.

Learning how to make sauces is definitely one of the most important ways of enhancing the flavor of your food.

Before we dive in to how, here are key terms to become familiar with:

SAUCE – Flavorful liquid, usually thickened, used to flavor and enhance other foods
PAN GRAVY – Sauce made with the juices or drippings of the meat or poultry with which it is served
JUS – Unthickened juices from a roast
As I shared in the Stocks section, fundamental to good sauces is a good stock. In fact, in order to achieve the depth of flavor and complexity you experience when you eat a restaurant-prepared sauce, you must use good stock.

Additionally, utilizing thickening agents to create the desired consistency is a critical  element in sauce-making. The options for thickening agents available are quite numerous. Each of the following works in a particular way:

ROUX – Cooked mixture of equal parts flour and fat used for medium and long cooking; can be cooked to white, blond or brown by cooking longer; thickening power  lessens the longer it cooks
BEURRE MANIE – A mixture of equal parts raw butter and flour
WHITEWASH – Mixture of flour and water
CORNSTARCH – Twice the thickening power of flour; produces a glossy sauce that is almost clear; however, prolonged boiling breaks it down
ARROWROOT – Produces a clearer sauce than cornstarch and lasts longer on the heat; used for jus lie; however, more expensive
WAXY MAIZE –Only thickener that can withstand freezing
PREGELATINIZED/INSTANT STARCHES – Thicken without heating; used for baking
BREAD CRUMBS – Used to add texture
PUREES, NUTS –Sauce gets thickened texture from ingredients
LIAISON –Mixture of egg yolks and cream, used to enrich and lightly thicken a sauce (proteins coagulate when heated)
CREAM – Added for extra richness and color (opaque appearance)
BLOOD – Used in many traditional recipes; to prevent coagulating, it is mixed with vinegar, lemon juice or alcohol and  tempered before adding
REDUCTION – Thickening occurs through the process of boiling/simmering a liquid to evaporate part of the water
MOTHER SAUCES

Foundational to all sauces are the five sauces that are referred to as “Mother Sauces”.

Each uses a different technique and serves as the basis from which all other sauces are derived. Therefore, if you can master these five sauces, you then have the ability to make a myriad of delicious sauces.

Below is a detailed explanation of how to make each of the Mother Sauces. And following this chart, are a set of diagrams detailing which sauces are derived from each of the Mother Sauces. If you’ve ever wondered what’s in all of those fancy-sounding French sauces, this is your guide!

BECHAMEL

PROCEDURE
In a pot, combine cold milk with ½ onion (spiked with bay leaf and clove) and bouquet garni (French term for a bundle of herbs which traditionally includes leeks, parsley stems, thyme, celery greens and bay leaf) with a pinch of salt and pepper
Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat and add cold roux slowly
Whisk until thickened
Strain through chinois
Add nutmeg and salt to taste
VELOUTE

PROCEDURE
In a pot over medium-low heat, add stock and bouquet garni with a pinch of salt and pepper
Once the liquid comes to a soft boil, add cold roux and whisk in until a la nappe (French term describing the thickness achieved when a sauce coats the back of your spoon)
Monter au beurre ( French term to describe the process of finishing a sauce by  whisking in butter to create a glossy and more flavorful sauce)
Add salt and pepper to taste
TOMATE

PROCEDURE
Preheat oven to 350*
Render bacon in a large pot over medium-low heat (on the stove)
Sweat carrots, onions, leeks and garlic in the bacon fat with a pinch of salt and pepper
Add tomato paste and cook to de