SAUCES Sauces a history Originated in Roman times

SAUCES

Sauces, a history • Originated in Roman times, but were closer to a condiment • Typically flavored with fermented fish called garum, and heavily seasoned • Thickened with bread crumbs • Sauces have evolved to compliment dishes not overpower them

Purpose of sauces • Improve appearance • Contribute flavors that complement or accent the flavors • Add moisture to keep the dish from tasting dry and unappetizing • Add richness, especially if it is a high fat sauce • Add visual appeal to a simple center of the plate item.

Thickening Sauces • All sauces are thickened • Traditionally thickened to nappe’ (na PAY) consistency. Nappe’ means it will coat the back of a spoon. • Starch is commonly used to thicken sauces. • Liquid must come to a boil for starch to reach full thickening potential. • There is a tendency to use to much starch if it isn’t boiling and results in over thickening.

How to use starch: • Roux: a mixture of equal parts flour and fat by weight. • Roux is cooked to achieve two objectives, one it removes the taste of raw starch and can additional flavors depending on how long it is cooked. • There are three types of roux; White, blonde and brown

Starch cont’d • Slurry – a mixture of cold liquid and starch. • Must be mixed quickly because they thicken quickly • Types of starches used to make slurries: • Cornstarch – made from corn, thickener breaks down the longer the item is held hot • Arrowroot- is expensive, but will not breakdown over time. Best used for items that will be frozen and reheated • Beurre Manie- A mixture of softened whole butter and flour. It is occasionally used to thicken sauces and stews at the last minute.

Other Thickening Methods • Reduction- Concentrates flavor and thickens sauces. Reduction sauces are typically expensive considering the time that goes into making them and the volume is greatly reduced • Puree- Using Pureed foods to thicken sauce, like fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts. A sauce made from pureed fruits and vegetables is called a coulis (coo LEE)

Egg yolk • Using yolk takes practice as to not curdle your sauce. (separate liquids and solids) • In order to prevent this you must first add chilled cream, to the yolks, then add a small amount of the hot mixture to the egg mix gradually raising the temperature of the egg mix. This is called tempering. The yolk and cream mixture that is used to thicken liquids is called a liaison.

Emulsion • A homogenous mix of fat and water. • Hot emulsions will thicken a sauce but require practice • Maintain temperatures • Use natural emulsifiers like egg yolk or mustard to hold the emulsion together • Add the fat portion slowly to water • Bread oldest and most rustic thickener – not used very often today because of the pasty texture it gives food.

Mother Sauces • Created by French Chefs to streamline production • Derivative Sauces are made from mother sauces • Mother sauces are • White Sauce (béchamel sauce) • Veloute Sauce (means velvety) (vehl oo TAY) • Espagnole (Brown demi –glace sauce) • Tomato Sauce • Hollandaise (emulsified with egg yolks and butter)

Further descriptions: • Sauce Béchamel, milk-based sauce, thickened with a white roux. • Sauce Espagnole, a fortified brown veal stock sauce, thickened with a brown roux. • Sauce Velouté, light stock-based sauce, thickened with a roux or a liaison, a mixture of egg yolks and cream. • Sauce Hollandaise, an emulsion of egg yolk, butter and lemon or vinegar. • Sauce Tomate, tomato-based