Sauces Unit Objectives Students will be able to

Sauces

Unit Objectives Students will be able to: ◦ Identify the functions of sauces ◦ Recognize and classify mother sauces ◦ Prepare mother sauces ◦ Use thickening agents properly

What is a sauce?

What is a sauce? Sauce- Flavorful liquid + thickening agent + seasonings A sauce is defined as a flavorful liquid, usually thickened, which is used to season, flavor and enhance other foods. A French word meaning a relish that makes food more attractive.

What is the purpose or function of a sauce?

Purpose and Functions A sauce adds the following qualities to foods: Moistness Ø Flavor Ø Richness Ø Intensity Ø Appearance (adds color and texture) Ø Interest and appetite appeal Ø Should complement the food Ø

Sauces come in many forms: Sauces used to pour over certain foods to bring moisture and extra flavor to the meal Other thicker sauces are added to the side of the plate and accompany a cut or few slices of meat Sauces which are an integral part of the dish Cold sauces or dressings used to liven up salads and cold meats.

What types of sauces can you think of? q What is in it? q How does it look? q What color is it?

Cheese sauce Gravy White sauce Barbeque sauce Butter sauce Chocolate sauce Alfredo sauce Au jus sauce Tomato sauce Tarter sauce Hollandaise Fruit Cocktail sauce Carmel sauce

Sauces are not always savoury Sweet Sauces Chocolate sauces Butterscotch sauce Brandy sauce Custard

Some sauces are usually bought ready made in bottles. • Worcestershire Sauce • Tabasco Sauce • Soy Sauce • Ketchup

SAUCE FAMILIES Mother sauce = liquid + thickening agent. Generally not used by themselves, but are used as bases. 2. Small sauces = Mother sauce + additional flavorings. (derivatives) 1.

History of the Mother Sauces All sauces in cooking are derived from five basic sauces, called the Mother Sauces, as first classified by the 19 th Century French chef Antonin Carême. The mother sauces were traditionally prepared in huge quantities, and then separated into smaller portions. These smaller portions combined with additional ingredients created over 100’s of variations.

What is gravy? Gravy- Made from pan drippings (fond), and thickened with roux or slurry.

Mother Sauces Five groups of mother sauces, also known as grand, leading, or major sauces. v Béchamel (bash-a-mel), or white sauce v Veloute (vel-ou-tay) sauce, or stock-based white sauce v Espagnole (es-pan-yole), or brown sauce v Hollandaise (hol-lan-days) sauce and mayonnaise, or emulsified sauces v Vinaigrette, or oil and vinegar-based sauce v Tomato sauce (today considered to be among the 5 major sauces, however, it actually came about later

Small sauces A secondary sauce created when a flavor is added to a mother sauce v v v Cheese Cream Curry Mushroom Shrimp

The Structure of a Sauce A liquid, the body of the sauce A thickening agent Additional seasonings and flavoring ingredients

Liquid Provides the base or body of most sauces. White stock-base for Veloute Brown stock-base for Espagnole Milk-base for Béchamel Tomatoes plus stock-base for Tomato Clarified butter-base for Hollandaise

Thickening Agents A sauce must be thick enough to cling to the food. It should coat the back of a spoon.

Thickening Agents v Roux – white, blond or brown - Equal parts of flour and fat, melt butter stir in flour, cook and stir. Color depends on how long you cook it. v Beurre manie – equal parts of solid clarified (raw) butter and flour, (cold, uncooked, kneaded together) added in pea sized balls at end of sauce making

Thickening Agents v Liaison – (Binder) 3 parts heavy cream to 1 part egg yolks added at end of sauce making Must temper to prevent curdling. v White wash - flour and cold water. Not recommended for use. v Reduction - simmering a sauce to evaporate some of the water thickens the sauce.

Starches as Thickeners Starches are the most common. Flour is the principal starch used. 2. Others are vegetables, potatoes, bread, grains 3. Starches thicken by gelatinization. 4. Starch granules must be separated before heating in liquid to avoid lumping. 1. A. Mixing the starch with fat. B. Mixing the starch with a cold liquid.

Other Thickening Agents Cornstarch Waxy maize Butter Eggs Cream Arrowroot Rice Flour Corn Flour Potato Starch Gelatine

Roux 1: 1 ratio 4 T butter : : ¼ cup flour Once the fat is melted in the pan the flour is added. The mixture is stirred until the flour is incorporated and then cooked. A good roux should be stiff not runny. The longer you cook it, the darker it will become. The end result is a thickening and flavoring agent.

Roux types v White Roux - Cooked for just a few minutes to get the raw taste out. Least amount of cooking time (3 – 5 minutes) Example: Béchamel Sauce v Blond Roux - Cooked a little bit longer, just until the roux begins to change to a slightly darker golden color. (5 – 6 minutes) Example: Veloute Sauce v Brown Roux - Cooked until it takes on a dark brown color and a nutty aroma. (15 - 20 minutes) Example: Espagnole Sauce

Basic Procedure for making all Roux Melt fat. Add correct amount of flour and stir until fat and flour are thoroughly mixed. Cook to required degree for white, blond, or brown roux.

Procedure for adding liquid to Roux Use heavy sauce pot to prevent scorching Ø When roux is made, let cool for a few minutes Ø Slowly pour in the liquid, all the while beating vigorously to prevent lumps from forming. Ø Bring to a boil, continuing to beat well. Ø Roux does not reach its maximum thickening power until near the boiling point! Ø Simmer the sauce until all the starchy taste has been cooked out.

Procedure for adding Roux to liquid Bring the liquid to a simmer in a heavy pot. Add small quantity of roux and beat vigorously to break up all lumps. Continue to beat in small quantities until desired consistency is reached. Remember, roux does not reach its maximum thickening power until near the boiling point! Simmer for a time to thicken completely. Continue to simmer until the roux is cooked out and no starchy taste remains. If the sauce is to simmer a long time, under thicken it, it will thicken as it reduces.

Thickening Agents Cornstarch: • Equal parts cold liquid to cornstarch • Blended mixture is called a slurry • Add slurry to hot liquid • Thickens immediately

REDUCTION Ø Use reduction to concentrate basic flavors. Ø Use reduction to adjust texture. Ø Use reduction to add new flavors.

Terminology To reduce by one-half – means to cook away one-half of the volume. 2. To reduce by three-fours – means to cook away 3/4 ths of the volume, so only 1/4 is left. 3. To reduce au sec – means to reduce until almost dry. 1.

STRAINING Strain through a china cap lined with several layers of cheesecloth or through a chinois. This is done usually before final seasoning.

SEASONING The last step in any recipe is to adjust the seasoning! o Salt is the most important seasoning. Lemon juice, cayenne and white pepper are also frequently used. o Sherry and Madeira wine are frequently used as a final flavoring because their flavors are easily evaporated by heat.

The Mother Sauces

Mother/Leading Sauces Sauce Liquid Thickener Béchamel Milk Espagnole Brown Stock Brown roux Tomatoes Hollandaise Clarified Egg yolk Butter White Stock Blond roux Velouté White roux Reduction Color

Compound Sauces • Compound sauces are leading sauces with other ingredients & flavors added to it • Also called small sauces, second sauce, or derivatives

Bechamel - White Sauce Considered The King of all sauces Preparation Whisk scalded milk gradually into a flour butter roux.

These Sauces are made FROM a Bechamel Mustard Sauce: Whisk the Bechamel Sauce with ¼ cup of prepared mustard at the end. Dill Cream Sauce: Add dry or fresh Dill 1 tsp at a time. Taste after each addition to check for readiness. Once you have the basic sauce made, you can work with it to fit the taste profile you’re looking for. Alfredo Sauce: Whisk grated parmesan cheese into the finished sauce (off heat) until it melts. • Use about ¾ cup of cheese per two cups of sauce. • Pour your cheese sauce over angel hair noodles that are cooked al dente.

Leading Sauce Derivative Leading Sauce: Béchamel. Derivative: Mornay sauce Ingredients: Gruyere Cheese, Parmesan cheese, cream, monté au beurre

Velouté - Blond Sauce Velouté uses a slightly darker roux (the roux is toasted longer to a slight brown color), and a white stock such as chicken or fish. Again, use the 1: 1 ratio = 1 cup liquid (stock) per 1 ounce of Roux

Velouté based Sauces Mushroom Sauce: by sautéing mushrooms and stirring them into the finished sauce. Herb sauce by finishing the Velouté sauce with minced fresh herbs to taste. Be careful, the herbs are potent. If you want a spicier sauce, add some hot pepper in with the roux and toast it a bit before adding your liquid. If you want some onion flavor, chop up part of an onion and sauté it, same as you’d do for a mushroom sauce.

Velouté Three Versions Chicken velouté Veal velouté Fish velouté

Each Velouté forms it’s own secondary sauce Chicken velouté – Sauce suprême with the addition of cream Veal velouté – Allemende Sauce thickened with a liaison of egg yolks and cream Fish velouté – add white wine and heavy cream becomes the White

Espagnole - Brown Sauce Step 1: Espagnole sauce is prepared from vegetables and herbs that are cooked in a brown roux, a dark stock such as beef, and then a tomato purée. Step 2: The sauce is left to simmer for around two hours until it reduces to a thick brown sauce. Step 3: The final stage is to pass the sauce through a sieve, which will retain all of the vegetables, lumps and unwanted ingredients. You may add this on top when finished.

Espagnole Mushroom Sauce: Espagnole sauce and mushrooms. Bordelaise Sauce: Espagnole sauce with red wine, shallots and herbs. Lyonnaise Sauce: Espagnole sauce with chopped onions, parsley and white wine.

Espagnole - Brown Sauce Demi-glace Half brown sauce plus half brown stock, reduced by half. Preferred by chefs over Espagnole. Demi-glace is considered a wellflavored brown stock, reduced by half.

Hollandaise - Butter Sauce Hollandaise sauce is an emulsion of butter and lemon juice. Egg yolks are used as the emulsifying agent. Usually seasoned with salt and cayenne pepper. Generally used to embellish vegetable, fish and egg dishes, such as the classic Eggs Benedict. Properly made, the sauce is smooth and creamy. The flavor should be rich and buttery, with a mild tang added by the lemon juice and seasonings. It must be made and served warm, not hot

Hollandaise will separate if: • Butter is added too fast • Butter is too hot • Egg yolk to butter ratio is incorrect (5 egg yolks to 1 lb. of clarified butter) • Sauce gets too cold • Sauce gets too hot • Served on top of very hot product

Hollandaise Second Sauce: Mayonaise A thick, creamy dressing that’s an emulsion of vegetable oil, egg yolks, lemon juice or vinegar and seasonings. It is widely used as a spread, a dressing and as a sauce. It’s also used as the base for such mixtures as Tartar Sauce and Thousand Island Dressing.

Hollandaise Other Second Sauces: ◦ Sabyonne ◦ Bearnaise

Vinaigrette A sauce made of a simple blend of oil, vinegar, salt and pepper (usually 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar). More elaborate variations can include any combination of spices, herbs, shallots, onions, mustard, etc. It is generally used to dress salad greens and other cold vegetables, meat or fish dishes.

Tomato Sauce - Red Sauce Classically, Tomato Sauce is made with tomatoes, vegetables, seasonings, and vegetable stock. Tomato Sauce should be thick and rich, with a slightly sweet flavor. Marinara sauce is a common Italian variation of this mother sauce, made by adding onions, garlic and oregano.

TOMATO Tomatoes + stock Mirepoix Ham bones or pork bones Sachet Cooked in the oven helps heat it evenly and without scorching Thickened by REDUCTION! Often referred to as a coulis

Tomato Sauce Derivatives § Barbeque sauce § Meat (Spaghetti) sauces § Ketchup

Finishing Sauces that are too thick thin with stock Cream can be added at the end Strain sauces in china cap or chinoise Wring with cheese cloth

Other Terms Associated with Sauces

Monter au beurre A finishing technique for secondary sauces. Finish the sauce with a few small pieces of softened butter added to hot sauce until it melts. Consists of swirling or mixing whole or compound butter into a sauce just before service. Serve immediately as sauce may break. Adds richness, flavour, and texture

Compound Butter blended with herbs and added at end of sauce

Clarified Butter v Simply defined, clarified butter is unsalted butter that has the milk solids and water removed so all that remains is pure liquid golden-yellow butterfat. v You can make clarified butter by melting unsalted butter in a pan over low heat. Watch it until you see a layer of white on top. Skim it off. Then let the rest sit in the pan for a few minutes to let the milk solids drop to the bottom. Strain through a sieve and what comes through is the clarified butter. v A stick of butter will yield about 6 tablespoons of clarified butter v Clarified butter is used in sautés, sauces and in baked dishes.

Onion pique = ½ onion, bay leaf, cloves Bouquet garni = a collection of herbs (traditionally fresh parsley, fresh or dried thyme, and bay leaf) that are bundled together to flavor a soup, stew, or broth. They are tied together so they can be removed easily at the end of the cooking.

Sachet bag = a bag made out of cheesecloth, filled with herbs and spices, used when the chef does not want to see the herb in the finished dish

Coulis Puree of fruits or vegetables ◦ Tomato coulis ◦ Raspberry coulis

Tempering refers to the blending of ingredients of different temperatures. There are two common uses of the term, to temper eggs or to temper chocolate, although the way tempering works differs between the two.

Temper In tempering eggs, you add a small amount of a hot liquid into relatively cooler eggs in order to warm them up without scrambling them. This method is used in making custards, eggbased sauces, and other foods where eggs are used to thicken a hot liquid. If you simply dumped the eggs into the hot liquid, the heat would transfer immediately to the eggs causing them to scramble. To avoid this, the liquid is removed from the heat and a small amount is poured slowly

DEGLAZING: To swirl a liquid in a sauté pan or other pan to dissolve cooked particles of food on the bottom. A liquid such as wine or stock is used to deglaze and then reduced by one-half or three-fourths. This is then added to the sauce.

FOND LIE OR JUS LIE Brown stock thickened with a slurry. Jus (au jus) The natural juices that drip while proteins are cooking

Salsa Cold mixture of herbs, spices, fruits, and / or vegetables used to flavor dishes

Standards of Quality for Sauces 1. Consistency and body. • • Smooth, with no lumps Not too thick, but thick enough to coat the food lightly.

2. Flavor • • Distinctive but well-balanced flavor. Proper degree of seasoning. No starchy taste. Should enhance the food or provide a pleasant contrast.

3. Appearance • Smooth, with a good shine. • Good color.

Sauce Quality Factors • • • Color Opacity Luster Taste Texture Consistency