the world of sauces

Grand Sauces, Derivatives, Basic Ingredients, Preparing Sauces, Matching Sauces to Food

The word sauce comes from the French word that means a relish to make food more appetizing. All types of sauces are important in cooking. A good sauce adds flavor, moisture, richness, and visual appeal. Sauces should compliment food, not disguise it.

what is a sauce?

A sauce is a liquid or semisolid product that is used in preparing other foods. Sauces add flavor, moisture, and visual appeal to another dish. A saucier is a cook who specializes in making sauces.

a brief history of sauces

The first sauces date back to around 200 BC in the midst of Roman antiquity. The sauce then used is garum, a typical Roman sauce made from fermented fish (anchovies, sardines, etc.) and seasoned with spices such as cumin, cardamom, coriander, honey and fragrant flowers.

It is used in making “primae mensai”, the main dishes that consisted of poultry, boiled meat or other types of meats. This was used, according to certain historical writings, to mask the taste of foods whose freshness was doubtful but, also, in certain circles easier to show the variety of spices, then expensive, which were used for its manufacture. . Apicius, a cook at the time, even wrote that his recipes contained so many spices that it was impossible for diners to guess the ingredients in them. In addition, honey being often added to them, we obtained sweet and salty sauces that were even more difficult to decipher!

The sauces used in the centuries that followed were very similar to garum. In the 14th century, we find in particular in the writings of Taillevent, an eminent French gastronomic cook, recipes based on porridge but this time on meats and various poultry! It was later in the 17th century that we saw the appearance of the first sauces made from eggs, creams and butter. The following three centuries saw many inventions such as bechamel sauce, ketchup, Hollandaise sauce and Spanish sauce in the 18th century, mustard and mayonnaise in the 19th century, salad dressings, barbecue sauce in the 20th century and hundreds more in the 21st century.

The 5 great sauces represent the sauces that it is essential for every cook to master and which are the basis of most of the sauces that we know today.

These techniques were brought in the 18th century by the Father of French cuisine, Antonin Careme through a methodology grouping together cooking principles that allow cooking an infinite number of sauces from the knowledge of these 5 sauces.

grand sauces

There are 5 classical grand sauces that are the basis for most other sauces. These are sometimes called, "mother sauces". They include the following:

Bechamel: This is made from milk and white roux.

Veloute: This is made from veal, chicken, or fish stock and a white or blond roux.

Brown or Espagnole sauce: This is made from brown stock and brown roux.

Tomato Sauce: This is made from stock and tomatoes (roux optional)

Hollandaise: This is an emulsion made from eggs, butter and lemon.

derivatives of grand sauces

In French cuisine, the mother sauces (French: sauces mères), also known as grandes sauces in French, are a group of sauces upon which many other sauces – "daughter sauces" or petites sauces – are based. Different sets and classifications of mother sauces have been proposed since at least the early 19th century.

basic ingredients in sauces

Sauces need a liquid component, but some sauces, such as salsa, may contain more solid elements than liquid. A key ingredient in sauce is the thickener, which adds richness and body. Some examples of thickeners are roux, burre manie, slurry, and liaison.

Roux is a thickener made of equal parts cooked flour and a fat, such as clarrified butter, oil, or shortening. To make a roux, the fat is heated up in a pan, and the flour is added. The mixture is stirred until the flour and fat are fully blended. The color of the roux is determined by how long the mixture has been heated.

There are four commonly used types of roux:

White: This is cooked for a very short period of time; used in sauces where little color is needed, like Bechamel. White roux is bland and a little starchy and has the most thickening power.

Blond: This is cooked longer than white roux, unjtil the flour turns golden and has a nutty aroma; used in ivory-colored sauces like veloute. Blond roux has a little more flavor development. It is nutty tasting.

Brown: This sauce is cooked until it develops a dark brown color; used in dishes that require a dark brown color. Brown roux is nutty and a rich medium-brown color.

Dark Brown: Dark brown roux is quite dark, with a nutty, roasted flavor. It has the least thickening ability because the starch has been cooked the longest.

Beurre Manie is a thickener made of equal parts flour and soft, whole butter. Mix flour and butter together, and then shape the mixture into small pea-sized balls and add to the cooking sauce. Use beurre manie to thicken a sauce quickly at the end of the cooking process.

A slurry, cornstarch mixed with a cold liquid, can be used instead of roux. You cannot add cornstarch directly to a sauce; it will make the sauce lumpy. First dissolve the cornstarch in a cold liquid.

Don't boil sauces thickened with cornstarch too long or the starch will break down, creating a watery sauce.

A Liaison is a mixture of egg yolks and heavy cream, often used to finish some sauces, such as Allemande sauce. Liaison adds a rich flavor and smoothness to the sauce without making it too thick. It is important to temper the liaison to prevent the egg yolks from curdling.

To temper the sauce, slowly mix a little bit of the heated sauce with the eggs and cream mixture to raise the temperature, and then add the warmed up egg mixture into the sauce.

"It is the sauce that distinguishes a good chef. The Saucier is a soloist in the orchestra of a great kitchen." --- fernand point

Fernand Point was a French chef and restaurateur who is considered the father of modern French cuisine. He founded the restaurant La Pyramide in Vienne near Lyon.

preparing different kinds of sauces

There are various kinds of sauces besides grand sauces and their derivatives. These include compound butters, cold or thick sauces like salsa and coulis, and sauces made from the natural juices of meat.

compound butter

Compound butter is a mixture of raw butter and various flavoring ingredients, such as herbs, nuts, citrus zest, shallots, ginger, and vegetables. Use compound butters to finish grilled or broiled meats, fish, poultry, game, pastas, and sauces, among other uses. Roll the butter into a long tube shape, then chill then slice for use as needed.

One blend is maitre d'hotel butter, a softened butter flavored with lemon juice and chopped parsley. It is often used to garnish grilled meat or fish.

coulis and salsa

Other miscellaneous sauces that add flavor, texture, and color to a dish include salsa and coulis.

A Coulis is a thick pureed sauce, such as the tomato coulis.

Salsa is a cold mixture of fresh herbs, spices, fruits, and/or vegetables. It can be used as a sauce for meat, poultry, fish, or shellfish. These sauces allow chefs to change a menu item by adding flavor, moisture, texture, and color to a dish.

Jus-lie and au jus

Sauces are sometimes made witrh the natural juices of meat. Jus-Lie is a sauce made from the juices of cooked meat and brown stock. Meats served with their own juices are Au Jus.

To finish a sauce, adjust teh consistency. For example, it may be necessary to add stock to a sauce to thin it out. The added stock will also help flavor the sauce. Sometimes using a red or white wine can add a very distinctive taste to a sauce.

Once the flavor and consistency have been adjusted, the sauce may need to be strained to make sure it is smooth. The easiest way to strain sauce is the wringing method. In this method, place a clean cheesecloth over a bowl, and pour the sauce through the cheesecloth into the bowl. The cloth is then twisted at either end to squeeze out the strained sauce.

The cheesecloth catches the unwanted lumps of roux, or herbs, spices, and other seasonings. sauces may also be strained through a China Cap lined with cheesecloth, a fine meshed strainer or a chinois.

fruit compote

Compote or compôte (French for stewed fruit) is a dessert originating from medieval Europe, made of whole or pieces of fruit in sugar syrup. Whole fruits are cooked in water with sugar and spices.

The syrup may be seasoned with vanilla, lemon or orange peel, cinnamon sticks or powder, cloves, other spices, ground almonds, grated coconut, candied fruit or raisins. The compote is served either warm or cold.

videos on sauces

These 5 Sauces Will Upgrade Your Weeknight Meal Game | Epicurious 101

Professional chef and culinary instructor Frank Proto demonstrates how to make five sauces that every chef should have in their arsenal: Béchamel sauce, Tomato sauce, brown sauce, pesto, and hollandaise.

The History of Béchamel Sauce

We owe Bechemel Sauce to none other than the Sun King himself, Louis XIV and his chief chef. Find out more about the history in this short video.

Espagnole Sauce: History, Origin and How To Make It Step By Step

The Espagnole sauce is one of the 5 French mother sauces that exist and has been around for centuries. knowing how to make that sauce is a must when you are learning French cooking.

Are Mother sauces still relevant today? let's talk about today French sauce classification

Learn how French sauces are classified today overview and comparison with the older mother sauce classification.

matching sauces to food

Several factors help to determine the right sauce for a dish:

What will be the style of service? Some sauces are plated (put on the plate with the food). Others may be available self-serve on a buffet.

How is the main ingredient of the dish being cooked? Bold sauces and garnishes work well for roasted meat. Lighter sauces are best for white meat and food cooked with light techniques, such as poaching or steaming.

How does the sauce's flavor work with the dish's flavor? The sauce should compliment, not clash with, the flavor and texture of the dish.

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