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What Exactly is a Sauce?
What Exactly is a Sauce?
Before you can fully appreciate the mother sauces, you should know what a sauce is. Sauces are thickened liquids used to add richness, flavor and moisture to a dish. Drier foods – such as grilled meats, roasts or meatloaf – are often enhanced with sauces and gravies.
Sauces typically contain a liquid, thickener and various flavorings and seasonings. French mother sauces use milk (béchamel sauce), white stock (veloute), brown stock (Espagnole), clarified butter (Hollandaise), and tomato (tomato sauce) as the liquid base for each type of sauce.
Several mixtures are used for thickening sauces, including:
Several mixtures are used for thickening sauces, including:
ROUX
a cooked mixture of equal parts of flour and fat (such as butter, oil or meat drippings). The amount of cooking time affects the color. For example, roux starts out white before progressing to blond and brown as it cooks.
a cooked mixture of equal parts of flour and fat (such as butter, oil or meat drippings). The amount of cooking time affects the color. For example, roux starts out white before progressing to blond and brown as it cooks.
WHITE WASH OR SLURRY
a mixture of flour and cold water
a mixture of flour and cold water
CORNSTARCH
a mixture of cornstarch and cold water
a mixture of cornstarch and cold water
LIASON
egg yolks that have first been tempered with hot stock (so they don’t scramble) before being added to the liquid
egg yolks that have first been tempered with hot stock (so they don’t scramble) before being added to the liquid
IMPORTANCE OF SAUCE IN FOOD PREPERATION
IMPORTANCE OF SAUCE IN FOOD PREPERATION
Enhances flavors.
Some sauces help in digestion, e.g. mint sauce, apple sauce with roast pork.
It gives moistness to the food, e.g. white sauce adds creaminess to firm and dry food.
Adds color to the food. Hollandaise sauce served on a vegetable adds color.
Served as an accompaniment, sometimes gives a contrast taste to another food, e.g cranberry sauce with roast turkey.
Sometimes gives the name to the dish ,e.g Madeira wine when added to the brown sauce, it is called sauce Madeira.
Enhances nutritional value of the dish.
Dresses and complements food that need some additional quality and makes the food more palatable, e.g. Chaudfroid sauce is used to coat various food items, and gives a good appearance.
Gives tartness and contrasts or balances a bland food, e.g. Devil sauce served with eggs give appealing tartness.
THE FIVE MOTHER SAUCES
THE FIVE MOTHER SAUCES
- Béchamel Sauce – Béchamel sauce, or white sauce, was a sauce most often served to the rich or to royalty. Made out of a roux of flour, boiled milk and butter, the creamy white sauce added a smooth touch to white meats such as chicken, vegetables and eggs. In the years before refrigeration, milk products were rarely used in the recipes of the average French housewife.
2. Veloute Sauce – Veloute sauce is often called the “fat white sauce” or “rich white sauce.” This is a white sauce with a blondish color that starts with chicken, veal or fish stock that has been thickened with a white roux. Common derivatives of this sauce include allemande sauce (veal), supreme sauce (chicken), and vin blance sauce (fish). For example, allemande sauce is based on veal veloute with egg yolk and cream, while supreme sauce is a chicken veloute that has been reduced with heavy cream. Vin blanc sauce is a fish veloute enhanced with herbs, butter and shallots.
2. Veloute Sauce – Veloute sauce is often called the “fat white sauce” or “rich white sauce.” This is a white sauce with a blondish color that starts with chicken, veal or fish stock that has been thickened with a white roux. Common derivatives of this sauce include allemande sauce (veal), supreme sauce (chicken), and vin blance sauce (fish). For example, allemande sauce is based on veal veloute with egg yolk and cream, while supreme sauce is a chicken veloute that has been reduced with heavy cream. Vin blanc sauce is a fish veloute enhanced with herbs, butter and shallots.
3.Brown or Espagnole Sauce – This sauce starts with a dark brown roux, veal stock, beef, bones, vegetables and seasonings. It is heated, skimmed and reduced. After the initial reduction, tomato sauce is added, and the sauce is further reduced. The entire process is time-consuming, taking hours (if not days) until the sauce is ready. The flavor of Espagnole sauce is concentrated and intense, so it is rarely served directly on food.Instead, Espagnole sauce is often used as the base for derivative sauces such as demi-glace, sauce chevreuil and sauce bourguignonne. For example, demi-glace is made by adding an equal portion of veal stock to the Espagnole sauce.
3.Brown or Espagnole Sauce – This sauce starts with a dark brown roux, veal stock, beef, bones, vegetables and seasonings. It is heated, skimmed and reduced. After the initial reduction, tomato sauce is added, and the sauce is further reduced. The entire process is time-consuming, taking hours (if not days) until the sauce is ready. The flavor of Espagnole sauce is concentrated and intense, so it is rarely served directly on food.Instead, Espagnole sauce is often used as the base for derivative sauces such as demi-glace, sauce chevreuil and sauce bourguignonne. For example, demi-glace is made by adding an equal portion of veal stock to the Espagnole sauce.
4. Hollandaise Sauce –Hollandaise sauce is a rich sauce featuring egg yolks and butter. While France made its own butter for many years, they imported butter from Holland during World War I. During this time, the sauce formerly known as “sauce Isigny” became known as Hollandaise sauce. When butter production resumed in France, the name remained the same. Making Hollandaise sauce requires practice to get it right. Care must be taken so the butter doesn’t curdle.
4. Hollandaise Sauce –Hollandaise sauce is a rich sauce featuring egg yolks and butter. While France made its own butter for many years, they imported butter from Holland during World War I. During this time, the sauce formerly known as “sauce Isigny” became known as Hollandaise sauce. When butter production resumed in France, the name remained the same. Making Hollandaise sauce requires practice to get it right. Care must be taken so the butter doesn’t curdle.
5. Tomato Sauce – Tomato sauces are based on tomatoes. A common derivative sauce based on tomato sauce is marinara sauce.
5. Tomato Sauce – Tomato sauces are based on tomatoes. A common derivative sauce based on tomato sauce is marinara sauce.
REFERENCES:
REFERENCES:
https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition/what-are-5-basic-mother-sauces/
https://foodsgoogle.wordpress.com/2010/05/30/importance-of-sauces-in-food-preparation/
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