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La Belle Cuisine
Sauces
“The
French are credited with refining the sophisticated art of sauce-making.
It was the 19th-century French chef Antonin Carême who evolved
an intricate methodology by which hundreds of sauces were classified
under one of five
"mother sauces."
Those are:
Espagnole (brown
stock-based)
Velouté (light
stock-based)
Béchamel (basic white
sauce)
Hollandaise and
Mayonnaise
(emulsified sauces)
Vinaigrette (oil-and-vinegar
combinations)”
(from The New Food Lover's Companion
by Sharon Tyler Herbst)
Classic
Brown Sauce
by Jan Weimer
Bon Appetit November 1980
Bon Appetit - One Year Subscription
“The
classic brown sauce is one of the sauces
mères (mother sauces) of French cuisine, so called because many
other important sauces are derived from it.
Like the white sauces, béchamel and velouté, brown sauce
consists of a liquid
thickened with
a cooked mixture of butter and flour
called a roux. The dif-
ference is that for a brown sauce the roux
is cooked much longer; it must be
stirred over low heat until it
acquires a nut-brown cast that intensifies the
color and flavor of the
sauce. This lengthier
cooking diminishes the thick-
ening power of the starch, a factor that
should be taken into consideration
before you start cooking. To make a brown
sauce of medium thickness,
allow two tablespoons
of both butter and flour for each cup of liquid.
Another
major difference between the white and brown sauce
families is the
liquid
on which they are based. Instead of milk, chicken, veal or fish stock,
brown sauce takes
much of its flavor and character from a substantial beef
stock that has
been flavored with browned beef bones or veal bones.
Some
of the most important sauces in French cuisine - Madère,
Bordelaise,
Poivrade - are among the spin-offs of the Classic Brown
Sauce. And, as the
recipes
for these and other variations indicate, the basic structure of these
sauces is identical to that of the mother sauce; only the flavorings
change.
A rich-tasting
brown sauce is a perfect match for aged beef, and its variations
include
ideal partners for veal, lamb, pork and chicken.
A
brown sauce that is the color of mahogany, with rich, concentrated
flavor
and a silken sheen, is not difficult to make, but it does take
time. The sauce
must simmer
for three to four hours in order to attain the desired consistency
and
intensity of flavor. One
taste of a carefully simmered and perfectly sea-
soned brown sauce and you
will understand when many chefs consider a
Sauce Madère or a Sauce
Bordelaise,
or any of their cousins, among the
triumphs of the good
cook's repertoire.”
Classic Brown Sauce
2
tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 medium carrot, diced
1 celery stalk (including leaves) thinly sliced
1 ounce Prosciutto or other ham, diced
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 quarts degreased rich unsalted
beef stock,
heated to boiling
10 parsley sprigs (with stems)
6 thyme sprigs or 2 teaspoons dried, crumbled
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon tomato paste or
2 large tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 large shallot, minced
1 large garlic clove, minced
Mushroom trimmings (optional)
Chicken beef, veal or ham trimmings and
bones (optional)
2 tablespoons Cognac
Salt and fresh ground pepper
Melt
2 tablespoons butter in heavy 4-quart saucepan over low heat. Add onion, carrot, celery and Prosciutto.
Cover and cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Transfer to bowl. Melt
1/2 cup butter in same saucepan over
low heat.
Add flour and stir until roux is the color of coffee with cream,
about 10 minutes. Whisk in boiling stock.
Increase heat and stir until sauce returns to boil.
Add reserved onion mixture to saucepan with the parsley, thyme, bay
leaves, tomato paste, shallot, garlic and trimmings and bones.
Reduce heat and simmer, skimming off foam that rises to surface,
until
the sauce has thickened and is reduced to 1 quart, about 3 hours,
stirring
occasionally toward end of cooking time to prevent sticking.
Strain sauce through chinois or sieve lined with 3 layers of
dampened cheesecloth, but
do
not press down on ingredients or sauce will be cloudy.
Remove any
fat from surface of sauce by blotting with
strips of paper towel. Just
before serving, stir in Cognac and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Enhance
the Classic Brown Sauce with any or all of the following enrichments:
Butter:
For a shiny gloss, whisk 2 tablespoons well-chilled butter into
sauce just before serving. Do not reheat or sauce will separate.
Caramel:
Caramel naturally deepens the color of a sauce without notice-
ably
affecting its flavor. To
prepare caramel, place 2 teaspoons sugar in
heavy small saucepan (do not
use tin-lined copper) and melt over low
heat. Let cook until lightly golden in color. Turn off heat, stand away
from pan and pour in ladleful of
sauce. Stir over low heat
until well
blended. Strain
into remaining sauce and mix thoroughly.
Glace de Viande:
To heighten flavor, stir in a tablespoon of glace
de
viande (meat glaze) when reheating sauce.
Variations:
Sauce Madère: Combine
1/3 cup Madeira, Sherry or Port with 1 cup
brown sauce in heavy saucepan
and simmer 20 minutes, stirring
occasionally.
Serve with beef or chicken.
Sauce Périgueux: With
truffles, a Sauce Madère becomes the exquisite
Sauce Périgueux. Splendid with beef, it is generally reserved for special
occasions. Slice one fresh or
canned truffle and marinate in 1/2 cup
Madeira
for at least 24 hours.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in small sauce-
pan over
medium heat. Add 1 minced small shallot and stir until trans-
lucent.
Add
truffle and marinade. Simmer
gently 10 minutes. Remove
truffle using
slotted spoon. Set
aside. Boil marinade until
reduced to
1/4 cup. Add
the
truffle and 1 cup brown sauce and simmer 5 minutes.
Sauce Bordelaise: Soak
4 inches beef marrow in ice water overnight.
Combine 3/4 cup dry red wine, 1 minced medium shallot and 1 thyme
sprig (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme) in small saucepan and boil until
reduced
to 2 tablespoons. Strain
into another saucepan. Add
1 cup brown sauce
and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain
marrow and slice into
pieces 1/4 inch thick. Transfer to small saucepan.
Cover with cold salted
water and heat just until water simmers. Drain again. Reserve
a slice to
garnish each serving; stir
remainder into sauce. A
traditional accompani-
ment for beef.
Sauce Lyonnaise: Melt 1
tablespoon butter in heavy small saucepan over
low heat. Add 1/4 cup thinly sliced onion.
Cover and cook until translucent, stirring occasionally, about 10
minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup dry
white wine and 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar.
Increase heat and boil until the mixture is
reduced to 1/4 cup.
Blend in 1 cup brown sauce and simmer 5 minutes,
stirring
occasionally. Garnish with 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley.
Sauce Marchand de Vin: Melt
2 tablespoons butter in heavy small sauce-
pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 minced large shallot and 1 1/2 cups
sliced mushrooms and sauté
until mushroom juices have evaporated, about
5 minutes. Stir in 3/4 cup dry red wine.
Increase heat and boil until mixture
is reduced to 1/4 cup. Stir in 1 cup brown sauce and 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice. Simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
The only brown sauce varia-
tion to be created in America, this is
usually spooned over beef.
Sauce Chasseur (Hunter): Melt
2 tablespoons butter in heavy small sauce-
pan over medium-high heat.
Add 1/4 cup thinly sliced onion and 1 1/2 cups
thinly sliced
mushrooms and sauté until mushroom juices have evaporated, about 5
minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup dry
white wine and 1/2 cup tomato sauce.
Increase heat and boil until mixture is reduced to 1/4 cup.
Blend in 1 cup brown sauce.
Simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Garnish with 1 1/2
teaspoons each minced fresh parsley, chervil and
tarragon. Spoon over
sautéed
chicken. [Also delicious with pork and veal.]
Sauce Poivrade: Melt 1
tablespoon butter in heavy small saucepan over
low heat. Add 1/4 cup thinly sliced onion and 1/4 cup thinly sliced carrot.
Cover and cook until translucent, stirring occasionally, about 10
minutes.
Stir in 1 bay
leaf, 1 thyme sprig (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme), 3/4 cup dry
red wine and
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar. Increase
heat and boil until reduced to 1/4 cup. Strain into another saucepan.
Add 1 cup brown sauce.
Stir
in 1/2 teaspoon coarsely crushed black peppercorns.
Simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
A traditional sauce for game or lamb.
By adding 1 tablespoon currant jelly and 2 tablespoons whipping cream
this variation
becomes a
Grand
Veneur.
Great
Hints
• Rendered beef, veal or pork fat can be substituted for butter in
recipe for Classic Brown Sauce.
• To hasten browning of roux, precook flour in a 350-degree F. oven
for
20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• For a fat-free brown sauce, place 1/2 cup oven-browned flour in a
saucepan and whisk in enough brown stock to make a paste. Gradu-
ally whisk in remaining stock (there should be a total of 2 cups stock)
and bring to a boil. Sieve,
if necessary. Add raw
onion, carrot, celery,
shallot, garlic and other seasonings and proceed
as for Classic
Brown Sauce.
• A brown sauce should be thick enough to cling to food without
overwhelming it. If it is
too thick, thin with cream or stock.
If it is
too thin, reduce over high heat or thicken with a beurre
manié.
• Add acidic ingredients such as vinegar, lemon or lime juice after
the sauce has reduced. If added earlier, sauce won't thicken.
• To keep sauce warm, place in a bain-marie. Do not cover or
steam will
thin sauce too much.
Brown
Sauce [quick]
Gourmet January 1987
1/2
cup beef, veal, or pork drippings or
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
2 onions, quartered
1 small carrot, quartered
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
8 cups chicken or beef broth
3 parsley sprigs
1 rib of celery
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 bay leaf
A pinch of dried thyme
1/4 cup canned tomato purée
In
a stainless steel or enameled kettle melt the drippings, add the onions
and carrot, and sauté them over moderately high heat, stirring,
until the
onions begin to turn golden. Add the flour and cook the mixture over low
heat, stirring, until
the flour and the vegetables are a rich brown.
Remove
the kettle from the heat, add 3 cups of the broth, heated,
in a stream, stir-
ring, and stir the mixture until it is combined well. Add the parsley, celery,
garlic, bay leaf, and thyme, and cook
the mixture over low heat, stirring,
until it thickens.
Add 3 more cups of the broth and simmer the mixture,
stirring
occasionally and skimming any froth as it rises to the surface, for
1
hour and 30 minutes, or until the liquid is reduced to about 3 cups.
Add
the tomato purée, simmer the sauce for 5 minutes, and strain
it through a
fine sieve into a bowl.
Return the sauce to the kettle, add the remaining 2
cups broth,
and simmer the sauce, skimming any froth, until it is reduced
to about 4 cups.
Index - Basic Sauces
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