Classic Sauces

“Sauce is one of the things that separates the great cooks from the good ones.”

Sauce: n. A thickened or semi liquid preparation used to flavor and enhance other foods.

Gravy: n. A sauce made from meat or poultry juices combined with a liquid (ex. milk, broth, or wine) and a thickening agent (ex. flour or cornstarch).

Many people associate “sauces” with the stuffy world of Escoffier (1846-1935) and classic French sauces. But much has changed since then. Chefs and cooks no longer have the very large kitchen brigades or the time to prepare the complex sauces described in The Escoffier Cookbook. Sauce making is the subject of yearlong classes at culinary schools and in this class we can only scratch the surface. But we can learn some of the basics and provide a framework for further study.

Stock: n. A broth from boiled meat or fish, used as a base in preparing soup, gravy, or sauces.

First, good stocks and sauces are the foundation of fine cuisine. Their preparation is considered the most important business in every large kitchen. While the details can vary, stocks are divided into two main categories: white stock and brown stock. The difference is in the browning of the bones. White stocks are added most frequently to soups, sauces, or vegetables. Unsalted brown stocks are often defatted and reduced to create a demi-glace.

Chicken Stock
Yield: 1 qt.

Put two pounds of chicken parts (or a cut up whole chicken) in a stockpot and cover with about 10 c. of cold water. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes then remove the scum off the surface. Add a chopped medium yellow onion, a sliced carrot, and a stalk of celery. Then add a sprig of fresh thyme (or a teaspoon of dried thyme), a sprig of parsley, two or three whole cloves, a few black peppercorns, and a bay leaf. Simmer for an hour or more, strain through a colander and refrigerate overnight. The next day remove any fat from the surface and strain through a fine mesh.

Put the stock into small containers and freeze for future use.

Brown Stock
Yield: 1 qt.
Oven: 450 deg.

Arrange 1 pound of meat trimmings and scraps and 1-2 pound of beef bones in a shallow roasting pan. Turn the ingredients often to ensure even browning. After 20-30 minutes remove from the oven. Remove the meat and bones and place into a stockpot. Remove the fat from the roasting pan and add a bit of red wine or water to the pan and bring to a boil (deglaze). Scrape the bits of roasted meat and the liquid into the stockpot. Cover the bones with cold water and bring to a boil. Skim then reduce the heat to a very gentle boil. Sauté a chopped yellow onion, a sliced carrot and a sliced stalk of celery until they start to brown then add to the stockpot along with a few peppercorns, a sprig of fresh thyme, a bay leaf a sprig of fresh parsley, 2-3 unpeeled garlic cloves, and a cup of chopped fresh tomato (or canned tomato puree). Simmer for 2 or more hours (more is better—as much as 5 or 6 hours, but add more water if the bones rise above the liquid). Strain, chill, and degrease as for the chicken stock. Strain again then freeze or reduce further for a demi-glace.

Tips for stock making
1. Try not to let the stock boil too vigorously as it will incorporate the fat and other impurities.
2. Cooking may be halted and resumed later.
3. Do not cover the stockpot airtight unless it is perfectly cool.
4. Let your taste tell you when you have simmered it sufficiently.
5. If you store stock in the cooler, boil it every few days to keep it fresh.

Contemporary Sauces
Modern chefs are relying less on traditional sauces and more on salsas, relishes, juices, broths, essences and infused oils in their work. Unlike classic sauces, these modern accompaniments do not necessarily depend on meat based stocks and starch thickeners. The names for these sauces are not strictly codified, as are those in the classic repertoire.

Most of these contemporary sauces can be prepared more quickly than their classic counterparts, and the use of fresh fruits and vegetables makes them more healthful. These contemporary sauces generally have a lighter body and use less fat than classic sauces, but they are still derived from classical techniques and principles. All sauces should be appropriate in flavor, texture, and appearance and should complement, not overwhelm, the foods the accompany.

The French System of Sauces

White Sauces Includes béchamel and veloute.

Both are made with a white roux. Béchamel uses milk and veloute uses a white stock.

Roux is flour and butter cooked together for several minutes. It is the thickening agent for the sauce. In Escoffier’s day, white sauces were cooked for hours and skimmed constantly to remove any taste of flour from the sauce. Nowadays using a well-cooked roux and a well-seasoned broth can eliminate much of the simmering time.

Thin sauce or soup: 1T flour per cup of liquid
General-purpose sauce: 1 1/2 T flour per cup of liquid
Thick sauce: 2T flour per cup of liquid
Soufflé base: 3T flour per cup of liquid
Derivative Sauces: Newburg Sauce, Mornay sauce, and German Sauce (sauce Allemande)

Brown Sauces
Also includes béchamel and veloute, but for brown sauces, the roux is cooked slowly until nut brown and a brown stock is added.

Derivative Sauces: Madiera sauce, and Sauce Robert

Tomato Sauces
These are made by first sautéing finely diced onion, celery, and carrot with butter or oil in a heavy saucepan. A bit of flour (1 1/2T per 1 1/2 cups of stock) is added and cooked.

Stock is added, then tomatoes and herbs. Simmering time is about 30 min to 1 hr. It is strained (or finely pureed) and finally seasoned with salt and pepper.

Derivative Sauces: Provencal tomato sauce

Egg Yolk and Butter Sauces The mother sauce is Hollandaise.

Hollandaise sauce is made of warmed egg yolks with lemon juice into whick melted butter is gradually added to make a thick, yellow sauce.

Derivative Sauces: Bearnaise Sauce, Mousseline Sauce (added whipped cream), Colbert Sauce (added meat glaze).

Egg Yolk and Oil Sauces The mother is mayonnaise.

There really is nothing like house-made mayonnaise sauce. Egg yolks are placed in warm mixing bowl lemon juice and mustard are beaten in and then warm oil is slowly incorporated. This sauce rewards using organic farm fresh eggs and quality oil.

Derivative Sauces: Tarter sauce, sauce Remoulade, and aioli

Oil and Vinegar Sauces Vinaigrette in this family.

A traditional French salad dressing is a mixture of good wine vinegar, quality oil, salt, pepper fresh herbs, and mustard. The usual ratio is 1 part vinegar to 3 parts oil though this varies considerably. I prefer a ratio of 1 to 4 as it doesn’t wilt delicate greens so rapidly.

Derivative Sauces: Sauce Ravigote (add capers and onions) and mustard sauce

Hot Butter Sauces Beurre Blanc is in this family.

Beurre blanc is nothing more than warm butter flavored with wine, wine vinegar, shallots, salt, and pepper. The trick is to present it as a thick, creamy emulsion.

Derivative Sauces: Beurre Nantais (add cream)

Flavored Butters (Compound Butter) Butters creamed with various flavorings.

First one makes a Beurre en Pommade or creamed butter; let the unsalted butter come to room temperature and then beat it with an electric mixer or a wooden spoon until it is light and creamy. Then the flavorings can be incorporated. Finally, the butter is cooled until firm.

Derivative Sauces: Beurre Maitre d’Hotel (add lemon juice and parsley), Beurre Bercy (add shallots and reduced white wine) and Beurre Colbert (add tarragon, lemon juice, and very reduced meat glaze).

Other Sauces

Outside the scope of traditional French Sauces but very important to modern cooks and chefs are moles, chutneys, compotes, coulis, relishes, and salsas. Desert sauces such as caramels and chocolate sauces are also a part of the cook’s repertoire. Then again, we haven’t even mentioned marinades and barbeque sauces! There is always more to learn.

[Chef’s note:  I put this piece together to serve as a hand-out for a two hour cooking class on the subject of classic sauces.  I quoted, paraphrased and used information from the following sources: Chez Jacques, Jacques Pepin, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Julia Child, et al.,  The Sauce Bible, Larousse and On Cooking, Labensky et al.]

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