Culinary: Sauce

Section Objectives

Upon completing this section, you should be able to:• Discuss and apply principles of sauce preparation

Sauce

Definition: Hot or cold seasoned liquid either served with, or cooked in, a dish

Functions of a Sauce

• Moisturize• Flavor• Enrich• Bind• Enhance appearance• Provoke interest• Appeal to appetite

Warm Sauce Categories

• Mother sauces– Béchamel– Velouté– Demi-Glace/Espagnole– Tomato

• Emulsion– Hollandaise

Mother Sauces

• Take a long time to prepare• Stable, can be reheated• Foundation for other sauce dishes

– Béchamel (white): cream, Cheddar, and mornay– Velouté: allemande, supreme, and Normandy– Tomato: Spanish, milanaise, and creole– Demi-glace: mushroom, marchand de vin, and

chasseur

Béchamel Sauce

• Milk• White roux• Onion piqué spiked with clove and bay leaf• Nutmeg, salt, and pepper• Quality: Smooth, creamy texture; thickness of

heavy cream; white color; full flavor of base

Velouté Sauce

• Poultry, veal, or fish stock• Blond roux• Salt and pepper• Quality: Smooth, creamy texture; thickness

of heavy cream; pale blond color; full flavor of base

Tomato Sauce

• Tomato• White stock• Mirepoix and seasoning• Blond roux• Quality: Smooth, creamy texture; thickness of

heavy cream; red color; full flavor of base

Espagnole / Demi-Glace Sauce

• Espagnole– Brown veal or beef stock– Brown roux– Seasonings

• Demi-glace– 50% espagnole– 50% brown stock– Reduced by 50%

Emulsions

Definition: Bringing disparate ingredients together

Emulsifier• Something that assists in forming an emulsion

– Egg yolk (lecithin)– Particles (dry mustard, pepper, salt)– Acid (vinegar, wine)– Thick liquid (corn syrup, puréed fruit)

Hollandaise Sauce

• Egg yolk• Clarified butter• Cold water• White vinegar• Lemon juice• Cayenne pepper• Salt

Cold Sauce Categories

• Emulsion– Mayonnaise– French

• Other – Salad dressing– Dessert sauce– Classic

Mayonnaise Sauce

• Egg yolk• Oil, canola• Sugar• Salt• Dry mustard• Vinegar

French Dressing

• Emulsified– Eggs, whole– Dry mustard– Paprika– White pepper– Salt– Oil, canola– Vinegar

Dressings

• Basic– Vinegar– White pepper– Dry mustard– Salt– Oil, canola

Sauce Components

• Liquid/Semi-liquid base• Thickening agent• Flavoring and seasoning

Sauce Thickening Agents

• Roux– 50% fat and 50% flour,

cooked– White for béchamel– Blond for velouté– Brown for espagnole

• Buerre Manie– 50% fat and 50% flour,

uncooked

Sauce Thickening Agents —continued

• Egg Yolk– Liaison

• Other starches: cornstarch, arrowroot

• Slurry mixture of raw starch and liquid