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Classic French Sauces
How to Prepare
the Great Classic Sauces
In this section we'll tell
you all about French sauces that are an integral part of
French cuisine, and the world of cooking. There is a huge difference
between gravy
and a sauce. Gravies are made in the skillet or pan from the
drippings of cooked
meats, then thickened with flour, cornstarch or arrowroot. Whereas
sauces have to
stand on their own, not relying on the meat fat or meat tidbits for
flavor, but the have
to enhance the meat, fish, vegetables whatever on their own. Sauces
do thicken
and have body, but are not thick and heavy. Sauces can be bold, or subtle, but
always lighter in taste and calories
than gravies.
The classic French sauces have changed the world of cooking,
especially in the
U. S. There are other classic sauces that are just as
important in the world of
gourmet cooking, including fruit sauces and vegetable sauces that
will enhance the
food that you cook everyday....and forever, once you've tried them!
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Béchamel Sauce
Family - Light Warm
Cream Sauces
This family of sauces consist of flour
thickened light cream sauces, that you might be reminiscent of
pan gravies, but the difference as with all classic French
sauces, they do not use pan drippings from meats, but rather
stand on their own individual character to enhance the food that
it is to compliment.
Béchamel Basic Recipe
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1/8 lb. butter
4 T. Flour
2 c. cold milk
1 t. sugar |
1/2 t. salt
1/8 t. white pepper
Dash of nutmeg
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Melt the butter in a heavy skillet over low heat,
and stir in the flour. Stirring constantly
for 3 minutes, thus cooking the flour and eliminating a pasty
taste. Do not let flour brown, add the remaining
ingredients, stirring constantly until sauce thickens.
Makes about 2 cups of sauce.
Béchamel Sauce Variations
- Family I Offspring's
All
offspring recipes in this family are cooked in the 1/8 lb.
butter from the parent recipe.
Then additional ingredients are added to create the offspring
sauce.
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Albert Sauce
- Simmer 2 minced shallots, 2 T. grated
horseradish, and 1/2 t. dry mustard in the butter, and continue
with the basic recipe. Add 1 T. of sherry and 1 T.
vinegar, and then finish with a chunk of unsalted butter.
Serve with light roasted meats.
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Champignon Sauce
- Saute 1 c. small mushrooms in the butter, continue with basic
recipe, stir in a blended mixture of 1/4 c. crème fraîche
and 1 egg yolk.
Serve with eggs, fish and vegetables.
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Duxelles Sauce
- Sauté 2 minced onions in butter for 8 minutes, add 1 c. minced
mushrooms and sauté another 5 minutes. Continue with basic
recipe, stir in a blended mixture of 1/4 c. crème fraîche
and 1 egg yolk, and serve with poultry, eggs and vegetables.
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Moutarde
Sauce - Sauté
1 T. dry mustard in the butter and continue with the basic
recipe. To finish, add 3 T. whipping cream. Serve
with eggs, poultry and vegetables.
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Soubise
Sauce -
Simmer over low heat, 2 c. minced onions in the butter for
5 - 10 minutes until soft, then add 1 t. confectioners sugar and
continue with the basic recipe. Mash through a fine sieve
and finish with a chunk of unsalted butter and 2 T. crème fraîche.
Use for roasted white meats. |
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Béchamel Sauce Variations -
Family II Offspring's
All Béchamel family II sauces use the finished parent Béchamel
Sauce
recipe, then specific ingredients are added to
complete the offspring sauces.
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Aurore Sauce
- Stir in 1/2 c. tomato purée and 2 T.
sherry to parent recipe. Serve with eggs and vegetables.
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Chantilly Sauce
- Fold in 1 t. fresh lemon zest and 4 T. whipped cream into warm
Béchamel sauce. Serve with eggs or vegetables.
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Mornay Sauce
- combine 2 egg yolks, 4 T. whipping cream, 4 T.
grated parmesan cheese to the finished parent sauce. Heat
sauce just enough to melt the cheese [do not boil], and serve
with eggs or vegetables.
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Quenelle Sauce
- Stir in 1/4 c. crème fraîche
and 1 egg yolk blended mixture, 2 T. whipping cream, a chunk of
unsalted butter, and finish the sauce with 2 T. sherry and 2
drops red food coloring. Add the cooked Quenelles, seafood
or vegetables to the sauce and heat gently and serve. |
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Velouté
Sauce - Light Warm Béchamel Sauces
The Velouté Sauce
family is Béchamel sauce made with either chicken or fish stock
rather than milk. These sauces are interchangeable between
the two families -- in other words you can use either the
Béchamel or Velouté basic recipe
for any of the sauces in these two families, opting for a milk
or stock base.
Velouté
Sauce Recipe - Basic Recipe
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1/8 lb. butter
4 T. Flour
2 c. chicken or fish stock
1 t. sugar
Makes about 2 cups |
1/2 t. salt
1/8 t. white pepper
Dash of nutmeg
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To make Poultry Velouté Sauce use
chicken stock, for Fish Velouté
Sauce use fish stock, and for
Seafood Velouté use seafood stock.
Prepare the recipes as you would in the basic Béchamel Sauce
Recipe above.
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Bercy Sauce
- in a small heavy saucepan, pour in 1/4 c. white dry wine, and
2 minced shallots and bring to a boil, reduce until liquid is
gone. Stir in a basic recipe of Velouté
sauce, add 1 T. fresh lemon juice and finish with a chunk of
butter, and 1 T. minced parsley.
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Champignon
- in a small heavy saucepan, pour in 1/2 c. white dry wine, and
1/2 c. sliced mushrooms, bring to a boil, reduce until liquid is
gone. Add 2 T. Cognac [you can use a brandy] and flambe.
When the flame dies, add the recipe of Velouté sauce, heat, stir
in a blended mixture of 1/4 c. crème fraîche
and 1 egg yolk to finish.
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Ravigote
- in a small heavy saucepan, pour in 1/4 c. white dry wine, and
2 T. vinegar, bring to a boil, and reduce until liquid is gone.
Add the recipe of Velouté sauce, a chunk of butter and sprinkle
sauce mixture with 1 T. chopped chives and 2 T. chopped French
tarragon. |
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Hollandaise Sauce Family
[White Warm Sauces]
The Hollandaise Sauce Family is
probably the most widely recognized and used sauce of the
classic French sauces. There are several methods to
prepare this sauce, but traditionally the hand whisk is the best
way to make this sauce, and this sauce is only served lukewarm
[do not reheat]. Set the dish with the sauce in it, into a
dish or pan with warm water [same temperature of the sauce] to
maintain the warmth until served.
There are several family offspring sauces of Hollandaise, and
all worth trying. We're going to focus on the Hollandaise
Sauce Family II that simply uses the basic Hollandaise recipe,
then specific ingredients are added to the parent sauce for
finishing. Please note that this sauce in France is
usually made in a specific heavy lined copper pot or cast iron
pot, so for all intents and purposes the safest way to make this
recipe without scorching problems, is to use a double boiler
[add about 1/2 inch water to bottom of double boiler].
Make sure the water in the bottom of the double boiler does not
touch the top part.
Be sure that you have all of your ingredients measured and at
hand before starting the sauce. Prepare you clarified
butter and have at hand. This goes very quickly!
Hollandaise
Sauce Recipe - Basic Recipe
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3/4 c. clarified butter
- 1-1/2 sticks
4 egg yolks [remove white matter]
1 T. cold water
Makes about 1/2 to 3/4 cup |
1/2 t. salt
Dash white pepper
1 t. fresh lemon juice
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Bring the water in the lower part of the
double boiler to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, set on the top
of the double boiler and place the egg yolks and water into the
top of the double boiler. Start whisking, and continue
until mixture starts to thicken. Gradually add the butter
[squeeze from plastic bottle] whisking constantly and add salt.
pepper and lemon juice.
Hollandaise sauces can be made ahead of time and frozen in small
freezer bags, or small inexpensive reusable plastic dishes.
Note: if sauce starts to thicken too quickly, remove from
heat and sit the top of the double boiler into another pan with
cold water to stop the cooking process, then continue with
recipe.
All Hollandaise Family II
Sauce recipes use the basic recipe above then add the listed
ingredients of each sauce recipe to finish the sauce.
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Sauce Anchois
- add 1 T. anchovy paste, add to sauce, serve
with fish
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Sauce Câpres
- add 2 T. drained refrigerated capers, add
to sauce, serve with eggs, fish and poultry.
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Sauce Chantilly
- add 2 T. creme fraiche, add to sauce, serve
with vegetables
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Sauce Citron
- add 2 T. lemon zest to sauce, serve on grilled
fish.
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Sauce Divine
- in a small sauce pan add 3 T. sherry and reduce
by half, then add to Chantilly recipe. Serve on poached
fish or on breast of white poultry.
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| Sauce Noisette
- add 1/4 c. finely chopped and roasted hazelnuts
or almonds to sauce, and serve with cooked fresh vegetables
[green beans, asparagus, etc.] |
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