Home > Modules > Module 04: Sauces > Lecture Notes

Sauces are the cornerstone of culinary preparation.
Hot or cold seasoned liquid, either served with or used in cooking of a dish.

A sauce should function to add flavor compatible with the dishes ingredients.
Includes everything from classic French sauces, to salad dressings, fruit toppings, gravies and other.

Sauces should be smooth, light, glossy and distinctive in taste.
It contributes moistness, flavor, richness, appearance (color & shine), an interest & appetite appeal to food served with.

Seasoning is an essential point in sauce making sauce. Seasoning should act as a complimentary factor.
If seasonings are excessive, they can modify or even destroy the flavor of the dish.

A sauces flavor comes from the combined flavor of all its ingredients.
Stocks are the root of by which sauces grow.

Sauce making can not be rushed, the ingredients and elements need a chance to do their work.

NAPPE - THICK OR THIN

Sauces can be strained or contain visible ingredients.Well made sauces should have the following characteristics:

• distinctive texture
• body with concentrated flavors to complement dish
• color must accent the dish
• correct consistency

3 COMPONENTS OF SAUCES

1. Liquid
The body of a sauce could contain one of the following liquids:

a. white stock
b. brown stock
c. milk
d. tomato sauce

2. Thickening Agent

• must be thick enough to cling lightly to food (NAPE)
• depouillage (removal of fats & impurities within a sauce via the cooking of the roux)

3. Flavoring and Seasoning Ingredients

MOTHER SAUCES (served hot)

Espagnole (demi-glace)(18th century)
(brown stock, caramelized mirepoix, tomato puree, seasonings)

Veloute
(white stock (chicken, veal or fish) thickened with white or pale roux)

Béchamel
(white sauce made of milk thickened with white roux and flavored with onion)

Tomato
(sauce made traditionally w/ tomatoes, stock, roux, and pork)

Hollandaise
(cooked emulsification of butter, egg yolks and flavorings)

COMPOUND SAUCES
Derivatives of mother sauces

• Addition of other ingredients to modify or dominate taste.
• 2 Categories of compound sauces
  • small brown (from demi)
  • small white (béchamel & veloute)

EMULSIFIED SAUCES

• Preparations that bring together elements that do not readily mix.
• Examples include hollandaise, beurre blanc; etc.

MISCELLANEOUS SAUCES

• Gravies (made from pan drippings)
• A la minute reductions (following sauté work, drippings)
• BBQ (not necessarily the bottled tomato base product, could be olive oil & lemon for fish or soy & sugar with ham or pork)
• Nut Sauces (as thickeners or infused milk, regional preferences)
• Fruit Sauces (savory by nature, more of a condiment than sauce)
• Custard Sauces (sweet & savory sabayon)

MAKING & CLEARING A SAUCE

• Correct stock
• Correct roux
• Liaison between roux and stock (depouillage)
• After roux & liquid are blended, bring to boil
• Reduce heat & allow to simmer (slight roll of liquid)
• Skim & strain sauce

Espagnole

Yield: 1 Gallon

• 2 # mirepoix, medium dice
• 1 # roux
• 8 oz tomato puree
• 6 qts brown stock
• Sachet

Yield: 1 Quart

• 8 oz mirepoix
• 4 oz roux
• 2 oz tomato puree
• 1.5 qts brown stock
• Sachet

Veloute

Yield: 1 Gallon

• 1 # roux
• 5 qts white stock
• Sachet

Yield: 1 Quart

• 4 oz roux
• 1.5 qts white stock
• Sachet

Bechamel

Yield: 1 Gallon

• 1 # roux
• 5 qts milk
• 8 oz onion pique
• Sachet

Yield: 1 Quart

• 4 oz roux
• 2 qts milk
• 2 oz onion pique
• Sachet

Demi Glaze

Yield: 1 Gallon

• 1 gal brown sauce
• 1 gal brown stock

Yield: 1 Quart

• 1 qt brown sauce
• 1 qt brown stock

Tomato

Yield: 1 Gallon

• 2 oz olive oil
• 1 # mirepoix, medium dice
• 4 oz tomato paste
• 4 # tomatoes w/ juice
• 2 qt tomato puree
• Sachet

Yield: 1 Quart

• 0.5 oz olive oil
• 4 oz mirepoix
• 1 oz tomato paste
• 1 # tomatoes
• 1 1/2 # tomato juice
• 1 pint tomato puree
• Sachet

Hollandaise

Yield: 1 Cup

• 2 ea egg yolks
• 1/3 oz water
• 6 oz butter, clarified
• TT lemon juice
• TT salt
• TT Tabasco

SMALL SAUCES

Mornay
A French sauce made by adding grated cheese (Parmesan, Gruyere and/or Emmental) to a basic white sauce; served with fish, shellfish, vegetables and chicken.

Supreme Sauce
French sauce made by adding cream to a veloute made from chicken stock; used to make several compound sauces of the veloute family.

• Allemande addition of liaison & lemon juice
• Ivory addition of meat glaze
• Aurora addition of tomato puree
• Hungarian addition of white wine, onion, paprika, butter

Supreme also refers to a boneless, skinless chicken breast with the first wing segment attached.

Compound Butters
A mixture of softened whole butter and flavorings used as a sauce or to flavor and color other sauces.
• Maitre d' Hotel addition of chopped parsley & lemon juice
• Anchovy Butter addition of crushed anchovies
• Garlic Butter addition of garlic paste
• Herb Butter addition of chopped herbs

Chasseur
French for "Hunter"; used to describe a dish of sautéed chicken, veal, beef or game served with a brown sauce flavored with shallots and white wine and garnished with mushrooms, finished with chopped parsley.

Lyonnaise
French preparation method associated with cuisine from Lyon, France.
A French compound sauce made from demi-glaze flavored with white wine and sautéed onions; usually strained and served with meat and poultry.

Béarnaise
A French warm emulsion sauce made with a reduction of vinegar, wine, tarragon, peppercorns and shallots. Reduction is cooled and then added to hollandaise, mixture is strained and finished with chopped tarragon and perhaps chervil. served with meat, fowl and eggs; one of the classic sauces.

Choron
A French compound sauce made from béarnaise, tinted red with tomato puree.

Beurre Blanc
French for "white butter"; used to describe an emulsified butter sauce made from a reduction of white wine and shallots, thickened with butter; served warm with seafood, poultry or vegetables. Also known as a butter sauce.