5 Mother Sauces
Food & Nutrition II
Unit Objectives Students will be able to:
Identify the functions of sauces
Recognize and classify mother sauces
Prepare mother sauces
Use thickening agents properly
Sauces• A flavorful, thickened liquid used to enhance food:
• Adds moisture & flavor
• Adds intensity to the dish
• Improves appearance / color
• Should complement the food
• Stimulate the appetite
3
Sauce Quality Factors
• Color
• Opacity
• Luster
• Taste
• Texture
• Consistency
4
Compound/Secondary
Sauces• Compound sauces are leading sauces with other
ingredients & flavors added to it
• Second generation of a Mother Sauce
5
Compound Sauces
• Bechamel Cheddar cheese
• Espagnole Mushroom
• Tomato Meat Sauce
• Hollandaise Bearnaise
• Veloute Cream
Bechamel
Liquid – Milk or Cream
Thickener – White roux
Color – White/Ivory
Espagnole
Liquid – Brown Stock
(Beef or Vegetable)
Thickener – Brown Roux
Color – Brown
Tomato
Liquid – Tomatoes
Thickener – Tomato Paste
or a roux
Color – Red
Hollandaise
Liquid – Clarified Butter &
lemon juice
Thickener – Egg Yolk
Color – Yellow
Velouté
Liquid – White Stock (Veal, Chicken, or Fish)
Thickener – White or Blonde Roux
Color – Amber
5 Mother Sauces
12
Sauce Liquid Thickener Color
Béchamel Milk White roux White/Ivory
Espagnole Brown
Stock
Brown
roux
Brown
Tomato Tomatoes Tomato
paste
Red
Hollandaise Clarified
Butter
Egg yolk Yellow
Velouté White Stock Blonde roux Amber
Thickening Agents• Roux
Equal parts by weight of fat and flour cooked together used to thicken liquids
Butter
Bread or AP flour
Sift flour
13
How to make a Roux
Heat fat (usually clarified
butter) in a saucepan
Make paste by adding all of
the flour and stirring
Using medium heat, cook
paste until it is the
consistency of sand and the
right color
Stir roux often to keep it
from burning
Roux types
• White Roux - Least amount of cooking time
(2-3 minutes) Example: Béchamel Sauce
• Blonde Roux - Takes on a light golden color
(4-8 minutes) Example: Veloute Sauce
• Brown Roux - Nutty Aroma / dark brown color
(8-12 minutes) Example: Espagnole Sauce
15
Thickening Agents
• Roux
White
Blonde
Brown
• Incorporating roux into a liquid
Cool stock into a warm roux
Room temperature roux into a hot stock
Thickening Agents
Cornstarch:
• Equal parts cold liquid to cornstarch
• Blended mixture is called a slurry
• Add slurry to hot liquid
• Thickens immediately