What are the five mother sauces in French cuisine. How do you make hollandaise sauce. What are the key ingredients in bechamel sauce. Which mother sauce is tomato-based. How to prepare a classic veloute sauce. What distinguishes Espagnole sauce from other mother sauces. Why are mother sauces important in cooking.

Understanding the Concept of Mother Sauces in French Culinary Tradition

In the realm of French cuisine, mother sauces hold a position of paramount importance. These fundamental sauces serve as the building blocks for countless derivative sauces, each with its unique flavor profile and culinary application. But what exactly are mother sauces, and why are they so crucial in cooking?

A mother sauce is a base sauce from which numerous other sauces are derived. French chef Auguste Escoffier codified the five mother sauces in the early 20th century, cementing their place in culinary history. These sauces are not just relevant to French cooking; they form the foundation of modern Western cuisine.

Each mother sauce is characterized by its distinct liquid base, thickening agent, and flavoring components. Mastering these sauces provides chefs with the versatility to create a wide array of flavors and textures in their dishes. Whether you’re an aspiring chef or a home cook looking to elevate your culinary skills, understanding and perfecting the mother sauces is an essential step in your gastronomic journey.

Hollandaise: The Emulsified Wonder of French Cuisine

Hollandaise sauce, perhaps the most renowned of the mother sauces, is a testament to the art of emulsification in cooking. This rich, creamy sauce is characterized by its velvety texture and bright, lemony flavor.

The Essence of Hollandaise

What gives hollandaise its distinctive taste? The sauce is essentially an emulsion of egg yolks and melted butter, brightened with lemon juice and seasoned with salt and cayenne pepper. The result is a luxurious sauce that tastes like buttery cream with a zesty lemon undertone.

Crafting the Perfect Hollandaise

How do you make hollandaise sauce? Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Melt 1/2 cup of unsalted butter.
2. Vigorously whisk four egg yolks and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice in a metal bowl until the mixture doubles in volume.
3. Transfer the mixture to a double boiler and continue whisking.
4. As the yolks lighten in color, slowly pour in the melted butter while whisking constantly.
5. Remove from heat when the mixture has doubled in volume.
6. Season with salt, cayenne pepper, and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Keep your hollandaise warm until serving. If it thickens too much, whisk in a few drops of warm water to adjust the consistency.

Hollandaise Applications and Derivatives

Where is hollandaise sauce commonly used? This versatile sauce is a staple in dishes like Eggs Benedict and pairs beautifully with poached salmon and flowering vegetables. From hollandaise, we derive several other sauces, including béarnaise, maltaise, and choron sauce, each adding its unique twist to the mother sauce.

Tomato Sauce: The Versatile Red Base

Tomato sauce, or sauce tomat in French, stands out among the mother sauces for its vibrant color and versatility. This sauce forms the basis for countless dishes in not just French, but also Italian and international cuisines.

The Essence of Tomato Sauce

What defines the flavor of tomato sauce? At its core, tomato sauce tastes of pleasantly acidic tomatoes, enhanced with aromatic notes of garlic, onion, and herbs. The high water content and tender flesh of tomatoes naturally cook down into a thick sauce without the need for additional emulsifiers.

Escoffier’s Classic Tomato Sauce Recipe

How do you prepare Escoffier’s traditional sauce tomat? Here’s an overview of the process:

1. Render 2-3 oz of salt pork in a heavy-bottom saucepan.
2. Add diced carrots, onions, and butter to the rendered pork fat.
3. Cook until the vegetables are tender and aromatic.
4. Incorporate flour to create a roux, then add white veal stock and tomatoes.
5. Simmer with bay leaf, thyme, and garlic for flavor.
6. Season with salt, pepper, and a touch of sugar to balance the acidity.

Applications and Derivatives of Tomato Sauce

Where is tomato sauce commonly used? This versatile sauce is a staple in pasta dishes, pizzas, and Middle Eastern specialties like shakshouka. From the mother tomato sauce, we derive popular variations such as vodka sauce, BBQ sauce, and arrabbiata sauce, each bringing its unique character to dishes.

Béchamel: The Creamy White Foundation

Béchamel, often referred to as white sauce, is renowned for its smooth, creamy texture and mild flavor. This versatile mother sauce serves as the base for numerous cheese sauces and cream-based soups.

The Essence of Béchamel

What gives béchamel its characteristic taste and texture? At its core, béchamel is a simple combination of milk thickened with a white roux (equal parts butter and flour). The result is a silky-smooth sauce with a subtle, nutty flavor from the roux and a rich creaminess from the milk.

Crafting the Perfect Béchamel

How do you make a classic béchamel sauce? Here’s a basic recipe:

1. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add 2 tablespoons of flour and whisk to form a roux. Cook for 1-2 minutes to remove the raw flour taste.
3. Gradually whisk in 2 cups of warm milk, ensuring no lumps form.
4. Simmer gently, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens.
5. Season with salt, white pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg if desired.

Béchamel Applications and Derivatives

Where is béchamel sauce commonly used? This versatile sauce forms the base of many comforting dishes, including lasagna, creamed vegetables, and various gratins. From béchamel, we derive popular sauces like Mornay (with the addition of cheese), soubise (with onions), and Nantua (with crayfish butter).

Espagnole: The Rich Brown Foundation

Espagnole, or brown sauce, is known for its deep, complex flavor and rich color. This mother sauce serves as the base for many classic French sauces and is a key component in numerous meat dishes.

The Essence of Espagnole

What distinguishes Espagnole sauce from other mother sauces? Espagnole is characterized by its intense, meaty flavor and dark brown color. It’s made with a brown roux, beef or veal stock, and mirepoix (a mixture of diced carrots, celery, and onions), often enhanced with tomato puree.

Crafting Espagnole Sauce

How do you prepare a classic Espagnole sauce? Here’s a basic method:

1. Make a brown roux by cooking equal parts butter and flour until it turns a deep brown color.
2. Add mirepoix and cook until the vegetables are caramelized.
3. Stir in tomato puree and cook briefly.
4. Gradually whisk in beef or veal stock.
5. Add a sachet d’épices (a bundle of herbs typically including thyme, parsley, and bay leaf).
6. Simmer for several hours, skimming regularly, until the sauce is reduced and flavorful.

Espagnole Applications and Derivatives

Where is Espagnole sauce commonly used? This rich sauce is often used as a base for meat gravies and is key in dishes like beef bourguignon. From Espagnole, we derive sauces like demi-glace, bordelaise, and Robert sauce, each adding depth and complexity to various dishes.

Velouté: The Versatile Light Stock-Based Sauce

Velouté, meaning “velvety” in French, is a light stock-based sauce that serves as a foundation for many delicate and flavorful dishes. This mother sauce is prized for its smooth texture and adaptability to various flavors.

The Essence of Velouté

What defines the character of velouté sauce? At its core, velouté is made with a light-colored roux and a clear stock, typically chicken, fish, or veal. The result is a pale sauce with a subtle flavor that can be easily customized to complement a wide range of dishes.

Preparing Classic Velouté

How do you make a basic velouté sauce? Here’s a simple recipe:

1. Create a blonde roux by cooking equal parts butter and flour until it turns a light golden color.
2. Gradually whisk in warm stock (chicken, fish, or veal) until smooth.
3. Simmer gently, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
4. Season with salt and white pepper to taste.

Velouté Applications and Derivatives

Where is velouté sauce commonly used? This versatile sauce forms the base for many cream soups and is excellent with poultry and seafood dishes. From velouté, we derive sauces like suprême (with cream), allemande (with egg yolks and cream), and Bercy (with white wine and shallots), each bringing its unique character to various culinary creations.

The Importance of Mother Sauces in Modern Culinary Arts

Why are mother sauces so crucial in cooking? Understanding and mastering the five mother sauces provides chefs and home cooks alike with a solid foundation for culinary creativity. These sauces offer a framework for developing new flavors and textures, allowing for endless variations and adaptations.

By learning the techniques behind these foundational sauces, cooks can:

• Develop a deeper understanding of flavor profiles and how to balance them
• Improve their ability to create consistent, high-quality sauces
• Expand their culinary repertoire by creating numerous derivative sauces
• Enhance a wide variety of dishes across different cuisines
• Gain confidence in experimenting with flavors and techniques

In essence, the mother sauces are not just about following recipes; they’re about understanding the principles of sauce-making. This knowledge empowers cooks to create their own unique flavors and signature dishes, pushing the boundaries of culinary art while respecting its classical foundations.

Exploring Derivative Sauces: The Culinary Family Tree

From the five mother sauces springs a vast array of derivative or “daughter” sauces. These secondary sauces build upon the base of their mother sauce, incorporating additional ingredients to create new flavors and textures. Understanding these derivatives can greatly expand a chef’s repertoire and ability to create diverse, flavorful dishes.

Hollandaise Derivatives

What are some popular sauces derived from hollandaise? Some notable examples include:

• Béarnaise: Adds shallots, chervil, tarragon, and white wine vinegar
• Maltaise: Incorporates blood orange juice
• Mousseline: Lightened with whipped cream

Tomato Sauce Derivatives

How can tomato sauce be transformed into other sauces? Some common derivatives include:

• Marinara: A quick-cooking sauce with garlic and herbs
• Puttanesca: Adds olives, capers, and anchovies
• Arrabbiata: Incorporates red chili flakes for heat

Béchamel Derivatives

What are some popular sauces that use béchamel as a base? Examples include:

• Mornay: Adds Gruyère and Parmesan cheese
• Soubise: Incorporates onion purée
• Crème Sauce: Enriched with heavy cream

Espagnole Derivatives

How can Espagnole sauce be adapted into other sauces? Some classic derivatives are:

• Demi-glace: Espagnole reduced with additional stock
• Bordelaise: Incorporates red wine and bone marrow
• Chasseur: Adds mushrooms, shallots, and white wine

Velouté Derivatives

What are some common sauces derived from velouté? Examples include:

• Suprême: Adds cream and mushroom essence
• Allemande: Incorporates egg yolks and cream
• Normandy: Includes mushrooms, cream, and seafood stock

By mastering these derivatives, chefs can create a wide range of flavors to complement various dishes, demonstrating the versatility and importance of the mother sauces in culinary arts.

The 5 Mother Sauces in French Cuisine & Cooking Recipes

The five mother sauces are hollandaise, tomato (sauce tomat), bechamel, Espagnole, and veloute. French chef Auguste Escoffier identified the five mother sauces, forever associating them with French cuisine. However, mother sauces are relevant in all modern cooking practices. We can categorize nearly every sauce as an expansion, reduction, or alteration of one of the mother sauces. Whether you’re working on becoming a chef or looking to enhance your restaurant menu, mastering the mother sauces provides the foundation you need to build your own signature flavors.

Shop All Saucepans

You can click on any of the mother sauces below to discover the sauce that most interests you, read on to explore them all, or jump ahead to our five mother sauces chart.

1. Hollandaise Sauce
2. Tomato Sauce (sauce tomat)
3. Bechamel Sauce
4. Espagnole Sauce
5. Veloute Sauce

What Is A Mother Sauce?

A mother sauce is a foundational sauce that serves as the basis for a variety of derivative sauces. A derivative sauce is a sauce that adds ingredients and flavors to a mother sauce. Chefs also refer to derivative sauces as daughter sauces, small sauces, or secondary sauces. French cuisine claims that there are five foundational mother sauces from which we form all other sauces. Each mother sauce has a unique liquid, thickening agent, and distinct flavorings. Three of the five mother sauces use a roux as their thickening agent.

Use our informative list of the five mother sauces as your guide to their flavor profiles, ingredients, popular derivatives, and common uses.

1. Hollandaise Sauce

Hollandaise offers the rich flavor of buttered cream laced with lemon and is the most well-known mother sauce. While some mother sauces are less famous than their derivatives, hollandaise is the star of its sauce family tree. Hollandaise sauce is an emulsion (meaning its ingredients don’t combine naturally). The word hollandaise is French, and it translates to “Dutch sauce” in English. While its name suggests otherwise, hollandaise is a definitively French sauce hailing from a small Norman town renowned for its butter and cream.

• Hollandaise Sauce Tastes Like – buttery cream laced with lemon
• Hollandaise Ingredients – egg yolks, unsalted butter, lemon juice, water, cayenne pepper, salt, freshly ground black peppercorns
• Uses for Hollandaise Sauce – eggs Benedict, poached salmon, flowering vegetables
• Hollandaise Sauce Derivatives – bearnaise sauce, maltaise sauce, choron sauce

Hollandaise Recipe

Follow these simple steps to make a classic hollandaise sauce.

1. Melt 1/2 cup of unsalted butter.
2. In a metal bowl, force four egg yolks and 1 Tbsp. of lemon juice to mix by whisking them vigorously.
3. When the mixture doubles in volume, pour it into a double broiler and continue whisking.
4. As soon as the color of the yolks lighten, steadily pour and whisk the melted butter into the saucepan (this keeps the eggs from scrambling).
5. When the mixture doubles in volume, remove it from the heat.
6. Whisk in salt, cayenne pepper, and freshly ground black peppercorns to taste.
7. Keep your hollandaise sauce in a warm place until you’re ready to serve it.

Note: If your hollandaise becomes too thick, whisk a few drops of warm water into the sauce before serving it.

2. Tomato Sauce

Tomato sauce, or sauce tomat in French, is a tomato-based sauce that serves as one of the five mother sauces. Tomatoes have high water content and tender flesh that cooks into thick sauces without emulsification. Tomato sauce is popular in Italian cuisine, which uses an array of secondary tomato sauces for pasta and pizza. In his publication, Auguste Escoffier didn’t signify a particular tomato variety, leaving room for seasonal availability and flavor preference. We provide the ingredients for Escoffier’s sauce tomat below.

• Tomato Sauce Tastes Like – pleasantly acidic tomatoes imbued with garlic, onion, and herbs
• Tomato Sauce Ingredients – white veal stock, butter, all-purpose flour, tomatoes, salt pork, carrots, white/yellow onion, bay leaf, thyme, garlic, salt, pepper, sugar
• Uses for Tomato Sauce – pasta, pizza, shakshouka
• Tomato Sauce Derivatives – vodka sauce, BBQ sauce, arrabbiata sauce

Tomato Sauce Recipe

While not the simplest version of tomato sauce, Escoffier’s sauce tomat is as decadent as it is famous. Learn how to make the traditional tomato-based mother sauce below.

1. Render 2-3 oz. of salt pork by placing it in a heavy-bottom saucepan with one tablespoon of water, covering it, and cooking it over medium heat to create steam (about 5 minutes).
2. Peel and medium-dice 3 oz. of carrot and 3 oz. of white or yellow onion.
3. When the salt pork is rendered, add the diced carrot, onion, and 2 oz. of butter to your saucepan.
4. Cook over medium heat until the ingredients are tender and aromatic.
5. Use this time to quarter 5 lb. of high-quality tomatoes.
6. Create a brown roux by mixing 2-3 oz. of all-purpose flour into your saucepan and cooking the mixture until it achieves a brown shade.
7. Incorporate the quartered tomatoes. Simmer them until they soften and burst.
8. Add 1 clove of freshly crushed garlic and 1 qt. of white veal stock. Bring to a boil.
9. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add 1 bay leaf and 1 sprig of thyme.
10. Escoffier’s recipe calls for a pinch of sugar to balance the acidity of the tomatoes. Keep your sugar portion to a minimum to avoid over-sweetening the sauce.
11. Cover your saucepan and leave it to simmer for 90 minutes.
12. Once it’s cooled enough to handle, strain your sauce through a chinois.
13. Your traditional sauce tomat is ready to serve. Extra sauce will freeze and defrost well when stored in an airtight container.

To Achieve a Smoother Sauce: we recommend blending the sauce tomat before passing it through the chinois.

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3. Bechamel Sauce

Bechamel is the original cream sauce and serves as the foundation for every cheese sauce you know and love. In its simplest form, bechamel is a combination of milk and white roux. Traditional French, Greek, and Italian bechamel recipes incorporate salt and nutmeg into their sauces. Bechamel was originally an Italian sauce, Balsamella, that became a hit in the French royal court of King Louis XIV where it was renamed ‘bechamel’ after his chief steward. Escoffier standardized the name bechamel when he published his list of mother sauces.

• Bechamel Sauce Tastes Like – velvet cream with a lingering, buttery essence
• Bechamel Sauce Ingredients – butter, flour, whole milk, salt, nutmeg
• Uses for Bechamel Sauce – mac and cheese, lasagna, croque monsieur
• Derivatives of Bechamel Sauce – Alfredo, mornay, cheddar cheese sauce

Bechamel Sauce Recipe

Learn how to make bechamel sauce by following this simple recipe.

1. In a large saucepan, melt five tablespoons of butter over medium heat.
2. Mix 1/4 cup of flour into your melted butter until smooth.
3. Cook the sauce until it turns a light sand color (approximately seven minutes). Stir constantly.
4. Turn your heat to medium-high and whisk in a qt. of milk. Continue whisking the milk into the roux until it thickens.
5. Lower your heat to medium-low and allow your sauce to simmer. You want the flour to soften and lose its gritty taste (approximately 10 to 20 minutes).
6. Season your sauce with 2 tsp. of salt and 1/4 tsp. of nutmeg before serving/storing it.

4. Espagnole Sauce

Espagnole is a brown sauce thickened with a roux composed of brown stock, mirepoix, and tomatoes. Mirepoix is a French aromatic flavor base of onion, celery, and carrot cooked together in butter or oil over low heat, so they release their flavors without browning. Espagnole is the most complex mother sauce. It has a potent flavor that easily overpowers, so you will rarely directly apply it to your meals. Subsequently, Espagnole sauce is far more popular in its reduced, derivative forms.

• Espagnole Sauce Tastes Like – rich stock lightened with the mild acidity of tomatoes and saturated with earthy spices
• Espagnole Sauce Ingredients – butter, flour, brown stock, tomato puree, carrot, onion, celery, garlic, peppercorns, bay leaf
• Espagnole Sauce Uses – steak + French fries, braised beef short ribs + mashed potatoes, roasted lamb shanks + creamy polenta
• Derivatives of Espagnole Sauce – demi-glace, sauce bourguignon, red wine reduction

Espagnole Sauce Recipe

Easily create the most complex mother sauce with our Espagnole recipe.

1. Coarsely chop 1 small carrot, 1 celery rib, and 1 medium onion.
2. Cook the chopped vegetables and 1/2 stick of butter over moderate heat until golden in a heavy 3 qt. saucepan. Stir occasionally.
3. Create a roux by reducing the temperature to low heat and stirring in 1/4 cup all-purpose flour. Cook to medium brown.
4. Pour 4 cups of hot brown stock into the saucepan. Whisk as you pour.
5. Mix in 1/4 cup tomato puree, two cloves of coarsely chopped garlic, 1/2 tsp. whole black peppercorn, and 1/2 a California bay leaf.
6. Continue stirring the sauce until it comes to a boil. Then, lower the heat to a light simmer.
7. Leave the sauce to simmer uncovered until it reduces to approximately 3 cups (approximately 45 minutes). Stir periodically.
8. Once reduced, strain the Espagnole sauce through a cheesecloth before using it as a topping or a base for another sauce.

5. Veloute Sauce

Veloute sauce is a versatile white sauce made by blending a white roux and white stock. There are three types of veloute (chicken, fish, and veal) depending on the variety of white stock used. The most common variety is chicken veloute. Veloute is the most neutral of the five mother sauces, serving as a clean canvas to layer a diverse array of flavors onto. You’ll find veloute sauce as the base in a variety of chicken dishes, creamy soups, and other comfort food staples.

• Veloute Sauce Tastes Like – silken white stock
• Veloute Sauce Ingredients – white stock, butter, flour, salt, white pepper
• Veloute Sauce Uses – chicken supreme, cream of mushroom soup, cream of broccoli soup
• Derivatives of Veloute Sauce – white wine sauce, Allemande sauce, Normandy sauce

Veloute Sauce Recipe

Learn how to make the most versatile white mother sauce with our easy-to-follow veloute recipe.

1. Melt 3 Tbsp. of unsalted butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat.
2. Whisk 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour into the butter until the mixture is smooth.
3. Cook the roux until it turns blond.
4. Incorporate 2 cups of white stock (chicken is the most common choice) into your roux in small increments. Each time you add more stock, whisk your mixture and bring it to a gentle boil. Repeat this process until you’ve added all the stock and your sauce is a velvety texture.
5. Season to taste with salt and white pepper and serve.

Note: Veloute sauce thickens as it cools. If you aren’t using it immediately, you can thin the sauce by adding more hot stock before serving.

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5 Mother Sauces Chart

Mother Sauces FAQs

As specialty sauces become one of the most popular food trends, it’s important for restaurants to master the mother sauces so they can create their own derivates and hone their signature flavor. We answer the common questions that arise when chefs make the five mother sauces below.

What Is a Sauce?

A sauce is a liquid combined with a thickening agent and flavorings. You can vary your thickening agent to create a sauce that is fluid, semi-solid, or anywhere in between. Sauces enhance the texture, flavor, and aesthetic appeal of other foods. You can incorporate sauces during the cooking process, add them after you plate your food, or serve them on the side.

What Is a Roux?

A roux is a thickening agent made from equal parts flour and fat. You will thicken three of the five mother sauces with a roux. To make a roux, blend flour into melted fat on the stovetop. Cook the mixture between 350-375 degrees Fahrenheit until it reaches your preferred level of browning. You can stop or extend the browning process to make a white, blonde, or brown roux.

History of Mother Sauces

Published by esteemed chef Auguste Escoffier in the 19th century, the five mother sauces are the branches of the sauce family tree, and all other sauces are leaves growing from their branches. However, the mother sauces were not always as we know them today. In the 1800s, French chef Marie-Antoine Carême classified veloute, bechamel, allemande, and Espagnole as the foundational (mother) sauces. In the 19th century, Auguste Escoffier revolutionized the culinary world by updating traditional haute cuisine and redefining the mother sauces, making him the father of modern French cuisine. Escoffier identified allemande as a derivative of veloute and removed it from the list of mother sauces. He then added tomato sauce (sauce tomat) and hollandaise to the list of foundational sauces, solidifying the five mother sauces we still recognize today.

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Mother sauces are the matriarchs of the five major sauce families. Perfecting the mother sauces will allow you to venture on your own sauce journey with a solid foundation of time-tested flavor as your guide. If you’re ready to get started, check out our saucepan buying guide and discover the right saucepan for your needs.

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Related Resources

What are the five mother sauces of classical cuisine?

The five mother sauces, which come from French cuisine, were codified by chef Marie Antoine-Carême as the backbone of all other sauces in the early twentieth century.

Beginning culinary students commit these five sauces to memory; by tweaking their basic formulas, chefs can make all manner of great sauces. Meet the five mother sauces and find out how they are made and used, then and now.

1. Béchamel

You may know béchamel sauce as the white sauce that gives chicken pot pie its creamy texture, or as the binder for all that cheese in macaroni and cheese. The sauce is also used to make scalloped potatoes, lasagne, and gravy. In classical cuisine, béchamel may be poured over fish, eggs, or steamed chicken. While béchamel has a neutral taste on its own, the classic mother sauce adds a unique creamy texture that often makes food taste hearty and comforting.

To make béchamel, cooks first create a roux by stirring flour into melted butter to form a paste. The paste is then cooked over medium heat for several minutes, which removes the floury taste, before a liquid, most commonly milk, is added. The flour paste thickens the milk to create the versatile creamy white sauce. Salt and pepper may be added, as well as other flavorings including bay, nutmeg, onion, clove, or cheese.

2. Velouté

Velouté means velvet in French, and that is the texture you will find with this original mother sauce. To make a velouté, cooks create a roux with butter and flour, and then add clear stock. Chicken, turkey, and fish stock are most commonly used, but these days, you will also find a vegetarian velouté.

When finished, velouté has a delicate, light flavor and a smooth texture. The sauce is usually served over poached or steamed fish or chicken; the light flavors of the sauce complement the light, delicate meat. By adding wine, lemon, or other flavorings, cooks can adjust the flavor of this mother sauce.

3. Espagnole

This dark brown sauce, one of Carême’s original mother sauces, gives that signature richness to boeuf bourguignon, lamb, duck, veal, and other hearty dishes. Espagnole is the basis for demi-glace, sauce Robert, and bordelaise sauce.

Like the other mother sauces, espagnole starts with a roux. In this case, the flour paste is cooked until the flour browns. It’s important that cooks stir the roux while it browns so the paste does not scorch.

When the roux has finished cooking, browned mirepoix — which is a mixture of diced celery, carrot, and onion — pureed tomato, and beef or veal stock are added.

4. Sauce Tomate

Sauce tomate, or tomato sauce, bears slight resemblance to the Italian style tomato sauce served with pasta. This mother sauce is often served on top of pastas (especially gnocchi) or polenta, or with grilled meat or vegetables. In Carême’s day, sauce tomato was thickened with a roux, but this is no longer the case.

Now, tomatoes are cooked down into a thick sauce that is flavored with vegetables and pork. Roux can thicken the sauce quickly if there’s little time. Carême classified sauce tomat as a mother sauce in the early 20th century.

5. Hollandaise

You may recognize Hollandaise sauce from eggs benedict or as a topping for lightly steamed asparagus. The sauce can also accompany richer foods, like meats. Like sauce tomat, this sauce was a later addition to Carême’s list.

Hollandaise sauce is an emulsion where egg yolks are suspended in melted butter to create a creamy, rich sauce. Optional flavorings for Hollandaise include cayenne pepper, white wine vinegar, or lemon juice. Hollandaise is the basis for several other classical French sauces, including sauce Bearnaise.

To make Hollandaise, the egg yolk and melted butter are whisked together carefully to create an emulsion. New cooks often struggle with Hollandaise, because the sauce can break easily, separating out the butter from the egg yolk.

Whether you are interested in culinary school or simply want to know more about the history of classical cuisine, you’ve got to admit that the five mother sauces are pretty special. By mastering them, you can easily jazz up a weekday supper, create a special holiday meal, or perfect your chef skills. 

why you need to learn how to cook them – “Food”

Most of the sauces known today, like the word “sauce” itself, were invented by the French. And it was they who, according to the famous chef Auguste Escoffier, “provided the superiority of French cuisine over other nations.” The number of recipes is incalculable: there are hot and cold sauces, for sweet and starchy foods, for fish and meat, vegetables and desserts. To chart a course in this sea of ​​flavors, shades, and techniques, it is worth following the classification of sauces that the French themselves have followed since the 19th century. They divide all sauces into “mother” and “daughter”. “Mother” is the base. Having mastered it, you can complete more complex combinations. Knowing the basic techniques and replacing ingredients will allow you to put together an endless puzzle of shades of flavors. The French themselves are so sauce-dependent people that picking up the remains of divine gravy from a plate with a piece of bread is considered a completely normal gesture, not only in some provincial tavern, but also in an expensive restaurant.

Bechamel

What it is: A white sauce with a mild character and a velvety texture based on flour, milk and butter.

Legend: It is believed that the sauce was named after the Marquis Louis de Bechamel, French financier and quartermaster at the court of the Duke of Orleans; However, it has nothing to do with the kitchen. A more likely development of events: the sauce recipe first appeared in 1651 in the treatise “The French Chef” by the royal chef Francois Varennes, who was the first to talk about “mother” sauces as the foundation of the kitchen.

How to cook: First, prepare the roux flour dressing, which is responsible for the density: flour is poured into the melted butter in a ratio of 1/1, thoroughly rubbed and kept on fire for a couple of minutes, reaching the state of a delicate homogeneous paste. Roux can be different: white, golden and brown, depending on how rich the sauce you want to get. The next step is to add a large amount of milk (necessarily cold) and, while stirring, slowly heat the sauce over low heat in a thick-walled bowl, in an ideal situation, bringing the cream of maximum fat content to a density.

Where to use it: Bechamel can act both as the basis of a dish (for example, when preparing a soufflé or casserole) and as an agent that brings together dissimilar elements: for example, it is sandwiched with potato gratin, in classic lasagne bolognese and moussaka it binds stewed meat minced meat, vegetables and dough. In orloff beef (which in Soviet cooking was simplified to meat in French), it is the airy cloud of bechamel (and not the crust of mayonnaise) that covers the beef langet and thinly sliced ​​​​potatoes.

Spices and additives: Salt, pepper and nutmeg as a minimum. Often the milk intended for the preparation of the sauce is flavored with bay leaves, shallots and cloves.

Serve: Serve warm.

How to store: Bechamel can be kept warm until serving in a water bath. If you prepare the sauce in reserve, it is easiest to freeze it in portion molds or cups (one portion of the sauce is exactly for one dish), and then heat it over low heat or in the microwave, constantly stirring with a whisk and not letting it boil.

Bechamel-based sauces: Neutral in taste, the sauce literally became the Noah progenitor, giving life to at least two dozen variations, the most popular being mornay sauce (with the addition of raw yolks, cream and Gruyère cheese), which is poured over meat and fish before baking , subiz (with the addition of stewed onions and cream) is most often served with chicken, albert (bechamel + grated horseradish) is suitable for seafood and fish, and aurora (bechamel with cream and tomatoes) is for pasta, meatballs and meatballs.

Recipe

Sauces and marinades ingredients 20 minutes

Velute

What it is: A relative of bechamel with stronger and expressive character, instead of milk it uses broth.

Legend: Veloute was introduced in the 19th century by the legendary chef Marie-Antoine Karem, who, like a great artist, received an engagement from the monarchs of France, England and Russia, made a fortune and introduced almost half of the haute cuisine dishes into restaurant circulation .

How to cook: Velouté and bechamel cooking technologies are not too different: first, flour and butter are also fried in a ratio of 1/1, then broth is added (most often chicken, but can be fish or beef, depending on further use dishes) and in thick-walled dishes over low heat due to long heating and constant stirring with a whisk, they become one. An important point: as a rule, flour dressing roux is fried for veloutee to a brighter, sandy color than in béchamel, and the nutty smell exuded by it complements the taste of the broth.

Where to use: Chicken broth-based velouté served with veal blanket or poultry fricassee (small pieces of chicken, quail or turkey are first pan-fried and then stewed in sauce). Fish velouté is a great accompaniment to seafood ranging from squid to lobster. A classic of the genre is veloute Saint-Jacques, when a shell with a scallop enclosed in it is covered with sauce and baked under the grill.

Spices and additives: The main thing in veloute is not sharpness, but a delicate aroma, so thyme, rosemary, if they are added, then in small quantities. It is better to replace an ordinary onion with a shallot, and black pepper with a softer white one. A modern take on the theme is to add a little white wine or vermouth to the sauce before adding the broth and let the alcohol evaporate almost completely, leaving only an innocent wine flair. Sometimes the sauce is additionally thickened with beaten yolk, especially if the product poured with sauce is sent under the grill (like the very scallops Saint-Jacques), so that a light golden crust forms on it during baking.

Serve: Serve warm.

How to store: Same as bechamel.

Velouté sauces: Velouté is sometimes referred to as parisien, giving it its laurels as the main sauce of Parisian cuisine. But the “Parisian” has a lot of relatives in different parts of the world: a Venetian sauce with the addition of tarragon, shallots and chervil, a Hungarian sauce with paprika and wine, a German velouté based on veal broth, thickened with heavy cream and egg yolks.

Recipe

Sauces and marinades French cuisine

11 0 296

Alff2000

3 ingredients 30 minutes

French mayonnaise

What it is: egg yolks, lemon juice and vegetable oil until a smooth emulsion.

Legend: Most sources consider the island of Menorca to be the birthplace of mayonnaise, but the textbook story about the besieged city of Mayon, the defenders of which had no food left but butter and yolks, is most likely a fairy tale. Fact: In European cuisine, the term “mayonnaise” has been used since the beginning of the 18th century. But is it the same sauce? The Frenchman Louis Eustache Jude, in an 1815 cookbook, has a recipe for mayonnaise that includes aspic, a strong broth that stabilizes the emulsion in place of egg yolk. In Russia, a sauce made according to a recipe familiar to us was called Provence, and according to the “mayonnaise” department, mixed salads under the same sauce passed. For example, Lucien Olivier named the famous salad not in honor of himself, but game mayonnaise.

How to cook: An approximate technology for making homemade mayonnaise is known to everyone (you can learn more about it here). But there are some nuances. If you are going to whip the mayonnaise by hand using a whisk, the bowl should be deep enough, but not wide enough, so that the whisk reaches every corner well. The second point is that all ingredients should be at room temperature. Next, the sequence of actions is important: break the egg, add spices. Beat the mass until smooth. Then, slowly, pour in a few drops of vegetable oil, whisking until smooth. When the mass begins to turn white, the oil can be poured in more boldly – in a thin stream or a teaspoon to form an emulsion. And only when the sauce thickens, add lemon juice or vinegar, without stopping whisking, so that the mayonnaise brightens, shines and becomes a little lighter.

Where to use it: Not a single holiday salad from our childhood is complete without mayonnaise, from Russian salad to mimosa and herring under a fur coat (and recipes for salads with mayonnaise, which are prepared in restaurants today, can be found here). At a Swedish breakfast in any hotel in the world, you can try mayonnaise Russian salad – an analogue of Olivier, but without peas and sausage. But the French limit the use of mayonnaise to exclusively cold meat dishes – it is served with smoked ham or boiled chicken. But French mayonnaise definitely has nothing to do with French meat – homemade mayon sauce is prepared without any stabilizers, so it breaks up into components in the oven. In Belgium, mayonnaise accompanies French fries, in Holland – frikandel sausages.

Spices and additives: You can read about the most unusual ingredients that cooks add to mayonnaise – from Antonov apples to wasabi, oysters and Japanese ponzu sauce – here.

Serving: Served exclusively cold.

How to store: Mayonnaise without additives can easily be kept in the refrigerator in a sealed container for three to five days. And onions, mustard, garlic and fresh herbs are best mixed into the sauce right before serving.

Sauces based on mayonnaise. Options to transform mayonnaise with spices – a million. We will focus on those that have received their own names. Tartar sauce in the original French is obtained by mixing mayon sauce with capers, mustard, parsley, chervil and wine vinegar; boiled. Remoulade is the result of adding mayonnaise, gherkins, balsamic vinegar, garlic, herbs and capers, mustard and anchovies are optional, most often used as a dip sauce, for example for vegetables or chips. Gribish – mayonnaise with the addition of pounded yolk and fresh cucumber, assists with green salads and smoked meats. Finally, an American invention – Thousand Islands sauce (mayonnaise with the addition of cognac and tomato paste), the best friend of seafood.

Recipe

Sauces and marinades French cuisine

108 12 2421

Author: Anastasia Sindyaeva

6 ingredients 5 minutes

Hollandaise or Hollandaise Sauce

What it is: Creamy Whipped Sauce in a water bath of yolks with butter and lemon juice / vinegar. Auguste Escoffier called it “the feather bed of French chefs.”

Legend: Before the First World War, the sauce was known under the name “Isigny”, after the name of the town of Isigny-sur-Mer in Normandy, the French capital of butter production. Under this name, he appears in The French Chef by François Varennes. But during the war years, the dairies of Normandy stopped, oil began to be exported from the Netherlands, and the sauce was renamed Dutch, that is, “Dutch”.

How to cook: Raw yolks are beaten white with lemon juice (vinegar), then melted butter is gradually introduced into them and the sauce is beaten in a water bath until a thick silky cream. The main difficulty is not to heat the mass too quickly and not let it boil, so that instead of the sauce you inadvertently get an omelette.

Where to use: Warm hollandaise sauce traditionally accompanies boiled asparagus and fried artichokes. Offal is served in a thick creamy sauce: for example, kidneys are cooked with it in the Cannes fashion (the name comes from the Norman town of Caen, not to be confused with Cannes) – veal kidneys are first fried in a pan, then boiled in broth and seasoned with hollandaise and tarragon. But the most famous dish with the participation of the Dutch was invented not in France, but in America. These are eggs benedict, the invention of the chef of the New York Waldorf Astoria hotel, which has become an attribute of breakfast in a five-star hotel anywhere in the world: white bun, crispy bacon, poached egg and hollandaise sauce with lemon sourness.

Spices and additives: French etiquette prescribes the addition of finely chopped parsley, chervil, tarragon and chives to flavor hollandaise. But modern variations allow you to go further: change lemon juice for orange or boiled white wine, use lemon or orange zest, paprika, mustard and cayenne pepper as a spice.

Serve: Serve warm immediately after cooking.

How to store: Warm hollandaise can be poured into a thermos for the next few hours. Hollandaise will stand in the refrigerator for a day or two, but before that it is necessary to cover the surface of the sauce with a film “in contact” and add a minimum amount of oil during cooking, only to thicken the sauce, and stir in the remaining oil according to the recipe before serving, heating the Dutchman in a water bath. Restaurant trick – when whipping the yolks, add a tablespoon of starch to the sauce, so its texture will be more stable, and the sauce will live in the cold a little longer.

Hollandaise-based sauces: Bavarian sauce (bavarois) is a continuation of hollandaise with the addition of cream, horseradish and thyme, suitable for dishes with mushrooms and steamed vegetables. Maltese (with evaporated orange juice instead of vinegar) – to seafood and fish. Mustard sauce, also known as Dijon, or Girondin, is a Dutch sauce with mustard added, suitable for all dishes where, in principle, there will be no extra mustard – from jelly to stewed beef cheeks. Noisette, or nut sauce, is obtained by adding not just melted butter to hollandaise, but oil heated to a light brown color and exuding a delicate nutty aroma; it makes a great accompaniment to fish and white meats. Finally, Béarnaise sauce (béarnaise) is the most common of the hollandaise derivatives. In it, lemon juice is replaced by broth boiled with white wine, shallots, chervil and tarragon are also added. Bearnaise is served with meat and vegetables, it is also the basis of a whole clan of sauces: sharon with tomato paste is usually served with steaks, paloise (bearnaise, in which a large amount of mint is placed instead of chervil) is ideal for lamb, and so on.

Recipe

Sauces and marinades Dutch cuisine

41 5 1239

Alff2000

5 ingredient 5 minutes

Demiglace

What it is: roots and spices (sometimes red wine), which, during many hours of boiling, acquires a gelatinous texture and a rich aroma of baked goods.

Legend: The name of the demi-glace sauce (the spelling can be demi-glace, demi-glace), literally translated means “semi-ice”, which alludes to the jelly texture of the sauce and the fact that during the cooking process it evaporates at least twice. The universal demi-glace recipe was first introduced in the 1930s by the great systematizer of French cuisine, Auguste Escoffier, in his Culinary Guide, and since then, chefs have taken it as a basis.

How to cook: Full preparation of demi-glace requires 5 kilograms of selected beef bones and at least 12 hours, this sauce is not cooked in portions – not the fat. That is why today, as a rule, a semi-finished product is used in the kitchen – a demi-glace base prepared in advance and evaporated to a dry mixture. But if you follow the path described by Escoffier, then first the beef shanks (and they are used for the sauce because of their high collagen content) will have to be finely chopped, burned in the oven until brown, combined with baked vegetables and roots (carrots, celery, parsley root , parsnip and fennel), cover with water and evaporate until glazed. And then strain, add wine, spices and heat the sauce to a fluid state. All the details and tricks of the process can be found here – in the detailed instructions of the chef of the Moscow restaurant “Bochka” Igor Bednyakov.

Where to use it: Demiglace does not have a pronounced meat flavor, rather, it works as a catalyst for the flavors collected in the dish itself, so it goes with literally everything – even steaks, even octopuses. Demi-glace with horseradish is an excellent accompaniment to pork chop and potato casserole, while the white wine sauce pairs well with oily white fish, halibut or catfish. In soups, demiglace will play the role of a bouillon cube. But the classic of the genre is to use demi-glace with veal, chicken and turkey dishes, which naturally lack their own expressiveness.

Spices and additives: Someone uses tomato puree and paste for a brighter color and aroma, someone adds wine or apple cider vinegar, demi-glace recipes with herbs, shallots and mushrooms are in use. Only one ingredient is excluded – additional oil for frying bones and roots, the saturation and brown tint of the sauce must be acquired at the expense of its own resources, fat, bone marrow and collagen veins.

Serve: Serve warm.

How to store: Unlike emulsion sauces (like mayonnaise), demi-glace keeps well and turns into a thick jelly immediately after cooling. Excess sauce can be wrapped in cling film and left for a week in the refrigerator or frozen, and then, without defrosting, thrown into a saucepan and allowed to thaw over low heat.

Demi-glace sauces: Any addition changes the flavor profile of this versatile sauce. If you introduce fried shallots, green peppercorns and lightly dilute the broth with heavy cream into a heated demi-glace, you get a classic pepper sauce that is served in all famous steakhouses. Hunting sauce – with sautéed mushrooms, onions and tomatoes – works well with stews and game, it can be added, for example, to goulash or stews. French exercise – foyo sauce (aka valois, or sharon) is obtained by merging bechamel and demiglace; the result is a combination of the creaminess of the former and the richness of the latter, making it the perfect companion for meat sandwiches and shepherd’s pie.

Recipe

Main dishes Author’s cuisine

1 0 23

Author:Food

7 ingredients 35 minutes

5 basic sauces of French cuisine

Contents:

• Bechamel or the King of sauces
• Veloute or White Sauce
• Dutch
• Tomato sauce

Espanyol

Let’s look at the 5 main sauces of French cuisine, which form the basis for future flavor variations. In French cooking, sauces are given considerable attention. They are served with hot and cold dishes, used as an ingredient, for example, the classic bechamel serves as the basis for lasagna. Sauces are used in high cuisine all over the world. But they are prepared not only by chefs, but by everyone who is interested in culinary skills.

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Bechamel or the King of sauces

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The famous bechamel opens the palette of five sauces in French cuisine.

To prepare it, you will need butter (50 g) and vegetable oil (2 tablespoons), milk (500 g) and flour (2 tablespoons). First, two types of butter are melted in a saucepan, flour is gradually mixed into the composition. The resulting mixture is called roux, it adds a mild creamy flavor to dishes, and it is used as a thickener in sauces. The color of the roux varies depending on the roasting of the flour: it can be white, golden, reddish or brown.

Gradually pour milk into the mixture and, stirring continuously, let the mass boil. Add salt and cook, stirring, over low heat for another 10 minutes. The consistency is adjusted during cooking: if it is necessary to dilute, add milk, if it thickens, cook longer.

The sauce is served hot and serves as a base for hot dishes.

Veloute or White Sauce

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This will require a broth – chicken, fish or beef – that must first be boiled. Ready broth (500 g) is filtered, then infused. During this time, melt butter (50 g) and stir in flour (2 tablespoons). Unlike the previous sauce, vegetable oil is not added to the velout. The broth is poured into the cooled mixture and, stirring, cook for another hour. The finished sauce is served hot and, according to tradition, to the dish from the base of which the broth was cooked: toasted chicken legs, pieces of fish or beef. The sauce gives a deep, voluminous taste and fully justifies the cooking time.

Dutch

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Included in the main sauces of French cuisine, although it came from Holland. Prepared from butter (150 g), egg yolks (3 pcs.), Lemon juice (1 tablespoon), water (1 tablespoon) and salt. Two small pieces (15-20 g each) must be separated from the butter, and the main part should be melted and allowed to cool slightly. The yolks are separated from the whites and beat for 1 minute until thickened. Add lemon juice, water, salt and beat for another half a minute. Then the mixture is sent to a water bath, a piece of butter is added and whipped until creamy. Then the pan is removed, the second piece of butter is introduced into the cooling mixture and all the melted butter is gradually poured in. Beat the mixture until it thickens so that the sauce becomes like heavy cream. Salt and pepper can be added to taste.

Served warm and serves as a base for hot dishes.

Tomato sauce

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To prepare the tomato sauce, you need tomatoes (500 g), onion (1 pc. ), garlic (3 cloves), tarragon greens (bunch) and vegetable oil (1 tbsp.). Dry ingredients are ground in a blender and then boiled for about 2 hours. When cooking, air escapes from the mixture, and it acquires the usual red color. Then add salt, pepper, oil, mix and serve.

Espanyol

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Included in the map of sauces of French cuisine under Louis XIII. This interesting and complex recipe requires time and attention. To prepare it, you need: veal (500 g), carrots (2 pcs.), Onions (2 pcs.), Garlic (4 teeth), celery (2 pcs.), Dry white wine (500 ml), olive oil, flour (2 tablespoons), veal on the bone for broth (500 g).

Bouillon of veal on the bone with the addition of onions, carrots and celery. After boiling, salt and pepper, then cook for another hour. While the broth is being cooked, cut the veal and vegetables into large pieces, put in a saucepan with a thick bottom, season with olive oil and put in a preheated oven for half an hour. In the middle of the process, the contents of the pan must be mixed. Then take out, sprinkle with flour, mix and return to the oven for another 10 minutes. Then put the pan on the fire, pour the wine into it, mix thoroughly and evaporate the liquid for 30 minutes. Then pour the finished broth and boil for at least three hours. When the sauce thickens, remove it from the heat, strain and add salt and pepper to taste. Served with veal and other meat dishes.

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