A sauce is a moist liquid which is served with a dish to add contrasting and complementary flavours. Sauces add visual interest to a dish. Sauces add flavour (some foods are cooked or accompanied by a sauce), moisture (provides a liquid like substance) so that the food can be easily chewed and consumed. A sauce can change the appearance of the dish, and add interest to a dish. Finally it can whet the appetite of the diner. A sauce is usually thickened with roux. Roux is a cooked mixture of equal quantities of flour and butter. The three kinds of roux used are white (cooked for some time to remove the raw taste), blond (pale colour roux cooked more than white roux till the colour changes), and brown (light brown in colour with a nutty aroma).
The most common mother sauces and their ingredients are given below.
Bechamel: Roux, milk, seasoning, onion, cloves, bay leaf, nutmeg Velouté: Chicken stock, blond roux, seasoning, mirepoix Espagnole: Beef stock, brown roux, bouquet garni, tomatoes, red wine Tomato: Brown stock, brown roux, seasoning, tomato, mirepoix Hollandaise: Butter, egg yolks, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, lime juice, tarragon Mayonnaise: Egg yolks, oil, salt, pepper
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
1. What are the stocks that are commonly used?
Chicken stock, fish stock, beef stock, vegetable stock.
2. Give the cooking time for vegetable stock, beef stock, chicken stock and fish stock.
The cooking time for the stocks is as follows:
3. What is emulsification?
It is a process of combining two immiscible liquids in which particles of one are evenly distributed in the other.
4. What is glaze?
Glaze is a highly reduced stock (usually reduced by three-fourth or more). It is used to prepare other foods such as soups, aspics, as an essence to sauces. It is prepared from brown veal stock, beef stock.
5. Name ten garnishes used for consommé.
Ten garnishes used for consommé are brunoise, julienne, Celestine, parisienne, chasseur, Colbert, Princesse, profiteroles, florette and croûte au pot.
6. Name some famous international soups, give their country and their main constituents.
7. Name some soups which are served cold.
Some soups which are served cold are Gazpacho and Vichyssoise.
8. What is Vichyssoise?
Vichyssoise is a pureed potato and leek soup which is thickened with potato and served with cream if served hot.
9. What is dashi?
A Japanese stock made from a giant weed called kombu, dried bonito and water.
10. Give five derivatives of each of the mother sauces.
Béchamel or white sauce
i. Mornay sauce: Béchamel sauce + grated cheese + fresh cream + egg yolk
ii. Parsley sauce: Béchamel sauce + fresh cream + chopped parsley iii. Cream sauce: Béchamel sauce + fresh cream
iv. Soubise sauce: Béchamel sauce + minced onion sautéed and pureed + white pepper powder + grated nutmeg mixed and then strained
v. Mustard: Béchamel sauce + fresh cream + butter + mustard
Veloute sauce
i. Allemande sauce: Chicken veloute + egg yolks + mushroom trimmings + lime juice + grated nutmeg cooked and then strained ii. Supreme sauce: Chicken veloute + mushroom liquor, cooked,
then strained, finished with fresh cream, butter and white wine iii. Aurore sauce: Chicken veloute + tomato puree/tomato concasse,
cooked and finished with a dollop of butter
iv. Hongroise sauce: Chicken veloute + paprika powder + white wine + cream
v. Curry sauce: Chicken veloute + dices of onion + curry powder + coconut milk + bouquet garni, cooked and then strained
Brown sauce or espagnole sauce
Brown sauce or espagnole sauce
i. Demi glaze: 50% brown stock and 50% brown sauce reduced to half the volume
ii. Bercy: Demi glaze + meat glaze + minced shallots + white wine + sliced beef bone marrow
iii. Chassaeur: Demi glaze + sliced onions + sautéed shallots + white wine
iv. Bordelaise: Demi glaze + sautéed chopped shallots + crushed peppercorns + bay leaf + red wine + sliced beef bone marrow v. Charcutiere: Demi glaze + sautéed chopped onions + white wine
+ vinegar + crushed peppercorn + mustard, cooked and finished with juliennes of gherkins
Tomato sauce
i. Provencale sauce: Thin tomato sauce + chopped parsley + garlic + tomato concasse + pinch of sugar
ii. Portugaise sauce: Tomato concasse + garlic + white wine + meat glaze finished with chopped parsley
iii. Barbecue sauce: Tomato concasse + tomato ketchup + Worcestershire sauce + tobacco + vinegar + sugar
iv. Bretonne: Tomato sauce + sautéed chopped onions + white wine reduced
v. Itaalienne: Tomato sauce + demi glaze + chopped shallots + mushrooms + lean ham
Mayonnaise sauce
i. Tartare sauce: Mayonnaise sauce + chopped gherkin + chopped pickled onion + chopped parsley + chopped hardboiled egg
ii. Cocktail sauce: Mayonnaise sauce + tomato ketchup + Worcestershire sauce + tabasco sauce
iii. Green sauce: Mayonnaise sauce + puree of blanched herbs (spinach + parsley + mint) and cream
iv. Chantilly sauce: Mayonnaise sauce + whipped cream + lemon
juice
v. Gribiche: Mayonnaise + chopped hard boiled eggs + mustard, garnished with chopped gherkins, capers and chervil
Hollandaise sauce
i. Mousseline sauce: Hollandaise + stiffly beaten egg ii. Bearnaise sauce: Hollandaise + chopped fresh tarragon iii. Noisette sauce: Hollandaise + niosette butter + chopped nuts iv. Choron: Bearnaise + tomato puree
v. Foyot: Hollandaise + meat glaze 11. What is a Coulis?
A French terminology used in modern kitchens, it is a puree of vegetable or fruits used as a sauce.
12. What is a jus?
It refers to the un-thickened juices from a roast. It is like a broth, but more concentrated and thickened.
13. What is salsa?
Salsa usually refers to a mixture of raw or cooked chopped vegetables, herbs and sometimes fruits.
14. What is a relish?
It is a raw or pickled vegetable used as an appetizer. It is a mixture of chopped vegetables one of which has been pickled in vinegar or salt solution.
15. What is chutney?
It is a raw, partially or fully cooked fruit or vegetable condiment which is sweet, spicy and tangy.
16. What is meuniére?
It is a method of cooking fish in which the fish is coated with flour and then fried in butter, sprinkled with lemon juice and finished with chopped parsley.
17. What is Dugléré?
A fish dish named after a famous French chef.
18. What is maitre-de-hotel butter?
It is a savoury butter which contains chopped parsley and lemon juice, which is served with fried fish, grilled meat or vegetables. The butter could be served either in liquid form or as a solid, either in rounds or in slices.
19. What is Robert sauce?
A sauce which is prepared with white wine and vinegar served as an accompaniment to pork chops and other grilled meats.
20. What are the derivatives of white sauce/béchamel served with fish?
The derivatives of white sauces served with fish are Mornay and Cardinal.
21. What are the derivatives of velouté served with fish?
The derivatives of velouté served with fish are Américaine, Bretone,Vin Blanc.
22. What are the derivatives of Hollandaise sauce served with grilled meats?
The derivatives of Hollandaise sauce served with grilled meat are Béarnaise, Choron, Foyot.
23. What is beurre manié?
Beurre manié is a mixture of equal parts of soft, uncooked butter and flour worked together to form a smooth paste. It is used as thickening agent and added at the end to finish the sauce.
24. What are proprietary sauces?
Proprietary sauces are bottled sauces sold under a proprietary label.
25. Name few proprietary sauces and give their constituents.
Soya sauce: Soya beans, wheat, water and salt Worcestershire sauce:
Soya, vinegar HP sauce: Malt vinegar, tomatoes, dates, tamarind, sweetener and spices Ketchup: Tomatoes, salt, spices, vinegar Tabasco: Red peppers, vinegar and salt Chilli sauce: Pulped peppers, flavoured garlic, vinegar and starch
REFERENCES
Arora, K., Theory of Cookery, Frank Brothers, India, 2008
Campbell, J., Foskett, D. and Ceserani, V., Practical Cookery, Eleventh Edition, BookPower, London, 2008
Gisslen, W., Professional Cooking, Seventh Edition, John Wiley and Sons, Canada, 2011