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STOCKS, THE PRINCIPLES OF SAUCE MAKING

SAUCES, AND Sauces add flavor, texture, moistness, viscosity, and eye appeal to a dish. They help
SOUPS pull together the various elements of a plate and make it whole. Sauces add
STOCKS contrasting or complimentary favors and colors to a plate thereby keeping the dish
interesting and appealing throughout the dining experience.
STOCK RECIPES
SAUCES
S AU C E VA R I AT I O N S
THE SCIENCE OF
T H I C K E N I N G AG E N TS
PRINCIPLES OF SAUCE
Sauces are the melding of ingredients
MAKING including stocks, wine, aromatics, herbs
CLASSIC SAUCES
and dairy into a harmonious taste. Most
small sauces are based on the principle
PA N S A U C E S
of reduction; cooking down various
EMULSION SAUCES liquids with aromatics, wine, and herbs,
H O L L A N DA I S E & to meld, concentrate, and balance the
BEARNAISE SAUCE flavor and consistency. This method is
P R E PA R AT I O N
used to create a simple jus by deglazing
BEURRE BLANC SAUCE the pan from a roast and enhancing its
SOUPS flavor with aromatic vegetables, stock,
and seasoning.
BISQUE
CREAM SOUP

CONSOMME
A pan sauce is created in a similar
P R E PA R AT I O N fashion when a sautéed protein produces
PUREE SOUP
caramelized bits that cling to the pan,
along with the juices that are rendered
from the cooked items whether they are
meat, poultry, or fish. The sauce is
completed with a reduction of wine and
aromatics (shallots, mushrooms, garlic,
etc.), and finished with whole butter or
cream.

French Grande Sauces (also known as

mother sauces) including espagnole,
béchamel, and velouté are roux-based
sauces prepared with stock or milk as
their liquid. These sauces incorporate
aromatics including onions, celery, and Deglazing a pan to create a pan sauce
carrots (depending on the sauce) that are
sautéed to either a translucent stage, or
browned further for color and flavor. A sachet d’epice is added for seasoning. They
are not salted but seasoned when incorporated into other preparations. Secondary
sauces are derived from a mother sauce including a demi-glace, Allemande, or
supreme. These sauces are further reduced with added ingredients of cream, stock,
wine, or aromatics.

C L AS S I C F R E N C H M OT H E R S AU C E S

From the grande and secondary sauces, small sauces or derivatives, along with pan
sauces, are prepared by incorporating any combination of ingredients. Most small
sauces are based on the principle of reduction, or cooking down various liquids with
aromatics, wine, and herbs, to meld, concentrate, and balance the flavor.

P R AC T I C A L S AU C E P R E P I N T H E K I TC H E N
Sauce making begins with a flavor base of aromatics, reductions of wine, vinegar, or
other spirits, the addition of flavorful liquids including stocks, milk, or cream, and a
variety of seasonings. Others are created through emulsions of fats with liquids and
eggs, or through pureed suspensions of cooked aromatics, liquids, and seasonings.

Start with a Flavor Base

Begin by sautéing or sweating (gently cooking in fat) an aromatic flavor base of
vegetables (shallot and garlic, mirepoix, or soffritto) in butter, olive oil or other type
of fat. This releases their flavors infusing it into the sauce as it cooks.

Develop Consistency
Flour can be added at this stage (known as the singer method) or thickened later with
a prepared roux, refined starch, or other thickening agent. Some preparations are
thickened by suspensions, such as tomato sauces, and need no added starch, still
others, including meat-based jus, may be left unthickened, relying on reduction to
concentrate flavors while gelatin from the meats add body.

Add Liquids, Season, and Simmer

Stock, milk, wine or other liquids are added and the sauce is brought to a simmer. If a
prepared roux is used it is added at this stage. A sachet d’epice or bouquet garni is
added to flavor the sauce. The sauce is simmered and reduced in volume for the
appropriate amount of time to develop flavor and consistency.

Skim the Sauce

Cleaning a sauce is a critical step in creating a clear sauce, a French term known as
depouillage. Bring the sauce to a simmer and offset the pot on the burner so that, as
the scum that rises to the top, it rolls to one side of the pot, and makes it easier to
skim off the impurities. Repeat skimming throughout the sauce process

Strain/Puree
Sauces may be pureed in a food mill or blender and strained through a fine mesh
strainer. If a refined starch is used (instead of a roux) the sauce is re- heated and a
slurry is added to thicken the sauce.

Evaluate and Adjust Consistency and Texture

A sauce should have a consistency that is light yet thick enough to coat the back of a
spoon. Chefs use the French term nappé, meaning to top or coat with sauce, to
describe the proper consistency. If the consistency of a sauce is too thin or the flavor
too weak, adjust it by gently simmering the sauce to reduce, thicken and concentrate
the flavors. Other alternatives include adding a thickening agent, cream, a swirl of
butter, or a liaison of egg yolk and cream. If the sauce is too thick add water, stock, or
other liquid to adjust consistency.

S M A L L & D E R I VAT I V E S AU C E S
Flavor Base - Small sauces and pan sauces use aromatics of sautéed shallots, garlic or
mushrooms. Some techniques combine the aromatics with wine or spirits and cook
down the liquid to concentrate the flavors. Spices and herbs are added to the
reduction as it is cooking, but fresh herbs are usually added at the end of the process
to preserve their fresh color and flavor. Gastrique sauces start with a base of
caramelized sugar deglazed with wine, vinegar or citrus juices to create a sweet and
sour flavor profile.

Reduction of Wine, Aromatics, and Herbs

Deglaze & Reduce - When preparing a pan sauce for a sautéed item, use the pan that
the item was sautéed in, and add the garnish ingredients to the pan. The pan is then
deglazed with wine, brandy or other spirits, and the liquid is reduced, or cooked
down, by ¾ volume or au sec, a French term for almost completely dry. Depending
on the volume of production, this may take a short period of time, as in a pan sauce,
or it may take much longer for a larger quantity.

Grande Sauce - A prepared sauce of demi-glace, jus lié, or velouté is added at this
stage. A highly concentrated stock can be used as a substitute. It is cooked down
again to adjust the flavors, seasonings, and consistency. Sometimes the consistency
requires adjustment with a slurry of refined starch.

Addition of a Brown Sauce

Additional Flavors - Fortified wines such as sherry, port and Madeira are often added
towards the end of the cooking process because their flavors dissipate under
prolonged heat. Fresh herbs are added at this stage. Again the consistency, seasonings
and flavors should be evaluated to determine whether further adjustment is needed.

Monter au Beurre - Finishing a sauce with a little butter, cream, or yogurt, enriches
the sauce, will smooth out the acidity, and provides a sheen to the sauce. When using
a stock instead of a prepared sauce as the base, the addition of butter or cream helps
thicken it.

Monter au Beurre

TAS T E , E VA LUAT E & A DJ U S T

Taste

To balance the flavor and seasoning

of your sauces consider all the basic
taste sensations
Salt is the most primal taste and
reduces bitterness
Bitterness is derived from herbs and
spices including tarragon, sage and
peppercorn
Sweet is added with the addition of
sugar, butter, and cream
Butter also adds a savory sensation
Acidity lifts and lightens the flavor
of the sauce on the tongue; a little
wine vinegar, wine, or lemon can
do the trick
Umami is the savory taste found in meats, poultry, fish, cheese, tomatoes, and
mushrooms

Consistency & Texture

Thin sauces release aromas that are more immediately noticed by the sense of
smell
Thickening agents obstruct the flavor of a sauce requiring more salt and
seasoning
Thickened sauces tend to linger on the tongue longer and prolong the flavor
better than thin sauces

Too Thin? - If the consistency of a sauce is too thin or too weak it can be adjusted by
reducing the sauce on the stove. Other alternatives include adding more thickening
agent, cream, a swirl of butter, or a liaison of egg yolk and cream.

Too Thick? - If it is too thick it can be thinned with a little water, stock or other
liquid. Be careful to taste and adjust seasoning. Thinning with water will dilute the
flavor so it is normally not recommended except in the case where it may be too
intense. Sauces that sit in a steam table will evaporate over time becoming too thick
or salty; in this situation it may be appropriate to adjust with water.

Holding Sauces for Service

If the sauce is prepared in advance and held for service a skin may form on the surface
of the sauce. Here are a few ways to prevent this from happening.

Butter - A little butter swirled on the surface will help prevent this. When using this
technique, the sauce may appear greasy as it sits. The proper technique for ladling the
sauce out is not to stir it. Rather, dip the ladle directly into the sauce and lift the
ladle directly up to minimize the amount of butter on the surface of the sauce.

Parchment Paper – make a cartouche of “false lid” out of parchment, butter it, and
place it directly on the surface of the sauce.

Plastic Wrap - Other methods for preventing a skin include placing plastic wrap or
parchment paper directly on the surface of the sauce so no air gap is present to dry
out the surface.

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