Sauce (translated from French sauce - "gravy") - liquid seasoning, which is designed to emphasize or change the taste of the dish, to give it a unique and sophistication.
B. Shaw is said to have said: "Architects hide their mistakes under ivy, doctors in the ground, and cooks in sauce."
It is generally accepted that the French are the legislators for the use of sauces in cooking. In France, sauce appeared in the 17th century, since then culinary experts from around the world have been competing in the preparation of unique gravy and sauces.
French sauces
In modern French cuisine , more than two hundred recipes for making gravy and sauces are used. However, at the beginning of the twentieth century, Auguste Escoffier, a chef who was recognized as “king among cooks and cook for kings,” systematized recipes for French sauces. He identified five main, basic (maternal), on which all the other numerous varieties of liquid seasonings are based.
Basic French Sauces:
- bechamel;
- Velate
- Dutch;
- Espanyol (Spanish);
- tomato.
Classic Velute
The first recipe for Velute sauce was found in records dating back to 1553, then it was called "white" or "Parisian". In the 19th century, Velute was recognized as one of the four main sauces in France.
So, get acquainted - Velut sauce. The classic recipe requires the following products:
- broth (fish, meat, chicken - optional) - 0.5 liters;
- flour (wheat) - 50 grams;
- food salt - as needed;
- ground black pepper - at will;
- butter - 75 grams.
The taste of the veloute sauce depends on the choice of broth, so the name is also specified:
- fish - veloute de poisson;
- chicken - veloute de volaille;
- meat from young beef - veloute de veau.
The broth should be transparent and very light (this is the main feature!).
First, for the sauce is prepared ru (in a special way fried flour).
Put butter in a container with thick walls, melt, bring to a boil. Pour into a boiling oil in a thin stream, stirring, flour. Fry until slightly yellowish.
Cooked poo cool. Bring the broth to a boil. Pour the boiling broth into the fried flour (ru), cook the mixture for about 1 hour over low heat.
Add pepper to the almost ready sauce, salt to your taste. Pass the received velute through a sieve (no lumps of flour should remain in it), cool.
The classic Velute sauce is served with fish, chicken and meat. It is the basis for mashed soups, it is used in the preparation of a variety of white sauces, sometimes replacing them with a strong broth (consomme).
Velute Options
Velute sauce, the recipe with the photo of which is given above, can be slightly changed by adding some ingredients: mushrooms, onions, various spices, etc.
For example, Velute with mushrooms. To prepare it, you need:
- wheat flour - 100 grams;
- butter - 100 grams;
- mushrooms (champignons) - 100 grams;
- broth (chicken or meat) - two glasses;
- lemon juice - to taste;
- black pepper (ground) - optional;
- salt (food) - to taste.
To make a ru: in a container with thick walls, melt the butter, bring to a boil, pour flour into the butter, fry until pale yellow. Chop mushrooms, add to ru.
Cook the light broth, bring to a boil, pour it into the ru. Put the mixture on the fire and cook for one hour until the sauce thickens, filter. The consistency of the finished sauce is similar to sour cream. In the finished velut add some lemon juice (to taste), salt, pepper if desired.
Very often cream, yolks of chicken eggs are added to the prepared sauce, slightly fried onions, etc. are used instead of mushrooms. The ingredients depend on the taste preferences of the cook or on the dish for which the velout is being prepared.
Sauce as a base of soup
French culinary specialists make different mashed soups based on Velute sauce. The simplest of them is Velute soup. It is correctly said: "Everything ingenious is simple."
Velute soup is an excellent diet dish suitable for both the child and the old man. It saturates well, is quickly absorbed, does not irritate the stomach. The soup is good both hot and cold. Even an inexperienced housewife can cook it.
This wonderful soup requires:
- wheat flour - 100 grams;
- butter - 150 grams;
- light broth (meat) - 1 liter;
- onions - one piece;
- cream (or milk) - 100 milliliters;
- food salt - to taste;
- ground black pepper - to taste;
- greens to taste.
Peel, wash, finely chop the onion. Melt the butter in a deep bowl, lightly fry the onion in oil. Continuing to fry, add flour, lightly fry.
Bring the broth to a boil, pour into the flour mixture, stir well. While stirring, cook the sauce until thickened over low heat.
Filter the finished sauce, add cream (milk), salt, ground pepper, crumble parsley, dill or other favorite herbs to taste. The soup is ready to serve.
Conclusion
So, the most simple recipes for the base sauce are considered above. It is the main component of some famous sauces:
- aurora - in the velut add mashed potatoes from tomatoes;
- Allemande (German sauce) - chicken yolk, fat cream, lemon juice are added to the meat broth;
- Hungarian sauce - onions, white wine, sweet pepper are added.
Velute can be the base sauce in your kitchen.
Based on the proposed recipes, each housewife to her taste will be able to cook her own little culinary masterpiece.
Experiment, cook with fiction, use sauces and gravy in your kitchen. Enjoy your meal!