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Since we covered so much ground in the French Mother Sauce Series, both on the blog and podcast, I figured it would be a good idea to place all the information in one, easy to find post. The mother of all mother sauce resources if you will.

So here it is; a list of the mother sauces with their corresponding podcast episodes, classic components, serving suggestions, and how to posts.

But first, a quick history lesson.

A Brief History of The Mother Sauces

The French mother sauces were originally four base sauces set forth by Antonin Careme in the 19th century. Careme’s four original mother sauces were Allemande, Bechamel, Veloute and Espagnole.

In the 20th century, Chef Auguste Escoffier demoted Allemande to a secondary sauce of Veloute, and added Sauce Tomat and Hollandaise. 

One Last Thing…

Some of the classic versions of these sauces use different thickening agents to bring the sauce to its proper consistency. If you’re unfamiliar with thickening agents such as roux, liasons, or emulsions, you can follow the corresponding links for more information.

Sauce Bechamel
 

• Base: Milk (Usually Whole Milk)

• Thickening Agent: White Roux

• Classical Flavorings: White Onion, Clove, Bay Leaf, Salt, White Pepper, Nutmeg

• Common Secondary Sauces: Cream Sauce, Mornay, Cheddar Cheese Sauce, Mustard Sauce, Nantua

• Classically Served With: Eggs, Fish, Steamed Poultry, Steamed Vegetables, Pastas, Veal

• Technique and Recipe: How To Make Bechamel and its Derivatives

• Corresponding Podcast Episode: SCS 11| Sauce Bechamel

• Video Technique: Culinary School Bechamel | A How To Video

Sauce Veloute
 

• Base: White Stock (Classically Veal, but Chicken and Fish Stock can also be used)

• Thickening Agent: Classically a Roux, but sometimes also a Liason is used.
  

• Classical Flavorings: None, used specifically as a base

• Common Secondary Sauces: Sauce Vin Blanc (White Wine Sauce), Sauce Supreme, Sauce Allemande, Sauce Poulette, Sauce Bercy, Sauce Normandy

• Classically Served With: Eggs, Fish, Steamed Poultry, Steamed Vegetables, Pastas, Veal

• Technique and Recipe: How To Make Sauce Veloute and its Derivatives

• Corresponding Podcast Episode: SCS 10| Sauce Veloute

Sauce Tomat (AKA Tomato Sauce)

• Base: Tomatoes (Raw, Tomato Paste, Tomato Puree, Stewed Tomatoes)

• Thickening Agent: Classically a Roux, modern versions commonly use a reduction or purees

• Classical Flavorings: Salt Pork, Mirepoix, Garlic, White Veal Stock, Salt & Pepper, Sugar (Just enough to balance acidity, not enough to make the sweetness perceptible).

• Common Secondary Sauces: Modern variations concentrate more on seasonings giving rise to sauces such as Creole, Portuguese and Spanish Sauce Tomat.

• Classically Served With: Pasta, Fish, Vegetables (Especially Grilled), Polenta, Veal, Poultry (Especially Chicken), Breads and Dumplings such as Gnocchi.

• Technique and Recipe: How to Make Tomato Sauce and Its Modern Variations

• Corresponding Podcast Episode: SCS Episode 12| Sauce Tomat

Sauce Espagnole (AKA Sauce Brune or Brown Sauce)
 

• Base: Roasted Veal Stock (Roasted Chicken Stock Is Sometimes Used In Modern Variations).
  

• Thickening Agent: Brown Roux

• Classical Flavorings: Mirepoix, Sachet (Bay Leaf, Fresh Thyme, Parsely), Tomato Puree

• Common Secondary Sauces: Demi-Glace, Bordelaise, Sauce Robert, Lyonnaise, Sauce Madeira, Sauce Bercy, Sauce Chasseur

• Classically Served With: Roasted meats, especially beef, duck, veal, lamb

• Technique and Recipe: How To Make Sauce Espagnole and Demi-Glace
  

• Corresponding Podcast Episode: SCS Episode 13| Sauce Espagnole
  

Hollandaise Sauce
 

• Base: Egg Yolks and Butter (Classically Clarified Butter)
  

• Thickening Agent: Emulsification

• Classical Flavorings: Peppercorns (Black), White Wine Vinegar, Salt, Lemon Juice, Cayenne Pepper
  

• Common Secondary Sauces: Bearnaise, Maltaise, Mousseline, Foyot, Choron…Also check out this post on How to Make Mayonnaise and Its Derivatives, which is based on the hollandaise technique.
  

• Classically Served With: Eggs (Eggs Benedict), Vegetables (especially Asparagus), light poultry dishes, fish, Beef (Bernaise Sauce)

• Technique and Recipe: How To Make Hollandaise: Guidlines and Techniques
  

• Corresponding Podcast Episode: SCS Episode 9| Hollandaise

Watch the Video Lecture: The Five French Mother Sauces | An Introduction

With Turkey Day quickly approaching, there has been a lot of talk on the web about whether or not you should brine your bird. Although there are good arguments from both camps, I think it is first important that the science of brining is understood before making any decisions.

A traditional brine is a water based liquid that contains between 3-6% salt by weight. Along with salt, a brine will contain aromatic herbs, spices and sometimes vegetables (usually mirepoix, garlic, etc).

So Why Would You Brine Meat?

Brining has two distinct effects on muscle tissue.

First, the high salinity of the brine “disrupts the structure of the muscle filaments” (On Food and Cooking, Pg 155). At about 3% salinity, the brine will partially dissolve “the protein structure” which supports the muscle filaments that contract when cooked. The more these muscles filaments are allowed to contract, the tougher your meat will be.

At about 5.5% salinity, the muscle filaments themselves are partially dissolved. Since their contracting ability is hindered by the salt, the muscle filaments contract less, effectively making your meat more tender.

Second, they way in which salt interacts with protein, allows the protein to retain more moisture, which is absorbed from the liquid of the brine itself. According to Harold McGee’s on Food and Cooking:

The meat’s weight increases by 10% or more. When cooked, the meat still loses around 20% of its weight in moisture, but this loss is counterbalanced by the brine absorbed, so the moisture loss is effectively cut in half. (PG 156)

This is what allows brined meat to stay more moist, compared to its unbrined counterpart.

The reason why a lot of people prefer to brine their turkey for the big day is because turkey breasts are finished cooking at around 145 degrees F, and start to dry out at around 155 F. The legs on the other hand need to be cooked to about 165 degrees F, because they have a much higher amount of connective tissue (in the form of collagen), and collagen doesn’t begin to break down until about 160 degrees F.

So by the time the turkey legs are done, the breasts are overcooked and dried out.

The problem with brining a turkey is the drippings contain much more water, and are too salty to make a proper pan gravy. Harrold McGee actually doesn’t brine his Thanksgiving Bird, and he explains why in his New York Times Article “Miracle Cure or Just Salt Water?”

Also, check out this Stella Forum Thread on Brining.

Sauce Epsagnole is one of the Five French Mother Sauces, and is the classical precursor to modern day sauces such as Demi-Glace. It goes great with any sort of roasted red meat, and is the base for many popular classic French Sauces including Sauce Robert and Sauce Bordelaise, (see below).

Before we get into how to make Sauce Espagnole, first, a little clarification about Demi-Glace.

Classical demi glace is one part Brown Sauce (Espagnole) and one part Brown Stock (Such as Roasted Veal Stock), combined in a pot and reduced by half. However, modern day menus that list a “Demi-Glace” as their sauce are usually referring to a stock that has been reduced by at least half, or until it coats the back of a spoon. The gelatin contained in the stock itself is what thickens the sauce. No other thickening agent such as roux is used.

Modern chefs prefer “full reduction” sauces over a classical demi-glace because they have a much more intense flavor, and the classical thickening agent of a roux makes the sauce heavy and effects its taste.

Recipe For Classical Sauce Espagnole (Brown Sauce)

• Mirepoix: 4 oz/112g onions, 2 oz/56g celery, 2 oz/56g carrots
• 2 oz/56g butter
• 2  oz/56g flour
• 2 oz/56g Tomato Puree
• Sachet Containing: 1/2 Bay Leaf, 2-3 Sprigs of Fresh Thyme, 2-3 Sprigs Parsley
• 1.5-2 qts/1.5-2L  Roasted Veal Stock

1. Start by roasting your mirepoix over medium heat, in the bottom of a heavy bottom sauce pot with the butter, until the mirepoix turns a nice golden brown.
2. Once your mirepoix has browned, add in your tomato puree and continue roasting for 2-3 more minutes.
3. Sprinkle in your flour, and cook until the flour is well incorporated into the other ingredients (about 5 more minutes).
4. Add your roasted veal stock and sachet.
5. Bring to a simmer, and gently simmer for about 2 hours, reducing the entire sauce down to 1qt/L. If necessary, add more stock if too much evaporates during the cooking process. Skim sauce as needed.
6. Tip: While simmering your sauce, pull it half way off the burner, so that all the scum will collect on one side of the pot, making it easier to skim.
7. Once your sauce is finished cooking, pass it through a fine chinois a couple of times to insure a smooth, consistent texture.

Secondary Sauces (Derivatives) Made From Espagnole

Classical Demi-Glace

• Combine Sauce Espagnole and Roasted Veal Stock at the Ratio of 1:1, and reduce by half.
• Strain through a fine mesh strainer (chinois).

Sauce Bordelaise

To yield 1 qt/L combine in a sauce pan:

• 1 cup/236ml red wine
• 2 oz/56g chopped shallots
• Fresh cracked black pepper to taste
• 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1/2 a bay leaf

Reduce these ingredients by half, and then stir in 1 qt of demi-glace (see above) and simmer for about 15-20 minutes. Strain through a chinois and then finish by swirling in 2 oz of raw butter. Sauce Bordelaise was traditionally garnished with diced bone marrow that had been poached in salted water.

Sauce Robert

To yield 1 qt/L:

• Sweat 4oz/112g of diced white onion with some butter over medium low heat for 5-10 minutes, or until soft and tender.
• Deglaze with 1 cup/236ml of dry white wine, and reduce by two-thirds.
• Add in 1 qt/L of demi glace and simmer for about 10-15 minutes.
• Strain sauce through a chinois and finish with 2 teaspoons of dry mustard, a pinch of sugar, and squeeze in the juice of half a lemon.
• Check seasoning for salt and pepper.

Further Information
 

• SCS 13| Espagnole Sauce