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Sauce Tomat, better known as tomato sauce, is a French Mother Sauce based on tomatoes. This base can consist of fresh tomatoes cooked down into a liquid, canned tomatoes, tomato puree or even tomato paste.

“Hey, wait a second now, how is tomato sauce a French Mother sauce when it’s clearly Italian?”

Well, you do know it was the Italians that taught the French  to cook right? But that’s a whole other post. Suffice it to say that just like all the other mother sauces, “Sauce Tomat” is an incredibly versatile base sauce that can have any number of variations.

But before we start playing around with tomato sauce, it is important to first understand the classic version. My favorite classical recipe for Sauce Tomat is Escoffier’s version.

Escoffier’s Sauce Tomat Recipe

Although most of the sauce recipes that I’ve been giving for the Mother Sauces yield 1 quart (1 liter), this recipe will yield 2 quarts since you can almost never have enough tomato sauce, and it is always better the next day anyway. For Escoffier’s recipe you will need:

• 2-3 oz (56-84 g) Salt Pork. Salt pork comes from the belly portion of the pig, just like bacon. However, unlike bacon, salt pork is never smoked, and the fattier (more white), the better.
• 3 oz (84 g) Carrots, peeled and medium diced
• 3 oz (84 g) White or Yellow onion, medium diced
• 2 oz (56 g) whole butter
• 2-3 oz (56-84 g) Flour, All Purpose
• 5 lbs (2.25 Kilos) Raw, Good quality tomatoes, quartered
• 1 qt (1 lt) White Veal Stock
• 1 clove freshly crushed garlic
• Salt and Pepper To taste
• Pinch of Sugar

1. In his book, Escoffier calls for you to “fry the salt pork in the butter until the pork is nearly melted.” The term frying can be misleading, and what he’s really calling for you to do is to render the fat.
2. To render out the salt pork properly, place the salt pork in a heavy bottom saucepan with a tablespoon of water, cover with a lid, and place over medium heat. Check in about 5 minutes. The steam from the water will allow the fat to render out of the salt pork before it starts to brown or burn.
3. After the salt pork is nice and rendered out, add in your butter, carrots and onions, and sweat over medium heat for about 5-10 minutes, or until they become nice and tender and start to release their aromatic aromas.
4. Sprinkle the flour over the carrots and onions and continue to cook for another few minutes. You’re essentially using the residual fat from the butter and salt pork to make a blond roux.
5. Add in your raw tomatoes.  Roast with other ingredients until they start to soften and release some of their liquid.
6. Add in your white veal stock and a clove of crushed garlic.
7. Cover the pot with a lid, and Escoffier says to put it in a moderate oven, which is about 350 degrees F or 175 C. If your sauce pot won’t fit, you can always just simmer it on your stove top. Bake in oven or simmer for 1.5-2 hours.
8. Escoffier’s classical recipe also calls for you to pass your finished sauce through a Tamis, but if you’re looking for a smooth tomato sauce, I would instead recommend that you first blend it in a blender, and then press it through a chinois.
9. Once you have passed your sauce through the chinois, finish by seasoning it with salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar.
10. Note on Sugar: The addition of sugar is used to balance the natural acidity of the tomatoes. Your tomato sauce should not taste sweet, unless you enjoy putting ketchup on your pasta.

Modern Variations on Escoffier’s Sauce Tomat

The major difference between Escoffier’s version of sauce tomat and modern variations that are taught in culinary school are two fold. (1), The Roux is omitted and instead of using fresh tomatoes, canned tomatoes and tomato puree are used in the respective ratio of 2:1 and, (2) Instead of using white veal stock, modern recipes call for the simmering of a roasted ham bone.

Other than that, the process is pretty much the same as discussed above. Follow the same recipe and process, except use 3lbs of canned tomatoes and 2lbs of tomato puree instead of the 5lbs of fresh tomatoes. Simmer for two hours with the addition of a roasted ham bone and omit the veal stock since the tomato puree and canned tomatoes offer plenty liquid for simmering the sauce.

Another modern touch is the common use of aromatic fresh herbs including bay leaves, thyme, basil and oregano. Add these at your own discretion, at the end of the cooking process so that the flavor of the fresh herbs does not break down.

Basic Light Tomato Sauce

If you’re looking for a lighter version of tomato sauce to serve with a more delicate dish such as poached fish, use the ratios and procedure below.

• 1 part mirepoix, (Onions, Carrot and Celery, at a 2:1:1 Ratio), small dice
• 4-5 parts fresh or canned tomatoes
• Fresh Chopped Garlic and Herbs To Taste
• Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper To Taste
• Butter and Heavy Cream to finish (Optional)

1. Start by sweating your mirepoix over medium heat in a sauce pan with a little bit of olive oil.
2. Once the mirepoix becomes nice and soft, and starts to release its sweet aroma (about 5-10 minutes) add in your tomatoes and fresh chopped garlic.
3. Simmer for 1.5-2 hours. Season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar. Add fresh herbs to taste.
4. At this point, if you desire a smooth texture, you can blend your sauce and then pass it through a chinois.
5. Finish with swirling in some heavy cream and whole butter off the flame. This is optional, but if you’re not averse to butter and cream, it will add a nice flavor and mouth feel.

Further Information

• SCS 12| Sauce Tomat

1. Roux – Equal parts flour to fat (clarified butter is traditional). There are three different stages for rouxs including white, blond and brown. Full thickening power is not realized until sauce or soup is brought up to a simmer after the roux is incorporated. For ratios and more detailed guidelines, check out this post on how to make and use a roux.

2. Liason – A mixture of heavy cream and eggs, added just at the end of the cooking process to slightly thicken, but mostly enrich, sauces and soups. The standard ratio for a liaison is 16:1:2. So for every 16 ounces (or one pint) of sauce, you will need 1 egg yolk and 2 ounces of cream. The liaison will be tempered with up to 1/3 of the warm sauce or soup before incorporated. This helps to keep the eggs from coagulating. For more information, check out this post on how to make and use a liaison.

3. White Wash – A mixture of water and flour is whisked together into a “slurry” before being incorporated into a sauce. The water helps to hydrate the starch molecules in the flour, preventing the flour from clumping when it hits the hot sauce or soup. This is an extremely poor technique to use. It is only listed here for sake of completeness.

4. Beurre Manie – Also known as “The Lazy Chef’s Roux,” Beurre Manie is equal parts of flour and whole butter kneaded together until it forms something like a dough. Pieces of this dough are then broken apart and added to simmering sauces or soups to thicken them. It is recommend that you simmer the sauce for at least 20 minutes more to cook out any raw, starchy flavor the flour introduces. Use the same ratios of Beurre Manie that you would a Roux.

5. Corn Starch – Has twice the thickening power of flour. Most commonly added to a soup or sauce in a slurry form, using a 1:1 mixture of water to Corn Starch. To thicken a sauce or soup with the consistency of water to a traditional nape stage (coats the back of a spoon), you will need 2 oz of Corn Starch for every 1 qt of sauce or soup. Full thickening power will not be realized until your sauce begins to simmer. Corn Starch has tendency to give sauces a smooth and shinny appearance. It is used extensively in Asian cooking, especially Chinese Cuisine.

6. Arrow Root- Very similar to Corn Starch with the same thickening power. It is used exactly in the same fashion as Corn Starch to thicken sauces and soups. Has a much more neutral taste than Corn Starch, but tends to be more expensive. Most commonly added as a slurry, and its full thickening power is not realized until the sauce is brought to a simmer.

7. Farine – Literally the French word for “flour”. As a thickening technique it refers to dusting your product (usually a protein) in flour. The excess flour is then shaken off, and the product is sauté d. The pan is then usually de-glazed, and a sauce is built on top of this base. Also commonly used to build a base for thick soups and stews.

8. Panade – Most commonly used to stabilize and bind meat balls and pâtés, it is usually a mixture of day old bread and some sort of liquid; stock, milk, water, etc. In the case of thickening sauces or soups, the bread is usually browned in butter and then simmered into the base that you wish to thicken. It can either be left as is, or blended and strained for a more refined consistency.

9. Food Grade Gums – Food grade gums are really emerging as the thickening agent of choice in a lot of high end kitchens. They’re gaining popularity because they are extremely neutral in flavor and are added in such low concentrations (usually les than 0.5% by weight), that they have no effect on color or flavor. One of the most commonly used food grade gums for this purpose is Xanthan Gum, which can be picked up at a lot of health foods stores.

UPDATE: You can find our instructional video on how to make mayonnaise here.

Like many of the mother sauces, a well made mayonnaise is the base to an endless possibility of cold, emulsified sauces. Although now days there are many good quality commercial mayonnaise available, understanding how to make a mayonnaise is basic knowledge that every cook or chef should have. Not to mention, that with the selection and use of high quality products, fresh made mayonnaise can have a far superior flavor to that of its commercial counterparts.

Some Guidelines for Making Mayonnaise

• Use a blender, food processor or a stand-top mixer with a whisk attachment. Not only will it ensure that your arm doesn’t fall off from hand whisking, but the shearing power of these devices is capable of breaking the oil into much smaller droplets, making a more stable emulsion.

• Have both your egg yolks and oil at room temperature before starting. It will make the emulsification process much easier.

• Use the freshest eggs possible, preferably organic from a farmer’s market. If cooking for children or the elderly, pasteurized egg yolks are always recommended.

Standard Ratio for Mayonnaise

At it’s most basic level, mayonnaise is simply a neutral oil emulsified into egg yolks. The ratio for a basic mayonnaise is:

• 1 yolk per 1 cup of neutral oil (canola, safflower, grape seed).

Although many classical recipes call for the addition of other ingredients, egg yolks and oil are all you need to make a mayonnaise. Some additional ingredients that are used to season mayonnaise are:

• Vinegar

• Salt

• Pepper (usually white)

• Dry Mustard

• Cayenne Pepper

• Lemon Juice

Standard Recipe For 2 Cups of Mayonnaise

1. 2 egg yolks

2. 1/2 table spoon of vinegar

3. 1/2 teaspoon salt

4. 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

5. Small Pinch cayenne

6. 2 cups Salad Oil (canola preferred)

7. 1 Tablespoon Vinegar

8. 1-2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice

• Put ingredients 1-5 into a blender, food processor or KitchenAid with a whisk attachment and mix well.

• Very slowly at first, start streaming in your oil, a little at a time until your emulsification starts to form.

• Use the 1 tablespoon of vinegar to thin the mayonnaise if it starts to become too thick before the emulsification is complete.

• Once all the oil is incorporated into egg yolks and the mayonnaise is finished, it should be thick enough to be turned upside down without the mayonnaise coming out of the mixing container.

• Adjust the final seasoning with the lemon juice, salt and pepper (white, cayenne or black pepper depending on preference).

What’s The Difference Between Mayonnaise and Aioli

A common question asked is what’s the difference between mayonnaise and aioli. Now days, the term aioli has been bastardized by some chefs to be synonymous with any flavored mayonnaise. However, there is an exacting classical distinction between mayonnaise and aioli.

The difference between mayonnaise and aioli is the simple fact that aioli is made with extra virgin olive oil and has the addition of crushed garlic. So to make aioli, follow the standard recipe above, but instead, substitute the canola oil for extra virgin olive oil and add 1 tablespoon of fresh minced garlic to the egg yolks during the blending/beating process.

The simplified ratio for Aioli is:

• 1 egg yolk + 1 cup extra virgin olive oil + 1 teaspoon of crushed garlic = Aioli.

• This ratio can be seasoned with lemon juice, salt and pepper to yield a simple and traditional Aioli.

Mayonnaise Based Sauces

As stated before, mayonnaise is a great base to use for making other unique sauces. One of my all time favorite cook books “Charcuterie” by Michael Rhulman and Brian Polcyn, makes these suggestions:

• For Pork try adding some cumin, cayenne and lime juice.

• For Fish add saffron and garlic.

• For Chicken add lemon juice and tarragon.

• For Beef add a little fresh horse radish (I would also recommend some fresh chopped chives).

Another very traditional mayonnaise based sauce is Remoulade which is traditionally served with fish. To make a traditional remoulade you will need:

• 2 Cups of Mayonnaise

• About 1 tablespoon of good Dijon

• 1/4 cup finely chopped cornichons (Tiny, French, Sweet Pickles)

• Tablespoon chopped capers

• 1 anchovy fillet, finely chopped

• 3 tablespoons chopped parsey

• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh chervil

• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon

Mix all ingredients together and serve with fish. This is a great dipping sauce for fish and chips!

To make other mayonnaise based sauces, start with 2 cups of freshly made or neutral store bought mayonnaise and add:

• Thousand Island Dressing: 1/2 cup chili sauce, 1/2 ounce minced onion, 1 ounce finely chopped green pepper, 1 ounce drained pimiento.

• Louis Dressing: same as Thousand Island with the addition of 1/2 cup heavy cream.

• Russian Dressing: 1/2 cup chili sauce or catsup, 1 ounce fresh horseradish, 1.2 ounce minced onion.

• Chantilly: 1/2 cup of heavy creamed whipped until a stiff peak and added in just before service.

• Blue Cheese Dressing: substitute one cup of mayonnaise for one cup of sour cream (optional but really good), add 1 ounce white vinegar, /2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 4 ounces crumbled bleu cheese; thin with 1-2 cups heavy cream, half and half or buttermilk.

• Ranch Dressing: 1 1/2 cups sour cream, 1/2 cup buttermilk, 2 ounces wine vinegar of your choice, 1/2 ounce lemon juice, 1/2 ounce Worcestershire sauce, 2 Tablespoons chopped parsley, 1 tablespoon chopped chives, 1-2 crushed garlic cloves, 1 scallion (green onion) finely chopped, 2 teaspoons celery seed.