everything you need to know about the 5mother sauces
Everything You Need to Know About the 5 Mother Sauces
A starting point or base for preparing various secondary sauces, every cook or chef should master the 5 mother sauces. Read the Buzzle article as we give detailed information about all 5 sauces.
- Whole milk, 500 ml
- Unsalted butter, room temp., 30 g
- Plain flour, 30 g
- Salt, 3 g
- White pepper, a pinch
- Heavy-bottom saucepan, medium, 2
- Wooden spoon
- Whisk
- In a heavy-bottom saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat.
- Once you see the butter start to foam, add flour and use a wooden spoon to stir until smooth. Keep the heat steady, and cook the mixture till it reaches a light, sandy color.
- Meanwhile, take another saucepan to heat the milk over medium-low heat until it begins to boil.
- Once the roux is ready, gradually add warm milk in the roux as you continuously stir the mixture with a whisk.
- Bring the sauce to boil, and then reduce the heat to simmer so that it can cook thoroughly. Make sure you constantly stir the sauce for at least 5 minutes.
- Use a wooden spoon to check whether the sauce coats the back or not. If yes, the sauce is ready and all it requires is salt and a pinch of white pepper.
- Roasted beef or veal stock, 1 liter
- Mirepoix, 100 g*
- Unsalted butter, room temp., 30 g
- Plain flour, 30 g
- Tomato purée, 30 g
- Bouquet gami, 1**
- Heavy-bottom saucepan, medium, 2
- Wooden spoon
- Whisk
- In a saucepan, heat the stock over medium-low heat and bring to a boil. As it starts to boil, remove the pan off the stove and set it aside.
- In a new saucepan, add butter and sweat mirepoix (meer-pwah) over medium heat. Cook it until the mirepoix turns brown and soft.
- Now, add flour and stir the mixture till it turns golden brown. After about 6―8 minutes, the roux will be ready.
- Next, gradually add the hot stock we set aside as you whisk the mixture continuously. This way, nothing will stick to the bottom of the pan, and there will be no lumps.
- Add the tomato purée and bouquet garni next. Constantly stir the mixture and bring it to a boil.
- Lower the heat to a gentle simmer, and let the sauce thicken for an hour. Don't forget to stir the sauce occasionally.
- Remove the saucepan off the heat, and strain the mixture through a chinois to get a thick, smooth sauce.
- Unsalted butter, cold and diced, 250 g
- Water, 30 g
- Egg yolks, large, 4
- Lemon juice, for taste
- Salt and black pepper, for taste
- Heavy-bottom saucepan, medium, 1
- Whisk
- In a saucepan, combine cold butter, egg yolks, and water. Keep the heat at low, and whisk the ingredients gently.
- After the butter melts and begins to foam, turn the heat to medium-low, and whisk until the sauce thickens.
- Remove the saucepan off the heat, and keep whisking so that the sauce doesn't curdle.
- Once the sauce is thick enough in consistency, stir in lemon juice, salt, and black pepper, and serve.
- Veal or chicken stock, 1 liter
- Tomato purée, 1 can, 400 g
- Tomatoes, chopped, 1 can, 400 g
- Mirepoix, 200 g*
- Streaky bacon, diced, 50 g
- Oil, 2 tablespoons
- Bouquet garni, 1**
- Garlic cloves, crushed, 1
- Salt and black pepper, for taste
- Sugar, a pinch
- Stockpot, large, 1
- Hand blender
- Chinois
- In a stockpot, heat oil over medium-low heat, and add the streaky bacon to get the fat.
- As the fat from the bacon is out, add mirepoix and cook for about 5―10 minutes, or until it turns soft.
- Next, add chopped tomatoes, tomato purée, crushed garlic, bouquet garni, and the stock in the pot.
- Place a lid over the pot, and let the mixture come to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, and let it cook for another 2 hours.
- Take the bouquet garni out, and remove the pot off the heat. With a hand blender, purée the sauce to get a smooth paste.
- Use a chinois to strain the sauce. Season it with salt, black pepper, and sugar, and mix everything properly.
- You can use the sauce as is, or store it in the refrigerator for at least 2 days.
- Stock, 500 ml
- Unsalted butter, room temp., 30 g
- Plain flour, 30 g
- Heavy-bottom saucepan, medium, 2
- Wooden spoon
- Whisk
- Chinois
- Depending on the dish, you can use white veal, chicken, vegetable, or fish stock for making the sauce. In a heavy-bottom saucepan, heat the stock over a low simmer.
- In a different saucepan, melt butter over low heat until it starts to foam, and not boil.
- Now add flour to the melted butter, and with a wooden spoon, stir the mixture until you get a thick, smooth paste.
- Once the mixture gives you a nice light, sandy color, the roux is ready.
- Increase the heat to a medium, and gradually add the warm stock in. Constantly stir the mixture as you don't want lumps in the sauce.
- After the stock has been added, bring the sauce to a boil, and reduce the heat to simmer.
- Frequently stir the sauce, and cook it for about 15―20 minutes. When you see that the sauce is thick and velvety, it's time to remove it from the heat.
- Use a chinois to strain the sauce; this will make the sauce extra smooth. The sauce is now ready to be included in any other recipe you may like.