French sauces according to Escoffier

Brown Sauce © kvalifood.com

In his book “Ma Cuisine” Auguste Escoffier describes a variety of sauces. Together the form the backbone of the modern French-inspired cuisine. There was both basic sauces and derivative sauces. This is an overview of the basic sauces and recipes for them.

Roux

I have given it its own page here

Sauce Espagnole

I have given it its own page here

Sauce Demi Glace

I have given it its own page here

Thickened Veal Stock (Jus de Veau Lie)

A good general sauce. “Lie” means “thickened” and “jus” means “juice or juice” so the very fine French title simply means “thickened veal juice” :-)

Ingredients

Makes 1 liter (1 quart)

  • 4 l (quarts) of brown veal stock
  • 30 g (1 oz) arrowroot, cornstarch or other starches

Directions

Reduce the stock to ¼ so you end up with approx. 1 liter (1 quart).

Mix the starch in a little bit of cold veal stock. mix it in and cook it along about. 1 minute.

Sieve it through your finest sieve.

Common Velouté / white sauce (Velouté au Sauce Blanche Grasse)

Good general gravy.

Ingredients

Makes 5 liters

  • 625 g (22 oz) of light roux with butter
  • 5 ½ liter (5 ½ quarts) of clear light veal stock

Directions

Stir the roux into the stock.

Let it simmer for approx. 1 ½ hours.

Remove the foam from the sauce regularly.

Sieve it through your finest sieve.

Chicken velouté (Velouté the Volaille)

Made like a plain velouté, but with clear light chicken stock instead of veal stock.

Fish velouté

Made like a plain velouté, but with clear fish stock instead of veal stock.

Fish stock will get bitter if it boils too long. Therefore the sauce does should boil / simmer any longer than 20 minutes.

Sauce Parisienne

The sauce is thickened with egg yolks.

Ingredients

Makes 1 liter (1 quart)

  • 1 liter (1 quart) common velouté
  • ½ liter (2 cups) of white cold stock
  • 5 egg yolks
  • 1 pinch of grated nutmeg
  • 2 dl (1 cup) broth of mushrooms
  • 1 dash lemon juice
  • 1 pinch of pepper
  • 100 g (3½ oz) of butter

Directions

Mix everything together, except the butter, and bring it to a boil.

Let it reduce to 2/3 on high heat.

Stir occasionally so it does not burn.

Once it has become so thick that you can make a trail on the back of a spoon, it’s finished.

Before serving take it off the heat and add 100 g (3½ oz) of cold butter into cubes.

It must not be heated up again when the butter has been added.

Sauce suprême

White cream sauce

Ingredients

Makes 1 liter (1 quart)

  • 1 liter common velouté
  • 2 ½ dl cream, or to taste

Method

Cook stock and add cream until it is clear white, and taste like you want.

This sauce is often made simply by adding light stock to a béchamel sauce.

Chicken velouté

Good general sauce.

Ingredients

Makes 1 liter (1 quart)

  • 1 liter of white clear chicken stock
  • 1 cup mushroom broth
  • 3 ½ dl cream
  • 80 g of butter

Directions

Bring the stock and mushroom broth to a boil over high heat.

Add the cream a little at a time. Save the last dl.

Boil it in by 1/3 until approx. 1 liter.

Before serving take it off the heat and add the last cup cream and 80 g of butter into cubes. It must not be heated up again when the butter is first added.

Sauche bechamel

I have it made it its own page here

Sauce Tomate

Tomato sauce with stock.

Ingredients

Makes 5 liters (quarts)

  • 5 kg (11 lbs) tomato. Canned Tomato is fine.
  • 150 g (5 oz) of smoked bacon, diced
  • mirepoix
  • 200 g (7 oz) carrot
  • 150 g (5 oz) of finely chopped onion
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 branch thyme (1 tablespoon)
  • 100 g (3½ oz)butter
  • 150 g (5 oz) flour
  • 2 liters (2 quarts )of white stock
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1½ tbsp salt
  • 30 g (1 oz) sugar
  • a sprinkle pepper

Directions

Melt the butter and brown the bacon lightly in it.

Add the ingredients of the mirepoix.

When they are browned then add the flour.

Brown the flour slightly.

Add the rest and let it cook for 1 ½ -2 hours.

Blend or sieve.