STOCKS & SAUCES

STOCK
• a flavorful liquid prepared by simmering
aromatics, vegetables and bones in water
• French term is fond, literally meaning base or
foundation
Uses of Stocks
• Base for soups
• Base for sauces
• Cooking medium for starch,
vegetables, grains and meats
 BASIC INGREDIENTS OF STOCKS

1)Bones > primary ingredient

> contributes FLAVOR and BODY (dissolved collagen)

2) Mirepoix > a combination of chopped aromatic

vegetables
> standard mirepoix consists of:
2 parts onion
1 part carrot
1 part celery
> white mirepoix does not use carrots
> size of the cut depends on cooking time
3) Seasonings, Herbs and Spices
> stocks are not usually seasoned with salt because a
neutral flavor is preferred.
> boquet garni: bundled and tied together to form a
bouquet
> sachet d’epices: “bag of spices”; tied in cheesecloth
> parsley stems, thyme, bay leaf, black peppercorns
 BASIC INGREDIENTS OF STOCKS
4) Acidic ingredients
• tomato product and wine
• help dissolve connective tissue
• adds flavor dimension
• tomato products also give deeper
color to brown stocks
• not all stocks make use of acidic
ingredients
5) Water
• the cooking medium of all the
ingredients
• the RIGHT amount of COLD water
• using cold water results in better flavor
extraction
BASIC RATIO OF STOCK
INGREDIENTS

100% water
50% bones
10%
mirepoix
 TYPES OF STOCKS

1) White Stock
- almost translucent, very
little color
- chicken, beef, veal, fish,
vegetable

2) Brown Stock
- deep color is a result of
roasting ingredients- usually uses tomato product
- browning of ingredients is not only for color but for flavor
as well

met
lavorful fish stock, usually made with the addition of white wine “essence”
RECOMMENDED SIMMERING TIMES
FOR STOCKS

Chicken 3-4 hours

Beef / Veal 6-8 hours
Fish/ Fumet 30-45 minutes
Vegetable 30-45 minutes
 EVALUATING THE QUALITY OF
STOCKS

1. Flavor
2. Color – little or no color
if white; deep brown
3. Body – gelatinous
quality; congeals when
kept in refrigeration
4. Clarity
 STOCK vs. BROTH

• Stocks are made from simmering bones and

vegetables and are not served as a dish, but used as a
base for other preparations.

• Broths are made from simmering meat and/or

vegetables and may be served as a dish.
 OTHER IMPORTANT TERMS

Deglazing
> to use a liquid such as wine, water, or
stock to dissolve food particles and
caramelized drippings left in a pan after
roasting or sautéing.

Remouillage
> to “rewet”
> a secondary stock made from bones that
have already been used stock making
SAUCE
 Most sauces are thickened in some way;
just enough to enable the sauce to cling lightly to the food
METHODS OF THICKENING
1)Reduction  
> to reduce the volume of a liquid by simmering or boiling
(evaporation of water)

2)Roux
> a cooked mixture of fat and flour, both equal parts in
weight
> 2 methods for adding liquid:
add cold liquid to hot roux or add hot liquid to cold
roux
 METHODS OF THICKENING
3)Beurre manie
> a raw mixture of kneaded fat and flour, both equal parts in weight
 
4)Liaison
> a mixture of egg yolks and cream
> purpose is not only to thicken but to add a silky, rich profile
> another less common type of liaison is blood
 METHODS OF THICKENING
5)Purees
  > pureed nuts, fruits, vegetables, beans, etc
 
6)Slurry
  > a pure starch diluted in cold water whisked to simmering liquid
> starch from root (potato, tapioca, arrow root) or seed (cornstarch)

7)Whitewash
  > a mixture of flour and water whisked into simmering liquid
> needs longer cooking time to activate the starch
 KINDS OF ROUX
2. White roux
• flour is cooked just a few minutes without coloration
• used as a thickener in white sauces (béchamel)

2. Blonde roux
• flour is cooked until pale; used to thicken veloutes and
neutral colored sauces

3. Brown roux
• flour is cooked in fat until brown, producing nutty aroma
1. used for brown sauces
• dark brown / chocolate roux is prevalent in Cajun or
Creole cooking
Nappé is a liquid consistency thick enough t
to coat the back of a spoon lightly.
 SAUCE FINISHING TECHNIQUES
1)Straining
  > to pass a liquid through a sieve or fine mesh (such as cheesecloth)
in order to remove particles and arrive at a smooth, lump-free consistency
 
 2)Deglazing 
> build your sauce on dissolved caramelized particles in a pan
 
3)Enriching 
> adding a liaison
> adding a knob of cold butter or
monter au beurre
> finishing with a little cream
> always done at the end
 
 SAUCE FINISHING TECHNIQUES
4) Reduction 
> concentration of flavors and adjustment of consistency
> “to reduce au sec” means to reduce until almost dry
> reduction is best done by simmering
> “to reduce to” vs. “to reduce by”

 
 

5) Seasoning
> finishing with salt and pepper as necessary
> finishing with lemon juice to stimulate the taste buds
 5 MOTHER SAUCES or
GRAND SAUCES OF CLASSICAL CUISINE

1. Bechamel – milk based

2. Veloute – white stock based
3. Espagnole – brown stock based
4. Tomato – tomato puree based
5. Hollandaise – butter based

▪ They are called mother or grand

because numerous sauces are derived from them.
 BECHAMEL SAUCE
•  white sauce made from milk thickened with white roux
• the original recipe, which was developed in the 1600’s in
France, used white veal stock enriched with cream
• Auguste Escoffier is credited
with developing the
present day version
• not served as a sauce in itself
but used to prepare other
sauces
• onion pique: an onion studded
with cloves and bay leaves
VELOUTE SAUCE

• a pale sauce made from

white stock thickened with
blond roux
• its derivatives are usually
paired with white meats like
chicken, pork,veal, fish and
shellfish
 TOMATO SAUCE

• a sauce made by simmering

tomatoes and aromatics
• the classic version was
thickened with roux as well
 
ESPAGNOLE
• a brown sauce made from simmering brown
stock with aromatics and brown roux
• sauces derived from espagnole are heart, rich,
flavorful and pair well with red meats.
 
Demiglace
❑ an intensely flavored, thickened brown stock; word means “half
glaze”
❑ classically: equal parts espagnole and brown stock reduced by half

Glace
❑ a stock that is reduced until completely thick and syrupy; a full
glaze
❑ very rich and concentrated in gelatin and flavor content

Fond Lié
❑ literally means “thickened stock”; brown stock which has been lightly
thickened with a slurry
PROCESS FOR BROWN SAUCE MAKING

 Begins with brown stock; about 8 hours cooking time

 EMULSION SAUCES

Most culinary sauces are given body or thickened with either starch (roux) and/or
gelatin (collagen). A few exceptions are those that are thickened with fats, either butter
or of some kind of vegetable oil. These are known as emulsion sauces.
 
What is an Emulsion?
• A uniformed mixture of two naturally repellent liquids, broken up into tiny droplets,
resulting in the suspension of one in the other.
• Naturally repellent or unmixable: water and alcohol cannot be emulsified
• The most common emulsion is an oil and water emulsion.
• Mayonnaise (70), cream (38), milk (4), butter(80)
• Emulsions may be temporary or permanent
• Permanent emulsions are those that use stabilizers or emulsifiers to
help delay the separation of the liquids
 
 BUTTER
• composed of ±80% fat, and the rest is water and milk
solids

1) beurre fondue
> literally “melted butter”
> melted but still emulsified butter

2) compound butter
> flavored butter
> whole butter combined with other ingredients and seasonings
> used as bread spread, or served on top of broiled and grilled food

3) brown butter
> beurre noisette, meaning hazelnut butter
> whole butter that has been heated until browned
> has a nutty flavor and aroma
> pairs well with seafood, white meat, eggs, and vegetables
4) clarified Butter
> also called drawn butter
> butter from which the milk solids and water have been removed
> pure butter fat
> the main reason for clarifying butter is to raise its smoke point
> whole butter smoke point is 340 °F while clarified is 380 °F
> ghee: a type of clarified butter used in Indian cuisine; nutty flavor
 
* monter au beurre means mount with butter
* always use unsalted butter for cooking; seasoning can be controlled
BUTTER-BASED WARM EMULSION
SAUCES
All butter-based emulsion sauces are highly temperature sensitive.
The emulsion will break at temperature extremes.
They are best kept warm, held in a warm water bath.

HOLLANDAISE BUERRE BLANC

• literally translated from French as “white
• a warm emulsion sauce made
butter”
with clarified butter, an
• is a rich, warm butter sauce made with a
acidic reduction, and
reduction of vinegar and/or white wine
partially cooked eggs
and shallots into which cold, whole butter
• Bearnaise is a hollandaise is emulsified off the heat to prevent
derivative that is flavored separation.
with tarragon • a variation of this is beurre rouge which
uses red wine instead of white
 OIL-BASED COLD EMULSION SAUCE
Mayonnaise

> a cold emulsion sauce consisting of raw egg yolks, oil, acid and seasonings

VINAIGRETTE
> vin + aigre means “sour wine”
> an emulsified and seasoned mixture of oil and vinegar
> basic ratio is 3 parts oil : 1 part vinegar or acidic ingredient