French Classics Made Easy (67 page)

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1.
In a small saucepan, reduce 1 cup of the stock over high heat until reduced to 1 tablespoon of glaze. Remove from the heat and reserve.

2.
In a medium-size saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring frequently, until the roux is pale yellow and frothy, 30 to 45 seconds. Add the remaining 2 cups of stock and stir well with a whisk until the sauce thickens and comes to a boil, 2 to 3 minutes.

3.
Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and season with the salt and pepper. Add the reserved glaze and whisk vigorously for about 10 seconds. Simmer gently, whisking the sauce from time to time, until the sauce has the consistency of heavy cream, 2 to 3 minutes. Skim off any butter that rises to the surface. (The sauce can be made in advance and refrigerated for several days or frozen for later use. Cover the surface with plastic wrap. To reheat, bring to a boil and check its consistency and seasoning before using. If the sauce is too thick, add a little additional stock or water to thin it.)

TOMATO-FLAVORED VELOUTE

[SAUCE AURORE]

Tomato-flavored velouté can be made with either chicken or fish stock, depending on what you intend to serve it with. A classic
sauce aurore
recipe calls for tomato purée, whereas this recipe uses a more concentrated tomato paste. This reduces the cooking time necessary to achieve the desired consistency of the sauce. I use Tomato-Flavored Velouté mainly with poached fish and Basic Fish Mousseline (
page 48
), but it is also an excellent accompaniment to crab, lobster, or poached chicken.

MAKES 2 CUPS TO SERVE 8

3 tablespoons butter (plus more for finishing the sauce; see below)

¼ cup all-purpose flour

3 cups Fish Stock (
page 306
) or Chicken Stock (
page 307
)

¼ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon tomato paste

3 tablespoons butter or ⅓ cup heavy cream (optional; see Note)

1.
In a small saucepan, melt the 3 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring frequently, until the roux is pale yellow and frothy, 30 to 45 seconds. Add
the stock and stir well with a whisk until it thickens and comes to a boil, 2 to 3 minutes.

2.
Reduce the heat and simmer gently, whisking the sauce well from time to time, until the sauce has the consistency of heavy cream, 10 to 15 minutes. Skim off any butter that rises to the surface.

3.
Season with the salt and pepper. Add the tomato paste and whisk until smooth. Simmer for 5 minutes longer. The sauce will have thickened slightly and should be smooth and creamy. (The sauce can be made ahead to this point. Cover the surface with plastic wrap, let cool, and refrigerate for several days or freeze for later use.)

4.
Just before serving, bring the sauce to a boil and whisk in the 3 to 4 tablespoons butter or ⅓ cup cream. If you use butter, do not boil the sauce once it has been added.

NOTE

The butter or cream enriches the sauce and softens the flavor a bit. Taste the sauce before adding. You may choose not to add the calories.

S
KIMMING
S
AUCES

Skimming is used to remove foam, fat, and impurities from the surface of liquids. It is one of the most important and often overlooked steps in preparing fine sauces, soups, and jams. In most cases, it should be done during the cooking process. The importance of skimming can easily be understood by tasting the foam or fat removed. You can also notice the difference it makes while cooking jam. If not skimmed, the foam will cause a jam to be cloudy and dull instead of clear and shiny. If you make skimming a regular habit, you will find it improves the general quality of your cooking.

SAFFRON SAUCE
WITH FRESH TOMATOES

[SAUCE AU SAFRAN À LA TOMATE FRAÎCHE]

If you like the flavor of saffron, you will probably find this transformation of a classic
sauce velouté
to be one of your favorites to serve with poached fish or Basic Fish Mousseline (
page 48
). I use two large pinches of saffron for this sauce, but you may want to start with only one and see if you like the flavor. I have made this sauce a little thicker than a normal velouté, but it will thin to a perfect consistency, a little lighter than heavy cream, after the tomatoes have been added.

MAKES 2 TO 2½ CUPS TO SERVE 8 TO 10

5 tablespoons butter

¼ cup all-purpose flour

3 cups Fish Stock (
page 306
)

2 large pinches of saffron threads (see Note)

¼ teaspoon salt

Pinch of freshly ground pepper

2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, chopped, and drained

2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, basil, tarragon, or parsley, to taste

1.
In a small saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring frequently, until the roux is pale yellow and frothy, 30 to 45 seconds. Add the stock and stir well with a whisk until it thickens and comes to a boil, 2 to 3 minutes.

2.
Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and season with the saffron, salt, and pepper. Whisk vigorously for about 10 seconds. Simmer gently, whisking the sauce well from time to time, until the sauce is slightly thicker than heavy cream, 30 to 45 minutes. Skim off any butter that rises to the surface. (The sauce can be made to this point up to a day ahead. Cover the surface with plastic wrap, let cool, and refrigerate for several days or freeze for later use.)

3.
Just before serving, bring the sauce to a boil. Off the heat, whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Gently stir in the tomatoes and all but 1 teaspoon of the herbs. Heat for several seconds, but do not boil.

4.
Sprinkle the sauce with the remaining herbs just before serving.

NOTE

The saffron slowly dissolves into the sauce, and when the threads are translucent it is completely dissolved. If you wish to add more saffron near the end of the cooking time, crush the threads to speed the dissolving.

THICKENED BEEF STOCK

[JUS LIÉ]

Whenever I need a basic brown sauce (called a demi-glace), but do not have the time to make one, I use a thickened beef stock called a
jus lié.
Since my beef stock is very mild, I reduce the stock by half and add some meat glaze to heighten its flavor. To thicken the stock, I use arrowroot, potato starch, or cornstarch (in that order of preference), dissolved in a little cold water.

The tomato traditionally found in a classic demi-glace is omitted from this thickened stock, giving the sauce a greater clarity, which is characteristic of contemporary brown sauces. Note that while I’ve made meat glaze optional in all other recipes, in this recipe it is critical.

If you don’t have time to make homemade stock, you might want to try the Quick Brown Sauce (
page 320
) made with canned stock.

MAKES 2 CUPS TO SERVE 12

D
EMI
-G
LACE

Demi-glace, the basic brown sauce that was once the mainstay in the classic French kitchen, has all but vanished from today’s top French restaurants. The classic demi-glace, or
espagnole
as it was known, took at least two days to make.

The principles used in making demi-glace are still used in such dishes as Duck à l’Orange (
page 131
). But in most instances where a brown sauce is called for, I use Thickened Beef Stock (facing page), which makes a thinner and clearer brown sauce that I find more refined (and certainly less time-consuming) than the classic sauces made with demi-glace.

1 quart Economical Beef Stock (
page 303
)

3 tablespoons Meat Glaze (
page 309
)

2 tablespoons arrowroot, potato starch, or cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tablespoons cold water

¼ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1.
In a medium-size saucepan, bring the stock and meat glaze to a boil over medium-high to high heat. Boil gently, uncovered, until the stock reduces by half, 15 to 20 minutes, skimming off any fat and impurities as they rise to the surface.

2.
Whisk the dissolved arrowroot into the gently boiling stock. Whisk vigorously until the sauce thickens and lightly coats a spoon, 15 to 20 seconds, and remove from the heat. Season with the salt and pepper. (This thickened stock can be made in advance. Cover the surface with plastic wrap, let cool, and refrigerate for several days or freeze for later use.)

VARIATIONS

M
ADEIRA
S
AUCE

[SAUCE MADÈRE]

For a very simple sauce, bring 1 cup of Thickened Beef Stock to a boil and add ¼ cup Madeira. Serve with veal, chicken, or turkey.

P
ORT
S
AUCE

[SAUCE PORTO]

For a quick port sauce, bring 1 cup of Thickened Beef Stock to a boil and add ¼ cup port. Serve with pork, beef, or duck.

QUICK BROWN SAUCE

[JUS LIÉ RAPIDE]

For an almost instant brown sauce, when you don’t have time to make beef stock, use this sauce made with canned broth. In this recipe, the meat glaze is optional; in the preceding one, it is not.

MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS TO SERVE 12

2 cups canned beef broth, diluted to extra-fortified strength (see Note)

3 tablespoons Meat Glaze (optional;
page 309
)

2½ tablespoons arrowroot, potato starch, or cornstarch dissolved in 2½ tablespoons cold water

¼ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1.
In a medium-size saucepan, bring the stock and meat glaze (if using) to a boil over medium-high to high heat. Reduce the heat to medium.

2.
Whisk the dissolved arrowroot into the gently boiling stock. Whisk vigorously until the sauce thickens and lightly coats a spoon, 15 to 20 seconds, and remove from the heat. Season with the salt and pepper. (This thickened stock can be made in advance. Cover the surface with plastic wrap, let cool, and refrigerate for several days or freeze for later use.)

NOTE

For this sauce, use the following ratios to dilute beef broth to the extra-fortified strength needed here: Progresso, Swanson Fat-Free, and College Inn Low-Sodium are all 1 part broth to 1 part water. Campbell’s Beef Broth is 1 part broth to 2½ parts water.

BORDELAISE SAUCE

[SAUCE BORDELAISE]

This rich red wine sauce is a perfect match for beef. It is traditionally served with slices of beef marrow that have been poached in water and a little vinegar. In a classic kitchen, if the sauce were intended to go with a roast, the marrow would be added to the sauce along with fresh parsley just before serving. However, since marrow can be
difficult to find, I have omitted it as well as the parsley, but have kept a small amount of butter to round out this full-bodied sauce.

MAKES ABOUT 1¼ CUPS TO SERVE 6

2 shallots, finely chopped

1 sprig fresh thyme or a pinch of dried leaves

¼ bay leaf

1 tablespoon Meat Glaze (optional;
page 309
)

⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

¾ cup red Bordeaux wine or any dry red wine

1½ cups Thickened Beef Stock (
page 318
)