The base is brown.

Two days ago, I wrote about one of the five mother sauces, Sauce Béchamel or white sauce. Yesterday I wrote about the second of the mother sauces, Sauce Velouté. Today is all about the third mother sauce; Sauce Espagnole. This is the last of the mother sauces that is based on roux. For this sauce, the roux is cooked for the longest amount of time to a deep brown colour (done on a low heat to prevent the roux from burning). The liquid used is brown stock. This makes it similar to a Velouté but the difference is that Espagnole is made with tomato puree and mirepoix (a combination of chopped carrots, celery and onions) for a deeper colour and flavour. Moreover, brown stock itself is made from bones that have first been roasted, which adds even more colour and flavour to the finished sauce.

To make matters even more 'complicated', the sauce is further 'refined' to make what is called a 'demi-glace' (a very fancy word for a reduction of half and half Sauce Espagnole and brown stock). As it is the demi-glace that is mainly used to make the 'small' sauces, this is an important step but time is always limited so, for a shortcut, you could skip the demi-glace step and make the small sauces directly from the mother sauce. You will, however, lose some flavour and body in the finished product. A trick professional kitchens have is to make enormous batches of sauces that they can keep on hand for when they are required but most of us won't have the massive pans used for this, nor the space to keep it afterwards, so the shortcut is definitely an option...

So, what is a sauce exactly? In principle it is a liquid that is combined with some sort of thickening agent and flavourings. Each of the five mother sauces is made with a different liquid, and a different thickening agent — although three of the mother sauces are thickened with roux, in each case the roux is cooked for a different amount of time to produce a lighter or darker colour.

Roux is melted butter (or fat) and flour: melt butter in a pan until 'frothing', add an equal amount of plain flour and stir (using a whisk is the best method to prevent lumps) until a thick paste forms, cook at least until the raw flour taste is gone (it will start smelling biscuit-y).
How long you cook it for depends on which type of sauce you want to make. How much butter and flour you use depends on how thick you want your sauce to be:

• Pouring sauce: one tablespoon each of butter and flour to 240 millilitre of milk
• Medium sauce: two tablespoons each of butter and flour to 240 millilitre of milk
• Thick sauce: three tablespoons each of butter and flour to 240 millilitre of milk

A lot of chefs prefer to use clarified butter to make a roux as this has a higher burning point than butter. Although I normally don't really bother doing this and just keep a close eye on the pan, for a brown roux I do make a difference as the roux needs to cook for a longer period of time and I do not want a bitter, burned flavour. Clarified butter has all the milk solids and water removed so that only the pure fat remains:

1. Gently melt unsalted butter in a saucepan over low heat. As the butter melts, you'll see a layer of foam rising to the surface. The bubbles are the butter's water content boiling off, and the white residue is the milk solids separating out from the butterfat and water
2. As the butter continues to simmer, use a ladle to skim the foam and milk solids from the surface of the liquefied butter. Note the clear, golden liquid underneath the foamy residue. This is different from the technique for making ghee, in which the milk solids are allowed to settle to the bottom and turn slightly brown
• Keep a separate bowl for the milk solids you skim off — it's fantastic on popcorn! You can also add the leftover milk solids to mashed potatoes or as a topping for vegetables. They're also be delicious over pancakes, waffles or French toast
3. In a few minutes you'll have skimmed off most of the milk solids, leaving just the pure, yellow butterfat

As Sauce Espagnole is made with brown stock, here is a recipe if you have never made this before.

Sauce Espagnole

Ingredients:

• 500 gram mirepoix
• 260 gram diced onion
• 120 gram diced carrot
• 120 gram diced celery sticks
• 3 tablespoons clarified butter
• 3 tablespoons plain flour
• 1 ½ litre brown stock
• 4 tablespoons tomato paste
• Herb sachet
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• 4 fresh parsley stems

Method:

1. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the butter over a medium heat until it becomes frothy
2. Add the mirepoix and fry for a few minutes until it's lightly browned, making sure it doesn't burn
3. With a wooden spoon, stir the flour into the mirepoix a little bit at a time, until it is fully incorporated and forms a roux
• Lower the heat and cook the roux for another five minutes or so, until it's light brown. Don't let it burn! The roux will have a slightly nutty aroma at this point
4. Using a whisk, slowly add the stock and tomato paste to the roux, whisking vigorously to make sure it's free of lumps
5. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, add the sachet and simmer for about 50 minutes or until the total volume has reduced by about a third, stirring frequently to make sure the sauce doesn't scorch at the bottom of the pan. Use a ladle to skim off any impurities that rise to the surface
6. Remove the sauce from the heat and remove the sachet
• For an extra smooth consistency, carefully pour the sauce through a wire mesh strainer lined with a piece of cheesecloth
7. Serve hot. If not serving the sauce right away, keep it covered and warm until you're ready to use it.

To make a demi-glace, use the full amount as above (about 1 litre) of Sauce Espagnole and the same amount of brown stock and, over low heat, reduce by half (you should have about a litre of demi-glace). All the recipes below are based on this amount of sauce, unless stated otherwise.

Sauce Marchand de Vin (with roasts and steak)
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine 240 millilitre red wine and 60 gram finely chopped shallots. Heat until the liquid boils, lower the heat a bit and continue simmering until the liquid has reduced to only a quarter. Add the demi-glace, then lower heat to a simmer and reduce for about 5 minutes. Strain through a mesh strainer, season to taste with salt and black pepper. Serve right away.

Sauce Robert (with grilled pork and other meats)
In a small bowl, combine ½ teaspoon sugar and 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and stir until the sugar is dissolved. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons butter and cook 120 gram chopped onions until soft and translucent, but don't let them turn brown. Add 240 millilitre white wine, heat until the liquid boils, then lower the heat a bit and continue simmering until the liquid has reduced by two-thirds. Add the demi-glace, then lower the heat to a simmer and reduce for about 10 minutes. Strain through a mesh strainer, add 2 teaspoons dry mustard and the sugar-lemon mixture. Serve right away.

Sauce Charcutière (with grilled pork and other meats)
In a small bowl, combine ½ teaspoon sugar and 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and stir until the sugar is dissolved. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons butter and cook 120 gram chopped onions until soft and translucent, but don't let them turn brown. Add 240 millilitre white wine, heat until the liquid boils, then lower the heat a bit and continue simmering until the liquid has reduced by two-thirds. Add the demi-glace, then lower the heat to a simmer and reduce for about 10 minutes. Strain through a mesh strainer, add 2 teaspoons mustard and the sugar-lemon mixture. Garnish with 60 gram chopped cornichons and serve right away.

Sauce Lyonnaise (with roasted meats and poultry)
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons butter and cook 120 gram chopped onions until they turn a light golden brown. Add 120 millilitre white wine vinegar, heat until the liquid boils, then lower the heat a bit and continue simmering until the liquid has reduced by half. Add the demi-glace, then lower heat to a simmer and reduce for about 10 minutes. Strain through a mesh strainer and serve right away.

Sauce Chasseur (perfect for game dishes)
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat until it's frothy. Add 250 gram sliced mushrooms and 2 finely chopped shallots and fry until the mushrooms are soft and the shallots are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add 240 millilitre white wine, heat until the liquid boils, then lower the heat a bit and continue simmering until the liquid has reduced by about three-fourths. Add the demi-glace and 250 gram diced tomato, then lower heat to a simmer and reduce for about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon chopped parsley and serve right away.

Sauce Bercy (with roasts and steaks, not to be mistaken for the Sauce Bercy Velouté that is served with seafood)
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine 60 millilitre white wine and 1 finely chopped shallots. Heat until the liquid boils, then lower the heat a bit and continue simmering until the liquid has reduced by about three-fourths. Add 475 millilitre demi-glace, then lower heat to a simmer and reduce for about 10 minutes.

Mushroom Sauce (with roasted or grilled meat)
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat until it's frothy. Add 250 gram sliced mushrooms and 1 finely chopped shallot and fry until the mushrooms are soft and the shallots are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the demi-glace, bring to a boil then lower heat to a simmer and reduce for about 10 minutes. Stir in 60 millilitre sherry, season to taste with lemon juice and serve right away.

Madeira or Port Sauce (with roasts and steak)

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat 475 millilitre demi-glace to a simmer and reduce for about 5 minutes. Stir in 60 millilitre Madeira or Port wine and swirl in 2 tablespoons butter. Serve right away.

Ten new sauces, all perfect for grilled and roasted meats, from steak to pork to poultry to game. Variations are practically limitedless, so make sure to vary the ingredients (especially the herbs, although so-called wood herbs tend to work best). The Sauce Espagnole might look daunting at first but is well worth a try (if you have some free time over the weekend).

Tomorrow I will post the fourth mother sauce, so stay tuned and, most importantly

Enjoy