Back to the Past

One of my favourite things to do on a cold, but dry, crisp winters day is to go out for a walk in the woods. The best thing about it is, probably, coming back home into the warmth and wrapping myself in a blanket on the sofa and my hands around a steaming bowl of fresh soup. But even now in summer, with temperatures soaring, I do like a bowl of soup. Fair enough, the bowl of soup contains different ingredients but the principle is the same: stock, vegetables, protein, starch. Perhaps a noodle soup with ginger, spring onions, bean sprouts, chili and chicken. Or maybe a chilled pea soup with lovage and creme fraiche (I know, mom, who ever thought I would eat pea soup...) or a light fish soup with haddock and sweet corn.

What ever soup it is I am making, I do prefer to make a soup with homemade stock. Using a stock cube might seem a like good, quick and easy option but I find they usually lack flavour and just add a lot of salt. Of course, there is something to be said for low-sodium, free-range stock cubes but they are more often than not very expensive.

It used to be common for people to make their own stocks but these days people think it is difficult and time-consuming. But it doesn't have to be. In principle, making your own stock is not more difficult than bringing a pan of water to the boil and letting it simmer and not more time-consuming than cooking your average meal. The benefit of making a big pan of stock is that you can freeze it. It does lose some of its taste but not massively so and if you reduce the stock to concentrate the flavour it is actually a very handy thing to have in the freezer. Besides, stock will last three to four days in the fridge, after which time you can bring it back to the boil and keep it for another 3-4 days, practically indefinitely.

There are various options for stock but the two main categories are: Fond Blanc (white stock) and Fond Brun (brown stock). For white stock you use raw bones and for brown stock you use... You guessed it, roasted bones.  Chicken bones are mainly used for white stock and veal or beef bones are mainly used for brown stock but Fish and Vegetable stock are also white stocks. (Bones,) vegetables and water in a pan + simmering = stock. The vegetables you use for making stock is called mirepoix and consists (usually) of onion, leeks, carrot and celery but for a white stock you would mainly use the white parts of vegetables.

The most time consuming of all the various options for stock is brown stock as the bones need roasting and are then simmered for several hours to get the deep brown colour. The quickest to make are fish and vegetable stock as they only need about 20-25 minutes. 

Brown Stock

Ingredients:

• 500 gram beef of veal bones
• Mirepoix
• 2 chopped carrots
• 2 diced onions
• 2 chopped celery sticks
• 1 tablespoons tomato paste
• Enough water to cover the bones
• Bouquet Garni (herbs and spices tied in a cloth for ease of use)
• Dried thyme
• Parsley stems
• Bayleaf
• Peppercorns
• Cloves

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200°C
2. Place the bones in a heavy bottomed roasting pan. Drizzle them with a bit of vegetable oil if you like
3. Roast the bones for about half an hour
4. Add the mirepoix to the roasting pan and continue roasting for another half an hour
• Toward the end of the roasting, add 1 tablespoon of tomato paste or dilute the paste with a little water and brush the bones thinly with this before you start roasting them
5. When the bones are thoroughly browned, remove the roasting pan from the oven and transfer the bones to a heavy-bottomed stockpot
6. Add enough cold water to the pot to completely cover the bones, about 1 litre per 500 gram bones
7. Bring the pot to a boil, then immediately lower the heat to a simmer
8. Skim off the scum that rises to the surface with a slotted spoon
9. Add the roasted mirepoix to the pot along with the Bouquet Garni; tie the sachet string to the stockpot handle for easy retrieval later
10. Continue to simmer the stock and skim the impurities that rise to the surface
• Liquid will evaporate, so make sure there's always enough water to cover the bones
11. After anywhere from 4 to 6 hours, once the stock has developed a rich brown colour, remove the pot from the heat
12. Strain the stock through a sieve lined with a few layers of cheesecloth. Cool the stock quickly, using an ice bath if necessary

Some hints and tips when making brown stock:

• The best bones to use for making stock are ones with a lot of cartilage, such as the so-called "knuckle" bones in the various leg joints. The bones of younger animals also have more cartilage, which is why veal bones are so desirable
• Always start with cold water when making stock. It will help extract more collagen from the bones, which will produce a stock with more body
• Don't let the stock boil, but rather keep it at a gentle simmer with bubbles just breaking the surface. Also, don't stir the stock while it simmers. Just let it do its thing. All you need to worry about is skimming the scum off the top, and possibly adding more water if the liquid level drops too low

Glace de Viande

Glace de Viande is the fancy name for brown stock that has been reduced to an almost syrupy consistency and is used to fortify sauces. A spoonful of glace de viande is a great way to add flavour to other dishes. It stores well in the freezer, so in a pinch you can add water and turn the glace back into stock again.

Here's how to make it:

1. In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring the stock (see above) to a boil and then lower the heat to medium
• As the stock simmers, you may see scum or other impurities rise to the surface. Skim these impurities off with a ladle
2. Once the stock has reduced by a little over half, pour it through a mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth into a smaller pot
3. Lower the heat a bit and continue reducing, skimming as needed
4. The glace is finished when the liquid has reduced by about three fourths and the glace is thick and syrupy
• When you stir it, the glaze should coat the back of your spoon
5. Let the glace cool, transfer it to a container with a lid and refrigerate or freeze

It might seem all a bit daunting, but I promise it is well worth having stock to hand like this. Whether it is to make a soup or light broth, a sauce or as a base for a stew, stock is versatile. Whatever you use your stock for:

Enjoy!

The base is blond.

Yesterday I wrote about one of the five mother sauces, Sauce Béchamel or white sauce. Today is all about Sauce Velouté. This sauce is also made with roux but stock is used as the liquid: chicken, veal or fish stock to be precise. Velouté is the head of this family of sauces and there are three 'daughter' sauces or secondary mother sauces: Chicken Velouté with cream (Sauce Suprême), Veal Velouté with egg yolks and cream (Sauce Allemande) and Fish Velouté with white wine and double cream (White Wine Sauce). I see a theme emerging here... All other sauces that are derived from one of these four main sauces is called a 'small' sauce.

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).

A lot of chefs prefer to use clarified butter to make a roux as this has a higher burning point than butter. 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 stated earlier on, Velouté is made with stock, which makes it an incredibly versatile sauce. The base is a blond roux so you need to make the roux and let is cook slightly longer than you would for a béchamel, about one to two minutes, until a light yellow (blond) colour before you add the stock of choice.
Velouté, unlike Béchamel, is not a finished sauce. In other words, a Velouté is not typically served as is but flavourings are added to create the finished product.

Sauce Velouté

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons clarified butter
• 2 tablespoons plain flour
• 1440 millilitre chicken, veal or fish stock

Method:

1. Heat the stock to a simmer in a medium saucepan, then lower the heat so that the stock just stays hot
2. In a separate heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the clarified butter over a medium heat until it becomes frothy but take care not to let the butter turn brown as this will affect the flavour
3. With a wooden spoon, stir the flour into the melted butter a little bit at a time, until it is fully incorporated into the butter, giving you a pale-yellow-colored paste, the roux
4. Heat the roux for another few minutes or so, until it has turned a light blond colour
5. Slowly add the hot stock to the roux, whisking vigorously to make sure it's free of lumps
6. Simmer the sauce for about 30 minutes or until the total volume has reduced by about one-third, stirring frequently to make sure the sauce doesn't scorch at the bottom of the pan
• Some impurities (from the stock) might come to the top of the sauce but these can easily be removed with a spoon or ladle
7. The resulting sauce should be smooth and velvety. If it's too thick, whisk in a bit more hot stock until it's just thick enough to coat the back of a spoon
8. Remove the sauce from the heat (for an extra smooth consistency, carefully pour the sauce through a wire mesh strainer lined with a piece of cheesecloth) and keep the Velouté covered until you're ready to use it.

From here on in, all the recipes are based on this full recipe unless stated otherwise. 

'Daughter' or secondary mother sauces

Sauce Suprême (perfect with pan fried chicken)
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, gently heat 240 millilitre double cream to just below a simmer, making sure the cream does not boil. Cover and keep warm. Heat Chicken Velouté in a separate saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to a simmer and reduce for about 5 minutes or until the total volume has reduced by about a third. Stir the warm cream into the Velouté and bring it back to a simmer for just a moment. Stir in 1 tablespoon of butter, season to taste with salt and white pepper (and a dash of lemon juice). Strain through cheesecloth and serve right away.

Sauce Allemande (ideal with veal, poached chicken, vegetables and eggs)
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat Veal Velouté over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer and reduce for about 5 minutes or until the total volume has reduced by about a third. In a stainless steel or glass bowl, beat together 120 millilitre double cream and 2 egg yolks until smooth (this is called a liaison). Slowly add about 240 millilitre of the hot Velouté into the liaison, whisking constantly so that the egg yolks don't scramble from the heat. Now gradually whisk the warm liaison back into the Velouté. Bring the sauce back to a gentle simmer for just a moment, but don't let it boil. Season to taste with salt, white pepper and lemon juice. Strain and serve right away.

White Wine Sauce (for fish and seafood)

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, gently heat 120 millilitre double cream to just below a simmer, but don't let it boil. Cover and keep warm. In a separate saucepan, simmer 120 millilitre white wine until it has reduced by half. Add Fish Velouté to the wine, bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and reduce for about 5 minutes or until the total volume has reduced by about a third. Stir the warm cream into the Velouté and bring it back to a simmer for just a moment. Stir in 1 tablespoon butter, season to taste with salt and white pepper and a dash of lemon juice. Strain through cheesecloth and serve right away.
The following recipes are all based on the six sauces above and the recipes will all state which one of them can (or needs to) be used.

Sauce Normande (for fish and seafood dishes)
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon butter and fry 240 gram mushrooms until soft, about 5 minutes. Add Fish Velouté and 120 millilitre fish stock to the mushrooms. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and reduce by about a third. In a stainless steel or glass bowl, beat together 240 millilitre cream and 4 egg yolks until smooth (liaison). Slowly add about a third of the hot Velouté into the liaison, whisking constantly so that the egg yolks don't scramble from the heat. Now gradually whisk the warm liaison back into the Velouté. Bring the sauce back to a gentle simmer for just a moment, but don't let it boil. Strain, swirl in two tablespoons butter and serve right away.

Sauce Bercy (for fish and seafood dishes)

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine 60 millilitre white wine and 2 tablespoons chopped shallots. Heat until the liquid boils, lower the heat a bit and continue simmering until the liquid has reduced by a little more than half. Add 475 millilitre Fish Velouté, then lower the heat to a simmer and reduce for about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon chopped parsley. Season to taste with lemon juice and serve right away.

Hungarian Sauce (perfect with pan fried chicken)
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat until it's frothy. Add 60 gram chopped onions and 1 tablespoon paprika and fry until soft, about 5 minutes. Add 120 millilitre white wine, bring to a boil and cook until the liquid has reduced by half. Add Chicken or Veal Velouté, return to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and reduce for about 10 additional minutes. Strain and serve right away.

Mushroom Sauce (with chicken, poultry and veal)
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat until it's frothy. Stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice, then add 240 gram mushrooms and fry until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in Allemande or Suprême Sauce. Bring to a simmer, cook for another 5 minutes and serve right away.

Aurora Sauce (for eggs, vegetables and pasta dishes)

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat Allemande or Suprême Sauce. Stir in 240 gram tomato purée, simmer for another minute and serve right away.

Sauce Poulette (chicken and poultry dishes)

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat until it's frothy. Add 500 gram mushrooms and fry until soft, about 5 minutes. Add Allemande Sauce to the mushrooms. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, season to taste with (about 2 tablespoons) lemon juice and serve right away.

Shrimp Sauce (fish and seafood, especially shellfish)

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring White Wine Sauce to a simmer. Stir in 120 gram shrimp butter and ¼ teaspoon cayenne and cook for another minute. Add 120 gram cooked shrimp and stir until it is just heated through. Serve right away.

Herb Seafood Sauce (fish and seafood)
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring White Wine Sauce to a simmer. Stir in 2 tablespoons each of fresh chopped parsley, chives and tarragon and serve right away.

Eleven more sauces to add to your repertoire. There are many more variations, for instance a Mexican Velouté based on Sauce Suprême with added chillies that is used for Chicken Chimichangas (an absolute must-try dish if you like spice), and you will be able to make more up as you go along.

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

Enjoy