Nothing too posh, please

As I wasn't born in the UK, I missed out on some wonderful foods growing up. For instance crumpets and potato cakes but also spam fritters, treacle tart and 'fly pie'. And I have had to do without toad-in-the-hole, Yorkshire puddings and the illustrious dish called wigwams (a pile of cheese-y mash with three sausages (placed upright around the mash to form a teepee) with a 'moat' of baked beans in tomato sauce). Life just isn't fair sometimes...

What I did grow up with though are frikandellen, kroketten and stamppot. The Dutch (and Belgians) have a love for the deep-fat fryer, although I had never even heard of a deep fried mars bar and have yet to taste this concoction... We do, however, deep fry cheese souffles (although they are not the kind that you would normally bake in the oven) and egg fried rice. When people ask me if I miss anything from back there, frikandel and kaassoufflé are my first answers. But that is only because I still haven't been able to find a good recipe to make them at home.

Stamppot (which is basically a type of bubble and squeak) is something that I make quite regularly and my husband loves it, especially when made with Brussels sprouts or curly kale. But it's kroketten that I got him hooked on. The French call them croquettes, very posh for something very simple. Meat, poultry, vegetables, cheese or even fish in a very thick white or brown sauce (Béchamel, Velouté or Espagnole) encased in breadcrumbs, fried until golden and crispy.

There are some conflicting stories going round as to where the kroket originates but clear is that it was used as a way of getting rid of leftovers and were often served as a starter to a meal. Later they also became popular at parties in the form of golf ball sized bites, called bitterbal. The base for the kroket is always the same; a very thick 'ragout' made of either Béchamel, Velouté or Espagnole and a filling. The filling itself, as you can imagine, can be as diverse as you want it to be. This is perfect as you can adjust the filling to likes and dislikes but also in regards of cultural, religious or self-imposed dietary restrictions.

Beef Kroketten

Ingredients:

• 600 gram cooked beef (either from making stock or use the beef from your favourite beef stew)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons flour
• ½ liter stock or milk
• pepper,salt, mace, nutmeg to taste
• flour
• eggs or egg whites
• (toasted) breadcrumbs
• Oil (or fat such as lard) for frying

Method:

Chop the meat very finely or pull apart with two forks

• I prefer to use homemade beef stew that I cook for so long (3-4 hours) that the beef falls apart when pressed with a fork or spoon
1. Melt the butter on medium heat and add the flour as soon as the butter stops foaming
2. Stir the flour and butter on medium heat until it turns a golden colour (3-4 minutes) (this makes a roux) and add the stock or milk
• I prefer to use the liquid that is left over from the beef stew, with some water or stock added to make up the volume
3. Whisk the sauce for about 2-3 minutes to cook out the flour and add the spices and the beef (this makes a ragout)
4. Leave the ragout to cool completely
• To make the kroketten it is easiest to do so when the ragout is very cold so I tend to make the ragout at least a day in advance
• You can keep the ragout in the fridge until needed but can also be frozen for a later date
5. Once you are ready to make the kroketten, prepare three bowls (or soup plates):
1. (seasoned) flour
2. lightly beaten eggs or egg whites
3. breadcrumbs
6. Lightly flour your hands and form the ragout into sticks of about 10 by 3 cm
• If necessary, return the formed kroketten to the fridge as it is easier to bread them when they are cold
7. Cover each kroket in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs making sure to cover the kroketten completely otherwise the ragout could leak out during the deep fat frying
• Try using one hand for the flour and breadcrumb and the other hand for the egg
• You can repeat this step for a thicker, crispier crust and to ensure that the kroketten won't leak during frying
8. Place the breaded kroketten in the fridge for about 30 minutes to firm up
9. Heat the fat to about 180^oC
10. Fry the kroketten, in batches, for about 4 minutes until golden brown
11. Remove the kroketten from the pan onto some paper towels to drain any excess fat

The list of fillings you can use is only limited to your own preferences and imagination but here are some ideas:

Meat kroketten: You can use any soup meat (beef, chicken) but also veal or lamb, and lovely kroketten are made with sweetbreads.
Cheese kroketten: use milk in making the roux, replace the meat with cheese and season to taste with white pepper, nutmeg and parsley. I like to grate about 400 gram of the cheese into the sauce before cooling and add the leftover cheese once cold. You can use almost any cheese you like (Gouda, Stilton, Roquefort, Cheddar), but I find that very old or dry cheeses like Parmigiana Reggiano or old Pecorino are better when you combine them with other cheeses.
Fish kroketten: Use fish stock, and herbs like dill or chives.
Game kroketten: For these you use a brown roux: Let the butter colour slightly more before adding flour, keep the fire higher than when making a blond roux, cook the butter/flour paste a little longer. Use more butter/flour than for a blond roux, 70 gram each for a half litre of liquid. Use good (game) stock for the sauce.
Vegetable kroketten: Make a blond roux with milk or vegetable stock, add blanched vegetables like asparagus, broccoli, peas). You can add some cheese and herbs to taste. Mushroom kroketten are better with a ragout made with meat stock (or the liquid that dried mushrooms have been steeped in).

Have fun making your own variations and enjoy with your choice of condiment; mine is very traditional: mustard.

As they say in The Netherlands

Eet smakelijk

Or, in just plain old English

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

The base is white.

Some meals just wouldn't be the same without a bit of sauce. Just think of Lasagna, Fish Pie or Eggs Benedict; you just wouldn't eat it without a sauce. The Romans used sauce to mask the flavour and smell of ingredients that were... let's say... less than fresh.

Did you know that there are five sauces, called mother sauces, that are the basis for most other sauces? The mother sauces are: Sauce Béchamel, Sauce Espagnole, Sauce Velouté, Sauce Hollandaise and Sauce Tomate. The reason that they are called Mother Sauce (Sauce Mere) is because each of them is the 'head of a unique family' of sauces. The sauces based on the mother sauce is called 'small sauce'. Velouté is the exception as this has three 'daughter sauces'.

1. Sauce Béchamel: milk-based sauce, thickened with a white roux
2. Sauce Espagnole: a fortified brown stock sauce, thickened with a brown roux
3. Sauce Velouté: light stock-based sauce, thickened with a roux or a liaison, a mixture of egg yolks and cream
4. Sauce Hollandaise: an emulsion of egg yolk, butter and lemon or vinegar
5. Sauce Tomate: tomato-based

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

Sauce Béchamel, or white sauce, is one of the easiest to make and seems 'boring' to a lot of people but, made well, can be very tasty and is a must if you want to make Lasagna or Fish Pie.

Sauce Béchamel

Ingredients:

• Butter
• Flour
• Milk
• Salt and white pepper
• Flavourings such as onion (studded with cloves), bay leaf and nutmeg are all optional

Method:

1. Add milk to a pan with a whole onion (studded with a few cloves) and a bay leaf and bring to a simmer
2. Remove the flavourings (if used)
3. Make a roux as above
4. Add the warm milk as soon as the roux starts smelling biscuit-y but is still white or pale-yellow
5. Whisk the milk into the roux and leave for a couple of minutes to thicken
6. Season the sauce with salt and white pepper and a pinch of nutmeg (optional)

Sauce Mornay

Make a medium sauce béchamel and add 60 gram grated gruyere. Mix the cheese well with the sauce and leave to melt.

Sauce Moutarde (or Mustard Sauce)
Make a pouring sauce béchamel and add one tablespoon of whole grain mustard. Mix the mustard into the sauce and leave for a further minute to cook off the harsh flavour.

Sauce Soubise
Heat 30 gram butter in a frying pan and add two roughly chopped onions. Fry the onions until soft and translucent. Add the onions to a blender and puree until smooth Make a medium sauce béchamel and add the onion puree.

Sauce Nantua

This is by far the most complex sauce, not because it is difficult to make but because there are several more ingredients and steps necessary to make this sauce but the effort is well worth it.

Ingredients:

• 30 gram butter
• 1 carrot, finely chopped
• 1 onion, very finely sliced
• 250 gram raw shrimp or crawfish (with shells and heads on)
• 2 tablespoons cognac
• 125 millilitre white wine
• 375 millilitre fish stock
• 2 teaspoons tomato paste
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• pinch of ground paprika (mild)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 fresh sprig of thyme
• medium sauce béchamel

Method:

1. Heat the butter over low heat
2. Add the carrots and onions and fry for 2 minutes
3. Chop the shrimp/crawfish and add them to the pan
4. Turn up the heat and fry until the shrimp/crawfish turn bright red, about 3 minutes
5. Add the cognac and white wine and reduce the liquid by half
6. Add the stock, bring to a boil and reduce the liquid by half again
7. Add the tomato paste, cayenne, paprika, bay leaf and thyme and cook for 30 minutes
8. Stir in the medium sauce béchamel and let bubble a further 10 minutes
9. Remove the bay leaf and thyme and pour the contents of the pan into a blender and blend
10. Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing with a ladle to get as much of the 'juice'
11. Pour the sauce back into a pan and return to the boil
12. Reduce the sauce by a third and season to taste with salt and white pepper

So now you have the perfect sauces but what do you use them for? Here is a list of ideas:

1. Sauce Béchamel
• Cream of ... soup - thin out the sauce with a little more milk or good stock and add fried mushrooms, asparagus, chicken, or anything else you fancy
• Lasagna
• Souflé (use the thick sauce for the best result)
• Gratins
• Meat croquettes (use the thick sauce for the best result)
2. Sauce Mornay
• Gratins
• Cheese souflé (use the thick sauce for the best result)
• Eggs
• Vegetables
• Chicken
• Seafood
• Veal Prince Orloff
3. Mustard Sauce
• Cold cooked meats
• Vegetables
• Fish
• Steak
• Pork
4. Sauce Soubise
• Vegetables
• Chicken
• Fish
• Cold roasts
5. Sauce Nantua
• Fish
• Shellfish

Four different sauces for any occasion and all based on that simple, classic, white sauce. But there are many more varieties: Parsley sauce, Crème sauce, Cheddar sauce, Mushroom sauce to name but a few.

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

Enjoy