Stocks And Sauces

Stocks And Sauce:

Stock is everything for a good cook for all the French Chefs. Stock is the liquid obtained from summering together of meat, fish or chicken, bones, vegetables and water.

This liquid extracted by prolonged and gentle simmering with the exception of fish stock which usually requires 25 to 30 minutes, such liquid is the foundation of soups, sauces gravies.

All stock should be strained through a fine strainer or cheese cloth (muslin cloth) and chilled so that the fat rises to the top can be lifted off as the stock as required.

Precautions During Preparing Stock:

1. Stock should always be removed otherwise it will boil into the stock and will spoil the color and flavor of the stock.

2. Stock should always simmer gently if it is allowed to boil for long period it will evaporate and go cloudy.

3. Salt should not be added to a stock.

4. If stock is to be kept strain it cool quickly and place in the refrigerator.

General Proportion Of Ingredients For All Stocks: (except fish stock).

1. Raw Bones - 2 kg
2. Water - 4 Liters
3. Vegetables - (onion, carrot, leek, celery) mirepoix
4. Thyme - (bay leaf, parsley, stalk, peppercorns) Boquet garni 500g

General Method For All White Stocks: (except fish stock).

1. Chop up the bones, remove all the extra fat.

2. Place them in a stock pot and add cold water and bring to boil.

3. If the scum is dirty then blanch and wash of the bones recover with cold water reboil it.

4. Skim, wipe round side of the pot and simmer gently.

5. Add the washed peeled and roughly cut vegetables, Boquet garni.

6. Simmer 4 to 6 hours, skimmed and strained.

During the cooking a certain amount of evaporation takes place. Therefore add half liter cold water just before boiling this will also help to throw the scum to the surface and makes it easier to skim.

General Methods For All Brown Stocks:

1. Chop the bones and brown them well on all sides either by:

(a) Placing in a roasting pan in the oven.
(b) Careful browning them in a little fat cooking pot.

2. Brown any, that may be in the bottom of the demi-glace them with a cup of boiling water, simmer for few minutes and add to the bones.

3. Add cold water bring to the boil and skimmed.

4. Wash peel and roughly cut the vegetables fry in a little fat till brown and add to the bones.

5. Skims wipe round side of the pot and simmer gently.

6. Simmer 6 to 8 hours skimmed and strained.


Sauces:

A sauce is a liquid which has been thickened by:

1. Roux
2. Corn Flour
3. Egg Yolk
4. Cream

A sauce should be smooth and glossy in appearance, definite in taste and light in texture. The thickness agent should used in moderation.


Roux:

A roux is a combination of fat and flour which are cooked together. There are three degrees to which a roux may be cooked namely:

1. White Roux
2. Blond Roux
3. Brown Roux

A boiling liquid should never be added to a hot roux as the result may be lumpy.


White Roux:

Equals quantity of margarine or butter and flour cooked together without coloring. Alternatively use poly unsaturated margarine or vegetable oil using equal quantity of oil and flour.

Uses: Bechamel, white sauce and soup.


Blond Roux:

Veloute and tomato sauce and soup. Equal quantity of margarine, butter or vegetable oil and flour cooked for little longer then a white roux, but with very light color till a sandy texture.


Brown Roux:

200g of margarine and 250g of flour cooked together. (200g = 8 ounces)

Slowly to a light brown color over cooking of brown roux causes the starch to charge chemically and loose same same of its thickening properly. This will cause the fat to separate from the roux and rise to the surface of the soup or sauce being made soups brown roux.


Sauces:

1. Bachamel Sauce
2. Veloute Sauce
3. Espagnole Sauce
4. Tomato Sauce
5. Hollandaise Sause

Bachamel Sauce

Ingredients:

60g butter, chopped

1/3 cup plain flour

4 1/2 cups milk

75g parmesan cheese, finely grated

1/4 teaspoon salt

good pinch ground nutmeg

Method:

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until foaming. Add flour. Cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes or until bubbling. Remove from heat. Slowly add milk, whisking constantly, until mixture is smooth. Return to heat. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, for 10 to 12 minutes or until sauce comes to the boil, thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from heat. Stir in parmesan, salt and nutmeg.

Veloute Sauce

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups white stock (veal, chicken, or fish) - white stock just means the bones were not roasted

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons flour

Salt & Pepper - to taste

Method:

In a separate saucepan, melt the butter over low heat (don't let it burn) and add the flour. Raise the heat to medium and stir the butter and flour together for about 2 minutes. You are making the roux. Take a good whiff and it should have a pleasant toasted smell.

Whisk the simmering stock into the roux and keep heating and whisking. When the stock begins to simmer again, turn down the heat to low and cook until the sauce thickens. A thin skin may form, just skim it away with your spoon. Depending on your stove top, the sauce may take 5 - 10 minutes to get to your desired consistency.

Season with salt and pepper.

Espagnole Sauce

Ingredients:

1 gallon brown stock, hot

1 1/2 cups brown roux

1/4 cup bacon fat

2 cups chopped onions

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped celery

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup tomato puree

1 bouquet garni

Method:

In a stock pot, whisk the hot stock into the roux. In a large saute pan, heat the bacon fat. Add the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper. Saute until wilted, about 5 minutes. Stir the tomato puree into the vegetables and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the tomato/vegetable mixture to the stock/roux mixture. Add the bouquet garni and continue to simmer, skimming as needed. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer the sauce for about 45 minutes. Strain the sauce through a China cap.

Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

1kg tomatoes, red and well ripened (ideally, San Marzano tomatoes)

1 and a half onion

3 garlic cloves

10 basil leaves

30g sugar

Extra Virgin olive oil

Salt


Pepper


Method:

1. Wash your tomatoes carefully and cut them in quarters.

2. Place the tomatoes in a big pot.

3. Peel the onions and cut them in quarters.

4. Peel the garlic cloves. No need to slice them.

5. Place the onion, the garlic and the tomatoes in a pot over medium-high heat. Add some water.

6. Season with salt and pepper as you stir carefully.

7. Add sugar and stir again. 

8. Cover the pot with the lid and bring the water to a boil. Then, get rid of the lid and let the ingredients cook over low heat for 30 min.

9. Time for the basil leaves.

10. When the sauce is almost done, add the basil - not before then or you'll lose its freshness. Final touch: extra virgin olive oil.

11. Pass the sauce through a fine colander or a vegetable mill. Add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil The tomato sauce it's now ready ! Buon appetito !

Hollandaise Sause

Ingredients:

3 egg yolks (see how to separate eggs)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon cayenne (optional)

10 tablespoons unsalted butter (if using salted butter, skip the added salt)

Method:

1. Melt the butter slowly in a small pot. Try not to let it boil – you want the moisture in the butter to remain there and not steam away.

2. Add the egg yolks, lemon juice, salt and cayenne (if using) into your blender. Blend the egg yolk mixture at a medium to medium high speed until it lightens in color, about 20-30 seconds. The friction generated by the blender blades will heat the yolks a bit. The blending action will also introduce a little air into them, making your hollandaise a bit lighter.

3. Once the yolks have lightened in color, turn the blender down to its lowest setting (if you only have one speed on your blender it will still work), and drizzle in the melted butter slowly, while the blender is going. Continue to buzz for another couple seconds after the butter is all incorporated.

4. Turn off the blender and taste the sauce. It should be buttery, lemony and just lightly salty. If it is not salty or lemony enough, you can add a little lemon juice or salt to taste. If you want a thinner consistency, add a little warm water. Pulse briefly to incorporate the ingredients one more time.

5. Store until needed in a warm spot, like on or next to the stove top. Use within an hour or so.