Professional Chef Study Guide: Chapter 17C - Sauces

Comprehensive practice flashcards covering culinary sauces, Mother Sauces, roux preparations, derivatives, quality standards, safety temperatures, and equipment from Worksheet 017C.

What is the Spanish word for sauce, and from what Latin root does the word "sauce" derive?

The Spanish word for sauce is "salsa." The word "sauce" derives from the Latin word meaning "to salt" (to make food more appetizing).

What is the culinary definition and purpose of a sauce?

In essence, a sauce is a liquid or semi-liquid seasoning devised to make other foods look, smell, and taste better.

What are the four primary functions of sauces in a dish?

1. Introducing complementary, contrasting or enhancing flavours
2. Adding moisture, succulence or richness
3. Adjusting texture or smoothness
4. Adding visual interest, colour and shine

Which kitchen brigade position is typically the most senior line cook and often doubles as sous chef?

The saucier.

What became the main criticism of classical sauces in the latter part of the twentieth century?

Bad execution—particularly over-thickening with flour—along with the richness and overpowering nature of the sauces, causing the main ingredient to serve merely as a backdrop for an overpowering sauce.

How did Nouvelle Cuisine react to the heavy sauces of classical cuisine?

Nouvelle Cuisine introduced lighter jus—ostensibly simple pan juices designed to make duck taste like duck, and beef taste like beef.

Which four grandes sauces of French cuisine did Marie-Antoine Carême standardise in the early 19th century?

1. Béchamel (white)
2. Velouté (blond)
3. Allemande (cream)
4. Espagnole (brown)

Which five Mother Sauces of French cuisine did Auguste Escoffier standardise in the early 20th century?

1. Béchamel Sauce
2. Velouté Sauce
3. Espagnole
4. Tomato Sauce
5. Hollandaise Sauce

What are the three main structural elements of all classical sauces?

1. Thickener
2. Liquid/Body
3. Flavouring

What thickener, liquid/body, and classical flavourings compose a Béchamel sauce?

Thickener: White Roux Liquid/Body: Milk Flavouring: Onion Clouté with cloves and Bayleaf, Nutmeg and White Pepper.

What thickener, liquid/body, and classical flavourings compose an Espagnole sauce?

Thickener: Brown Roux Liquid/Body: Brown Stock Flavouring: Mirepoix, Bouquet Garni, Tomato Paste.

What thickener, liquid/body, and classical flavourings compose a classical Hollandaise sauce?

Thickener: Egg Yolks (Emulsion) Liquid/Body: Clarified Butter Flavouring: White Wine Vinegar, Lemon Juice, Cayenne pepper.

What thickener, liquid/body, and classical flavourings compose a classical Sauce Tomate?

Thickener: Blonde Roux Liquid/Body: White Veal Stock and Tomato Concassé Flavouring: Mirepoix, Salted Pork.

What are Fonds de Cuisine?

Brown and White stocks that form the backbone of many classical sauces.

Why do commercial stocks not require reduction?

Commercial stocks contain no gelatine and usually contain added thickeners to mimic the presence of gelatine.

What is clarified butter, and what is its Indian culinary name?

Clarified butter is butterfat rendered from butter when separated from milk solids and water. In Indian cuisine, it is known as Ghee.

What culinary advantage does clarified butter have over whole butter?

It is clear and can be heated to a higher temperature without the milk solids burning, because they were removed during clarification.

What is a roux, and what four fats can be used to make it?

A roux is a cooked mixture of equal parts by mass in grams of fat and flour. The fats can be butter, oil, lard, or margarine.

How does the cooking degree of flour differ between white, blond, and brown roux?

White roux is not browned and has a light chalky colour. Blond roux is cooked slightly further to a fawn golden caramel colour. Brown roux is cooked to a dark brown colour with a toasty, nutty flavour.

How does browning flour impact the thickening power of a roux?

The more flour is browned, the less thickening power it possesses; therefore, more brown roux is required to thicken a sauce than blond or white roux.

How many grams of flour and butter per $1\,\text{litre}$ of liquid are needed for a very concentrated thick sauce?

$120\,\text{g}$ flour and $120\,\text{g}$ butter.

How many grams of flour and butter per $1\,\text{litre}$ of liquid are needed for a medium consistency sauce (such as a pie filling)?

$100\,\text{g}$ flour and $100\,\text{g}$ butter.

How many grams of flour and butter per $1\,\text{litre}$ of liquid are needed for a coating consistency sauce (saucing)?

$80\,\text{g}$ flour and $80\,\text{g}$ butter.

How many grams of flour and butter per $1\,\text{litre}$ of liquid are needed for a thin sauce?

$30-50\,\text{g}$ flour and $30-50\,\text{g}$ butter.

What is a Beurre Manié and when is it used?

An uncooked combination of equal parts by mass of flour and fat kneaded into a smooth paste. It is used for quick thickening just before service ("à la minute").

What is a fécule, and what are four examples?

Fécule is the French term for any starch used to thicken a liquid. Examples include wheat flour, corn flour, arrowroot, rice flour, gram (chickpea) flour, and potato flour.

What does the technique "Monter au Beurre" involve, and what is its Italian risotto equivalent?

Whisking cold cubes of butter one at a time into a sauce at the very end until melted, providing a velvety texture and rich flavour. The Italian term used when finishing risotto is Mantecare.

What is a slurry (also known as 'whitewash')?

A runny mixture of fécule and cold water.

What is arrowroot and at what temperature range does it gelatinise?

Arrowroot is an extract of a starchy root vegetable that gelatinises between $65^\circ\text{C}-71^\circ\text{C}$, which is lower than cornflour and plain wheat flour.

What is a culinary liaison and which three ingredients are most commonly used?

A liaison (meaning "bound together") is an ingredient or combination of ingredients used to bind a sauce together, most commonly cream, eggs, and butter.

What is a culinary emulsion and what two common emulsifiers are used to stabilise it?

A mixture where two liquid ingredients that do not normally mix are beaten until totally blended. Common emulsifiers used to bind them are egg yolk and soya lecithin.

Why is the reduction process frequently used to thicken modern sauces?

Because no starches are needed to achieve thickening.

What constitutes a derivative or small sauce?

A sauce created by adding additional ingredients to a leading/mother sauce, rather than simply preparing a sauce using the same technique.

Why is Sauce Béarnaise considered a relative rather than a derivative of Sauce Hollandaise?

It is made in the same style using the same egg and butter emulsion technique, but it does not simply add tarragon to Hollandaise; its base begins separately with shallots and white wine.

Which stocks are paired with Velouté de Poisson, Velouté de Volaille, and Velouté de Veau?

Velouté de Poisson: Fish stock Velouté de Volaille: Chicken stock Velouté de Veau: Veal stock

What added ingredients produce the Béchamel derivatives Mornay, Soubise, Crème, and Moutarde?

Sauce Mornay: Gruyere and Parmesan cheese Sauce Soubise: Onion puree Sauce Crème: Cream Sauce Moutarde: Mustard

What added ingredients produce the Espagnole derivatives Demi-Glace, Robert, Chasseur, Poivrade, Diane, and Bordelaise?

Sauce Demi-Glace: Reduced with an equal quantity of brown stock down by half Sauce Robert: White wine, sweated onions, mustard, butter Sauce Chasseur: White wine, shallots, mushrooms, tomato, chopped parsley Sauce Poivrade: White wine, vinegar, peppercorns Sauce Diane: Sauce Poivrade with cream Sauce Bordelaise: Bone marrow, red wine, thyme, bay leaves

What ingredients are added to Sauce Hollandaise to produce Sauce Maltaise, Sauce Mousseline, and Sauce Grimrod?

Sauce Maltaise: Zest and juice of a blood orange Sauce Mousseline: Whipped cream Sauce Grimrod: Saffron

What is a conical strainer and how does its straining function compare to a chinois?

A large tapering metal strainer with small holes punched into the sides and an attached handle. Used to strain large pieces of meat, bones, vegetables, and pasta; it produces a coarser-textured product than the fine mesh of a chinois.

What is a tamis (drum sieve) and how is it operated?

A round flat strainer through which food is pressed with a plastic dough scraper to create a purée, or sifted through like flour.

What is an Onion Clouté and how is it used in Béchamel preparation?

An onion cut in half and studded with cloves and bay leaf, which is infused into scalded milk.

Which three seasonings are used to finish a classical Béchamel sauce?

Salt, White Pepper, and Nutmeg.

Which primary derivatives are made from veal velouté, chicken velouté, and fish velouté?

Veal velouté: Sauce Allemande Chicken velouté: Sauce Suprême Fish velouté: Sauce Vin Blanc

What are the step-by-step instructions for preparing Sauce Espagnole?

1. Sauté the mirepoix in butter.
2. Add the flour and cook to a brown roux ($10-15\,\text{minutes}$).
3. Add brown stock, bouquet garni, and tomato paste.
4. Stir continuously and cook the flour out until thickened and coats (naps) the back of a spoon.
5. Strain and season.

How is a Demi-Glace sauce prepared from Sauce Espagnole and Brown Stock?

Combine equal parts ($250\,\text{ml}$ Sauce Espagnole and $250\,\text{ml}$ Brown Stock) and reduce down by half to $250\,\text{ml}$.

How is Glace de Viande prepared?

Reduce $2500\,\text{ml}$ of brown beef stock down to $250\,\text{ml}$ (a $10:1$ reduction ratio), producing an intense meat jelly when chilled.

What are the ingredients and method for preparing Sauce Vin Blanc?

Melt butter and sauté chopped shallots; add white wine and cook out the alcohol; add cream and fish velouté, then reduce by half; season with salt and white pepper; pass through a sieve or chinois.

How is Sauce Marchand de Vin prepared?

Simmer chopped shallots in red wine, add Demi-Glace, season to taste, and pass through a sieve or chinois.

What is Sauce Beurre Blanc?

An emulsion sauce made by reducing white wine and chopped shallots, then whisking in cold cubes of butter.

What is the procedure for preparing a classical Hollandaise sauce?

1. Clarify butter and reserve.
2. Reduce water, white wine or white wine vinegar, and peppercorns to $\frac{1}{4}$ of their initial volume; strain.
3. Add egg yolks to the strained reduction.
4. Over a double boiler, slowly drizzle in clarified butter whilst whisking.
5. Season with salt, cayenne pepper, and lemon juice.

What are the exact ingredients for the classical Vinaigrette in Worksheet 017C?

• Sunflower or Olive Oil: $300\,\text{ml}$
• White Wine Vinegar or Lemon Juice: $100\,\text{ml}$
• Dried Herbs: $15\,\text{ml}$ (thyme, parsley, basil, marjoram/oregano, tarragon, chervil, rosemary)
• Minced Onion or Shallot: $15\,\text{ml}$
• Minced Garlic: $5\,\text{ml}$
• Mustard: $5\,\text{ml}$
• Sugar: $5\,\text{ml}$
• Salt: $5\,\text{ml}$
• White Pepper: $5\,\text{ml}$

How is a split mayonnaise sauce rescued?

Take a second egg yolk and slowly drizzle in the curdled mixture spoonful by spoonful whilst whisking until the emulsion is re-formed.

What are the three categories of reduction sauces?

1. Stock Reductions
2. Vegetable Reductions
3. Fruit Reductions & Gastriques

What are examples of gum-thickened and protein-gel-thickened sauces?

Gum-thickened: Xanthan gum, guar gum, cassia gum, locust bean gum (carob), konjac, gellan, commercial sweet-chilli sauce, sweet and sour sauce. Protein-gel-thickened: Gelatine/aspic, collagen, jellies.

What are examples of nut-thickened and pectin-thickened fruit sauces?

Nut-thickened: Pestos, peanut satay sauce, panaeng, almond milk/cream, coconut milk/cream. Pectin-thickened fruit sauces: Chutneys, jams, preserves, mint jelly, cumberland, onion marmalade.

What are the three main types of culinary emulsions?

1. Butter-based emulsions
2. Egg-based emulsions
3. Oil-based emulsions

What purpose do culinary foams serve, and why are they used over traditional sauces?

Foams serve as an attractive alternative to dress dishes and add layers of flavour; they are much lighter and avoid lengthy reduction or significant quantities of butter.

What is the minimum holding temperature for serving sauces?

A minimum of $60^\circ\text{C}$.

What are the cooling and deep-freezing parameters for storing sauces?

Cooling: Cool quickly to below $5^\circ\text{C}$ within $4-6\,\text{hours}$. Deep-freezer: Store at $-18^\circ\text{C}$ for $2-3\,\text{months}$.

What does the stock rotation principle FIFO stand for and require?

First In First Out; sauces must be kept rotated and oldest stocks must be used first.

What are the five quality points for Sauce Béchamel?

1. Whitish in colour
2. Smooth in texture, not lumpy
3. Thickened, not runny
4. Thickener (flour/corn flour) thoroughly cooked out with no starchy taste
5. Seasoned

What are the quality points for Sauce Espagnole?

1. Rich brown in colour
2. Smooth in texture, not lumpy
3. Thickened, not watery
4. Thickener thoroughly cooked out (no starchy taste)
5. Have a glossy appearance or sheen
6. Seasoned

What are the quality points for Sauce Hollandaise?

1. Yellowish in colour
2. Smooth in texture, not curdled or split
3. Emulsified, not runny
4. Have a glossy appearance or sheen
5. Seasoned with a hint of cayenne pepper and lemon juice

What added ingredients create the Béchamel derivatives Cardinal and Nantua?

Sauce Cardinal: Lobster, butter, cayenne, cream. Sauce Nantua: Diced shellfish, paprika, butter.

What are the primary derivatives of Sauce Vin Blanc?

• Dugléré: Vin Blanc + parsley, lemon, onion, diced tomatoes
• Bercy: Vin Blanc + parsley, lemon
• Bonne Femme: Vin Blanc + parsley, lemon, mushrooms

What derivatives are created from Sauce Allemande and Sauce Suprême?

From Allemande: Poulette (+ mushrooms, parsley, lemon) and Hongroise (+ onion, paprika, white wine). From Suprême: Aurora (+ tomato puree).

What derivatives stem from the traditional French tomato sauce?

• Creole: onion, celery, garlic, green pepper, thyme, bay leaf, cayenne
• Spanish: onion, celery, garlic, green pepper, mushroom, Tabasco
• Portugaise: onion, celery, garlic, parsley
• Provençal: onion, celery, garlic, capers, olives, herbs de Provence (thyme, rosemary, savory, fennel)

What derivatives stem from Italian tomato sauce (Napolitana)?

• Arrabiata: Napolitana + chilli
• Amatriciana: Arrabiata + bacon/pancetta
• Puttanesca: Arrabiata + anchovies, olives, capers

What is Jus de Veau Lié?

A thickened brown veal stock (jus/gravy) thickened with brown roux or arrowroot.

Which ingredients are added to Sauce Poivrade to create Sauce Diane, Sauce Moscovite, and Sauce Chevreuil?

Sauce Diane: Poivrade + cream Sauce Moscovite: Poivrade + juniper berries, sliced almonds, currants, Marsala Sauce Chevreuil: Poivrade + bacon, sugar, cayenne pepper

What derivatives are created from Sauce Béarnaise?

• Sauce Paloise: Mint substituted in place of tarragon
• Sauce Foyot / Valois / Colbert: Béarnaise + meat glaze (Glace de Viande)
• Sauce Choron: Béarnaise + tomato purée

What added ingredients produce the cold mayonnaise derivatives Aioli, Rémoulade, and Tartar?

• Aioli: Garlic
• Rémoulade: Gherkins, capers, herbs, anchovy
• Tartar (Modern): Gherkins/pickled onions, capers, herbs
• Tartar (Traditional): Hard-boiled egg yolks, chives/spring onions