Velouté sauce

Velouté de mousseron

Velouté sauce is one of the five mother sauces of French cuisine, as classified by chef Auguste Escoffier in the early 20th century. The name "velouté" is derived from the French word velour, meaning velvet, which aptly describes the sauce's smooth, velvety texture. A velouté sauce is a light stock-based sauce, thickened with a roux, a mixture of flour and fat. The stock is typically made from chicken, veal, or fish, and the roux is usually made with butter.

Ingredients and Preparation

The basic ingredients for a velouté sauce include:

• Light stock (chicken, veal, or fish)
• Butter
• Flour

To prepare a velouté sauce, one starts by making a roux with equal parts of flour and melted butter. The roux is cooked over low heat until it reaches a pale yellow color, ensuring that the flour is fully cooked without taking on any color. Warm stock is then gradually whisked into the roux, and the mixture is simmered until it thickens and the flour taste has cooked out, resulting in a smooth, velvety sauce. Seasoning is kept minimal, usually just salt, to allow the delicate flavor of the stock to shine through.

Variations

Several secondary sauces can be made from the basic velouté by adding additional ingredients:

• Sauce suprême: A chicken velouté enriched with cream and butter.
• Sauce allemande: A velouté thickened with egg yolks and cream, and often flavored with lemon juice.
• Sauce normande: A fish velouté with mushrooms, egg yolks, and cream.
• Sauce bercy: A fish velouté with white wine, shallots, and herbs.

Uses

Velouté sauce serves as a versatile base for many dishes in French cuisine. It can be used as is, or with added ingredients to create a variety of sauces suited to accompany poultry, fish, or vegetables. It's also a foundation for making more complex sauces and soups.

History

The concept of thickening sauces with a mixture of flour and fat dates back to medieval times, but the refinement of these techniques and the classification of sauces into a formal system is credited to French chefs in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Auguste Escoffier, in particular, played a key role in popularizing velouté and other mother sauces in his culinary guidebooks, which laid the groundwork for modern French cooking.

See Also

• Mother sauces
• Roux
• French cuisine
• Auguste Escoffier