I started on the sauces station today. While stocks and soups were interesting, sauces are a whole other thing. A stock is forgiving, a soup is pretty straight forward as long as you follow the recipe, but a sauce demands proper technique and attention.
We start all of our sauces with one of the mother sauces (or leading sauces) and then make derivative sauces from the leading sauces.
Sauces start out with a roux, an equal mixture of fat (typically clarified butter) and flour. As the flour cooks, the roux goes from a white roux, to a blond roux, to a brown roux. When the roux reaches the stage you want, you add the appropriate liquid. A liquid + a fat/flour mixture = a thickened sauce. The sauce is then simmered to reduce to the appropriate consistency.
Today my group made: Roasted Garlic Tomato Sauce, a Veloute (to eventually make a Vin Blanc Sauce), a Chicken Gravy, and we finished a demi-glace (to make a Marchand de Vin Sauce tomorrow).
Terminology test went well.
Today for lunch....hmmm....I'm usually not picky, but I found it to be not great. Then again, I usually find lunch to be excellent, so my "not great" might be someone else's "ok".
Here is what I had:
Lemon Okra Tomato Soup (should have had the artery-blocking Zucchini Bisque)
Pan Fried Salmon with Roasted Red Pepper Coulis
Starch: Kasha Pilaf (not a fan)
Veggies: Honey Glazed Parsnips, Bok Choy
Bread: Baguette
Coffee
Tomorrow: more sauciness
Wow! It will be difficult to have you over here for a meal, you know, I am from the old school, meat and potatoes. I do admire that you will be learning what to really do with food!!
ReplyDeleteNo matter how much I learn in the next two years, that is not going to alter how I enjoy the food that others prepare. Just because I know how to make a "classical" tomato sauce, it doesn't mean that I going to stop buying Classico brand pasta sauce at Super Store. If someone wants to make me a meal....I'm not complaining!
ReplyDeleteWanna come over to my place for some Sausage Surprise?
ReplyDeletePass.
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