Sauce Basics

There are 5 "Leading" sauces - Bechamel (commonly known as white sauce), veloute, espagnole (known as brown sauce), tomato and hollandaise. All of these can be seasoned and garnished to create a wide varety of all other "small" or "compound" sauces.

The 5 Leading sauces are distinguished by the liquids and thickeners used to prepare them:

Milk + white Roux = bechamel (white sauce)

Chicken stock + blonde roux = veloute sauces

Beef stock + brown roux = espagnole (brown suce)

Tomato sauce

Butter + ehh yolk = hollandaise

A "Roux" is how you thicken your sauce. It is a combination of flour and fats (usually butter) to form a paste. There are 3 types of roux:

White Roux - cooked only briefly and removed from heat as soon as it starts to bubble. Used in white sauces or in dishes where little or no color is desired
Blonde Roux - cooked slightly longer than the white roux. It should start to take on a little color as the flour carmelizes. It is used in ivory colored sauces such as veloute, or whe a richer flavor is desired.
Brown Roux - tis cooked until it is a darker color and has developed a nutty aroma and flavor. Brown roux is used in making brown sauces.

TIPS:
1.) Use a heavy saucepan when making a roux
2.) Cook over medium heat - do not BURN!! Burned roux will not thicken anything and just taste realy bad!
3.) Use cake or pastry flour instead of all purpose flour - cake and pastry flour has a higher percentage of starch.