Roux and the Mother Sauces

This week, we're covering roux and some of the mother sauces. Here's a quick explanation.

So, a roux is a mix of melted fat (usually butter) and flour. If you've ever made a pan gravy, you've used a roux. And what we (along with professional chefs everywhere) will be doing with roux this week isn't too far off from that.

Roux works to bind and thicken a sauce--how much, of course, depends on the ratio. We're making roux in the same pan we'll be making our sauce in. Call it the 'gravy method.' Some kitchens make a large batch of roux ahead of time, and add as they go. That's a great method as far as I know, but I've never done it, so we won't (hope you don't mind!)

How dark you make the roux affects how it binds and tastes. The darker the roux, the more flavor it has (think raw four compared to bread), but the less it thickens. The color of the roux, obviously, also affects the color of your finished sauce. A dark roux mixed with milk turns an off-white color that's a bit unappealing.

The roux bound 'mother' sauces we'll be making (they're called mother sauces because many other sauces spring from them) are:

• Bechamel--Milk thickened with roux

• Veloute--Chicken or fish stock thickened with roux

• Mornay--A bechamel (though a veloute would work, too) with Cheese added to it.

And--once again, writing this has made me hungry. I'm off for some pasta and mornay (or as we grew up calling it--Mac-n-Cheese)

Pan Sauces and Searing

Here are some articles about searing meats:
Tips and Tricks: Searing Meats
The Quick Sear

The great part about this technique is that it applies to nearly any cut of meat, and even vegetables. If you use it with, say, a chicken breast or pork chops (anything that cooks quickly), you can make a delicious sauce out of the same pan.

So, once you know the technique, you can pretty much sear anything, then make a nearly limitless number of sauces.

We’ll be using pork tenderloin, and making a cranberry-port sauce. Just mentioning that makes me hungry, so I’m going to end this now and make some dinner!

Eat well!

Food and Drink? Sign Me Up!

As we all noticed last week, if we rely on what we make in our group as our main form of sustenance, it's going to be a pretty hungry Monday all around.

So--we need to sign up for:

1. Snacks--just a good nosh for the masses.
   
2. Wine--we went through about 3 bottles last week (2 red, 1 white).
   

Now--don't go overboard with either--this isn't the time to raid your cellar for that '87 Rothschild you've been saving!

Sign up in the comments section--I'll get later weeks posted soon.

Welcome Everyone!

Hey Cooks!

It was nicely suggested on Monday that we should all share some recipes. That's a great idea! So, I started this blog so we can maybe share them online.

I'll also use this to go a bit more in depth about some of the techniques we'll be covering. Maybe some links to articles, photos, or just my random thoughts. This way I won't be clogging up your inbox all the time!

So have fun--ask questions through the comments section, tell me what you want us to cover in the coming weeks, or tell us about the last great meal you made!

Thanks everybody!