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)