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The Very Basics of French Sauces
Sauces are, of course, a crucial element of French cuisine, and the French cook can recreate the canon of sauces from a limited set of
techniques and ingredients. Here's a quick run down of some very basic sauce-stuff:
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Béarnaise:
- A relative of hollandaise, béarnaise is a reduction of vinegar, tarragon and shallots that is finished with egg yolks and butter.
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Béchamel:
- Add milk or cream to a white roux and voilà! it becomes a béchamel.
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Hollandaise:
- A hollandaise uses butter and egg-yolk as its liasons. It is served hot with vegetables, fish and eggs -- like on eggs Benedict.
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Liaison:
- A liaison, or binding agent, is the base of any French sauce. Egg yolks, butter, flour, and puréed vegetables are all liaisons.
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Reduction:
- A reduction is the mixture that results from rapidly boiling a liquid (like stock, wine, or a sauce) and causing evaporation -- "reducing" the sauce. The reduction is thicker and has a more intense flavor than the original liquid.
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Rémoulade:
- This classic sauce mixes mayonnaise, mustard, capers, chopped gherkins, herbs, and anchovies.
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Rouille:
- A French sauce whose name translates literally as "rust." Chiles, garlic, bread crumbs and olive oil are pounded into a spicy, rust-colored paste and lightened with fish stock. It often garnishes bouillabaisse.
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Roux:
- Roux, a combination of flour and a fat, usually butter. A roux can be white, blond, or brown, depending on ingredients and cooking time (the longer you cook butter, the browner it gets).
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Velouté:
- Mix a white roux with white stock (light chicken or veal stock) and it becomes a velouté.
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