Velouté
The pale mother sauce — white stock thickened with a blond roux
Béchamel's savoury cousin: the same roux, but built on white stock instead of milk. It is only ever as good as the stock, so this is the sauce that rewards a proper homemade one (see Chicken Stock).
Chicken velouté goes with poultry, veal with veal, fish with fish. The roux is cooked a shade longer than for béchamel — blond, not white.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter
- 2 ounces (about 1/2 cup) all-purpose flour
- 1 quart white stock — chicken, veal or fish (see Chicken Stock)
- Kosher salt and white pepper
- A squeeze of lemon juice
Instructions
- Bring the stock to a simmer in a separate pan and keep it warm.
- Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat, whisk in the flour, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the roux is the colour of straw and smells nutty. Blond, not brown.
- Whisk in the hot stock a ladle at a time, letting each addition come together before adding the next.
- Simmer gently for 30 minutes, skimming the skin that forms at the edge of the pan. It will reduce by about a quarter and thicken as it goes.
- Strain through a fine sieve. Season with salt, white pepper and a squeeze of lemon.
Notes
- Skimming matters here: the impurities that rise are what make a cloudy sauce.
- Keeps 3 days refrigerated, or freezes well.
- Derivatives: Suprême (cream), Allemande (egg yolk), Vin Blanc, Bercy, Normande, Poulette.