Making a Traditional Brown Sauce
This is the foundation for pan sauces and gravies. It requires patience at the stove to toast the flour without burning it, ensuring the final sauce has character rather than just a floury taste.
Control the heat to control the color
The difference between a deep, nutty sauce and a bitter, burnt one is a matter of seconds. Keep your stock warm on a separate burner so you don't shock the roux.
- Heavy-bottomed saucepan
- Whisk
- Fine-mesh strainer
What goes in.
- 3 tbspunsalted butter
- 3 tbspall-purpose flour
- 2 cupsbeef stock, heated
- 1 tsptomato paste
- to tastekosher salt and black pepper
Watching the grain
Stir the flour and butter constantly. You are looking for the color of peanut butter or a light copper penny; the smell should shift from raw grain to toasted hazelnut.
The method.
Melt the butter
Place the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat until it foams.
Cook the roux
Add the flour all at once and whisk until smooth. Continue whisking steadily for 8 to 10 minutes until the mixture turns a dark golden brown.
Incorporate the tomato paste
Stir in the tomato paste and cook for one minute to remove the raw acidity.
Add the stock
Pour in a small splash of the warm beef stock, whisking vigorously to incorporate. Once smooth, slowly stream in the rest of the stock while continuing to whisk.
Simmer and finish
Bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 5 minutes until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve if any lumps remain.
Other turns to take.
Herb-infused
Add a sprig of fresh thyme or a bay leaf during the simmering stage, removing it before serving.
Wine-fortified
Replace a half-cup of the beef stock with a dry red wine, reducing it by half before adding the remaining stock.
When it doesn't go to plan.
If the roux turns black or smells charred, discard it and start over; bitterness cannot be masked.
Using warm stock prevents the roux from clumping when you begin the pour.
Season the sauce only after it has reached its final consistency, as the reduction concentrates the salt.
The ones that keep coming up.
Why is my sauce lumpy?
The stock was added too quickly or the roux wasn't whisked enough during the initial pour. Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve to salvage the texture.
Can I use oil instead of butter?
Yes, neutral oil works, but butter provides a better depth of flavor for traditional brown sauces.
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