Making a Classic Velouté Sauce
This is one of the base mother sauces. It relies entirely on the quality of your stock, so use a clean, house-made chicken or veal broth rather than store-bought varieties that lack gelatin and depth.
The roux sets the foundation.
Keep your stock warm in a separate pot before you begin. Adding cold liquid to a hot roux leads to lumps that are difficult to whisk away.
- Heavy-bottomed saucepan
- Balloon whisk
- Fine-mesh sieve
What goes in.
- 2 tbspunsalted butter
- 2 tbspall-purpose flour
- 2 cupswhite chicken or veal stock, hot
- to tastefine sea salt
Avoiding the Brown Roux
Maintain medium-low heat. You want the flour to cook until it smells like baked pastry, but if it takes on a golden tint, you have moved from a white roux to a blond roux, which will change the final color and flavor profile.
The method.
Melt the butter
Place the butter in the saucepan over medium-low heat. Let it foam, but do not let it turn brown.
Cook the roux
Add the flour and whisk immediately. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly. The mixture should look like wet sand.
Emulsify
Slowly pour in the hot stock one ladle at a time, whisking vigorously. Ensure the roux is fully integrated before adding the next ladle.
Simmer
Once all stock is added, reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 10 minutes, skimming any foam that rises to the surface.
Strain
Pass the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve to ensure a perfectly smooth texture before serving.
Other turns to take.
Allemande
Finish the finished velouté with a liaison of egg yolks and heavy cream.
Suprême
Add heavy cream and a knob of cold butter to a chicken-based velouté.
When it doesn't go to plan.
If the sauce feels too thick, whisk in a small amount of extra stock until it reaches your desired consistency.
Place a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the sauce while it cools to prevent a skin from forming.
Use a balloon whisk rather than a fork to get into the corners of the pan and prevent burning.
The ones that keep coming up.
Why is my sauce lumpy?
Usually because the stock was added too quickly or the roux was too hot. If this happens, strain it through a fine-mesh sieve and whisk vigorously.
Can I use vegetable stock?
You can, but the final sauce will be significantly lighter in body and flavor compared to using a collagen-rich meat stock.
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