Making Velouté Sauce
This sauce serves as a blank canvas for pan sauces, gravies, and soups. Mastering the roux is the only barrier between a thin, floury mess and a silken, clinging sauce.
Control the heat to control the color
The goal is to cook out the raw flour taste without letting the butter brown; keep the roux pale gold.
- heavy-bottomed saucepan
- wire whisk
- ladle
What goes in.
- 2 tbspunsalted butter
- 2 tbspall-purpose flour
- 2 cupshigh-quality chicken or fish stock, warmed
- to tastekosher salt
- to tastewhite pepper
Cooking the flour
Cook the butter and flour mixture over medium-low heat for at least three minutes. It should smell like toasted hazelnuts and look like wet, pale sand before you add any liquid.
The method.
Melt the butter
Place the saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the butter and let it melt completely until it begins to foam.
Add flour
Whisk in the flour until smooth. Continue whisking constantly for 3 to 4 minutes to ensure the flour cooks thoroughly without browning.
Incorporate stock
Add the warm stock one ladle at a time. Whisk vigorously between each addition to ensure the roux absorbs the liquid smoothly without clumping.
Simmer
Once all stock is incorporated, lower the heat. Let the sauce simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. It is ready when it coats the back of a spoon.
Season
Finish with salt and a pinch of white pepper. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve if you notice any stubborn lumps.
Other turns to take.
Allemande
Whisk a mixture of egg yolk and heavy cream into the finished velouté off the heat.
Supreme
Finish the velouté with heavy cream and a knob of cold butter for a richer, opaque consistency.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Always warm your stock before adding it; adding cold stock to a hot roux often results in lumps.
If you find lumps, do not panic; just strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve and whisk it back to life.
Do not use non-stick pans if you need to whisk vigorously; a stainless steel or enameled pan is safer for the metal whisk.
The ones that keep coming up.
How do I know if the flour is cooked enough?
The mixture will lose its raw, pasty smell and take on a toasted, nutty aroma. If it smells like wet dough, it needs more time.
Can I use butter that has started to brown?
You can, but the final sauce will be tan rather than the traditional pale ivory. The flavor will also be slightly nuttier.