I can't believe it's August already!! Today we started in our new kitchens. I am the only woman in my group during the next two rotations. My group has Corey and Geoff, who were in my first rotation and will be until the end of the term, then Dustin and Cris. Everyone worked together today on SAUCES. Everything you wanted to know but were afraid to ask, lol.
The definition of a sauce is a thickened flavored liquid (doesn't sound all that good so far!). Sauces are meant to either compliment a food or contrast with a food. A carefully constructed sauce is often prepared in several stages or layers. Each stage has rules of its own and requires the close attention of the chef, cook or saucier. Unlike roasts or cakes, which need only to be checked from time to time, the construction of a sauce requires constant tasting and fine tuning to balance its flavors and perfect its consistency. A sauce is never eaten alone but exists to complement the food it is designed to accompany. In the last 20 years, many of the techniques of sauce making have changed. Chefs are not only eager to invent new taste combinations and improve upon older methods but have set out to make sauces healthier and less rich. In the 1970s chefs in France and the US began to eliminate flour from their sauces-a standard ingredient since the 18th century-and replace it with cream and butter. The latest trend is to eliminate the cream and butter and experiment with even newer methods...flour has been replaced as the thickener by reduced stocks or lighter starches such as potato starch. The use of cream and butter minimized by using lighter oils, purees or the addition of fresh yogurt. Many chefs are now complementing dishes with a flavorful broth commonly accepted instead of a sauce. However, in sauce making, it is still essential to know the foundation of classic sauces.
Many liquids can be used to make sauces: white stock, brown stock, fish stock, court bouillon, pan drippings, milk, cream, wine, water, fruit juice, cider, beer and braising, poaching or stewing liquid. There are just as many thickeners, binders or liasons: white roux, brown roux (cooked roux), reduced cream, better, eggs, arrowroot slurry, corn starch slurry, potato starch slurry, nut puree, fruit puree (or coulis), vegetable puree, cocoa powder, reductions, rice, other grains, bread and gelatin. I am sure there are some I have forgotten to tell you!
The physical properties of sauces include Viscosity-which is the resistance of sauce to movement. The three levels of viscosity are spread, dip, and sauce-spread being the most versatile. Next is Texture-which is the proper distribution of size particles in the sauce. Which means a chunky sauce should be chunky and a smooth sauce smooth in texture. Next is color-the proper color of the sauce should be a result of its essential components (tomato red). Next, Luster-which is the degree to which the sauce reflects light. When sauces are done they should shine. Lastly, Opacity, which is the degree of transparency in a sauce. There is opaque (light does not pass thru), translucent (light is diffused) and transparent (light passes thru).
Chef Escoffier, a great mentor of French cuisine, codified and tried to simplify the idea of sauce making by identifying most sauces as derivatives of the FIVE MOTHER SAUCES. Now Chef Pete was taught there were 2 cold mother sauces and 3 warm mother sauces and since he taught the first half of the morning, he taught both, lol. The two cold mother sauces are vinaigrette (which is a temporary suspension) and mayonnaise (which is a cold emulsification). The formula for a vinaigrette is 4 parts oil to 1 part acid with salt to taste. Not to say you can't add other things, but this is the basic formula for vinaigrette. For mayonnaise you use oil, acid, salt, water and egg yolk. 1 egg yolk will absorb 1 cup of oil using lemon, salt and water to taste.
The warm mother sauces are 1. Espagnole (Spanish sauce) which is a brown sauce made using brown stock and brown roux; 2. Veloute which is a white sauce made using white stock and white roux; 3. Bechamel, which is a white sauce using milk and white roux; 4. Hollandaise which is a sauce made with egg yolks and butter; and 5. Tomato which is a combination of cooked tomato puree and stock. However, these sauces are just to stepping stones to making other sauces. If you add an onion puree to Bechamel you get Sauce Saubise. If you add Gruyere cheese to Bechamel you get Sauce Mornay. If you add tomato to Bechamel you get Sauce Aurore, and so on and so forth. LOTS of sauce options. The one interesting thing I did learn, is if you want to make milk more savory (it has a kind of sweet taste to it), you can heat the milk and add one onion, halved with two cloves stuck in it and one bay leaf. It is called an onion pique. Also, Chef Dale added a white wine reduction to his Bechamel while making the Mornay sauce. I would have to agree with Kim from my class, I will never make Bechamel without using the white wine reduction also. You take 4-5 shallots, mince them, 1 1/2 cups white wine, 1/2 cup white wine vinegar, one bay leaf and put them all together in a saucepan. Heat to a boil and reduce. The wine will turn pink because of the shallots but does not color the Bechamel in any way. It really boosts the flavor of this and many other sauces! Yum!
For lunch-it was Chef Pete that came to the rescue. He took Belgian Endive, rubbed it with oil and roasted it with steam in the Combi. Then he wrapped each head in ham and "napped" it Mornay Sauce. Napping means to cover with a sauce. He then baked it in the oven for a short time. Very nice! Earlier in the morning, before we started with sauces, a few students trimmed up lamb loin chops (2 inches thick!) then put them in a marinade of oil, vinegar and herbs. Right before lunch, the Hot Plate group put then on the BBQ outside to sear the outside. I learned how to get those nice grill marks on your meat. Very cool! We did however, finish them off in the oven rather than wait for the meat to finish on the grill. Chef Pete roasted potatoes and romaine lettuce, both tossed with olive oil and salt and pepper. I may try roasting romaine myself! You keep it in big leaves until it is has some color but is not wilted, then slice it and serve. Pastry was also new and we did not have the trio of sorbets that were promised but cherry pie instead because beautiful cherries came in from Grant Farms and just HAD to be used (too bad, huh?). It was served with hand made vanilla ice cream...... I love my school, lol!
I came home and baked a little. I made Raisin buns using Pate a choux dough. they turned out well. I also made Bran Muffins with a cream cheese filling. It is dough that will keep in the fridge for about a week, as will the filling, so you could bake them up as you needed them.
Time to sign off.....tomorrow is another busy day!
We will continue to learn more about sauces over the entire week. I think that Friday's exam is gonna be tough.
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