Romeo Brodmann

Sauces in classical French cuisine according to Escoffier

Includes recipes of French Cuisine up and until the middle of the 20th Century

1st English Edition

© Edition Gastronomique

Specialist publishing house of GastroSuisse

Association for Hotels and Restaurants in Switzerland

Blumenfeldstrasse 20, 8046 Zurich

www.editiongastronomique.ch

ISBN 978-3-905834-24-6

Impressum

Design: James Communication AG, Waldeggstrasse 32, 6343 Rotkreuz, www.jamescom.ch Photos, production: martin friedli fotografie, CH-4052 Basel, www.friedli-fotografie.ch Photos, portraits: Tony Baggenstos, CH-4500 Solothurn, baggenstos@gmx.ch Translation: sein gmbh, CH-8630 Rüti ZH, www.sein.ch

Quote Paul Bocuse

«As sauces are an essential reference in French cuisine, it’s an excellent idea to update their creations in the kitchen. This preparation appears obvious to any self-respecting cook.»

Paul Bocuse

Table of content

Quote Paul Bocuse

Table of content

Preface Anton Mosimann

The schematic representation of the sauces

Georges Auguste Escoffier

THE BASICS

Bouillon de Viande / Bouillon a l’Os (Meat Broth / Bone Broth)

Fond de Veau Brun (Brown Veal Stock)

Fond de Gibier Brun (Game Stock)

Fond de Veau Blanc (White Veal Stock)

Fond de Volaille (Chicken Stock)

Fond de Poisson Blanc (White Fish Stock)

Fumet de Poisson (Concentrated White Fish Stock)

Fond de Poisson Rouge (Red Fish Stock)

Glaces (Glazes)

Essence de Tomate (Tomato Essence)

Puree de Tomate (Tomato Puree)

THICKENING AGENTS

Farine (Flour)

Roux

Beurre Manié (Kneaded Butter)

Amidon de Ble (Wheat Starch [rice, corn, potato or arrowroot starch, and others])

LIANTS POUR SAUCE, PRODUITS INDUSTRIELLEMENT (Commercial Sauce Thickeners)

CREME – Double, SAUCES, AIGRE (Cream – Double, Whipping, Sour)

Jaune d’œuf (Egg Yolk)

Liaison (Thickening with Egg Yolk and Cream)

BEURRE (Butter)

Sang (Blood)

LES SAUCES BRUNES DE BASE – BROWN BASIC SAUCES

Demi-glace (Brown Basic Sauce / Demi-glace)

Fond Brun liE (Thickened Brown Veal Gravy)

Jus de veau lié (Thickened Veal Gravy)

Demi-glace de canard (Thickened Brown Gravy, based on Duck)

Demi-glace de gibier (Thickened Brown Gravy, based on Game)

VARIATIONS OF SAUCES BRUNES DE BASE – Brown Basic Sauces

Sauce bordelaise (Red Wine and Marrow Sauce)

Sauce bretonne (Sauce for Haricots à la Bretonne)

Sauce bourguignonne (Burgundy Wine Sauce)

Sauce aux champignons (Mushroom Sauce)

Sauce duxelles (Sauce with White Wine, Shallots and Mushrooms)

Sauce estragon (Tarragon Sauce)

Sauce financière (Financière Sauce with Truffle Esscence)

Sauce génoise (Sauce for Salmon and Trout)

Sauce Godard (Goes well with Godard Garnish)

Sauce gratin (Sauce for Fish au Gratin)

Sauce au poivre vert (Green Pepper Sauce)

Sauce hachée (Chopped Sauce)

Sauce hussard (Ham Sauce)

Sauce italienne (Italian Sauce – Herb and Ham)

Sauce chasseur (Hunter’s Sauce – Escoffier’s method)

Sauce aux fines herbes (Herb Sauce)

Sauce lyonnaise (Onion Sauce)

Sauce madère (Madeira Sauce)

Sauce matelote (Fish Sauce based on Red Fish Stock)

Sauce aux morilles (Morel Sauce)

Sauce poivrade (Pepper Sauce)

Sauce poivrade pour gibier (Pepper Sauce for Game)

Sauce piquante (Sauce for grilled or boiled Pork or Beef [picy, not hot])

Sauce bigarade (Bitter or Seville Orange Sauce for Duck)

Sauce chevreuil (Sauce for Game [with Game Stock] or Butcher’s Meat [with Bacon and Ham])

Sauce au porto (Port Wine Sauce)

Sauce Robert (White Wine, Onion and Gherkin Sauce)

Sauce romaine (Roman Sauce – for Venison or marinated Butcher’s Meat)

Sauce au vin rouge (Red Wine Sauce)

Sauce rouennaise (Red Wine Sauce with raw Duck Liver)

Sauce à la crème (Cream Sauce)

Sauce Salmi (Wild Fowl Sauce)

Sauce tortue (Turtle Sauce)

Sauce diable (Devilled Sauce for grilled Chicken and Pigeon)

Jus lié tomaté (Thickened Gravy – Tomato flavoured)

Sauce périgueux (Sauce perigueux)

SAUCE ZINGARA, Version 1 (Sauce for boiled Meat or Calf’s Head)

SAUCE ZINGARA, Version 2 (Sauce for fried White Meat and Poultry – with Truffle julienne)

LES SAUCES TOMATE

Sauce portugaise (Sauce with Onions, Tomatoes, Parsley)

Sauce à la provençale (Sauce with Tomatoes, Garlic and Parsley)

Sauce tomate (Tomato Sauce)

LES GRANDES SAUCES BLANCHES DE BASE – Major Basic White Sauces

Velouté de veau / de volaille / de poisson (Veal Veloute / Chicken Veloute / Fish Veloute)

LES PETITES SAUCES BLANCHES – Minor (compound) Basic White Sauces and their Vvariations

SAUCE ALLEMANDE AND ITS VARIATIONS

Sauce allemande (Also known as Sauce Parisienne)

Sauce bonnefoy (Marrow Sauce with White Wine)

Sauce curry (Curry Sauce)

Sauce curry à l’indienne (Indian Curry Sauce)

Sauce villageoise ou sauce blanquette (May be served with White Meat)

Sauce poulette (Ideal with boiled Lamb, in particular with Lamb’s Trotters)

Sauce smitane (Sour Cream Sauce – served with pan-fried Game)

Sauce hongroise (Hungarian Sauce)

Sauce Villeroy (Villeroy Sauce with Ham and Truffles)

SAUCE SUPREME AND ITS VARIATIONS

Sauce suprême (Poultry Cream Sauce)

Sauce Albuféra (Poultry Cream Sauce with melted Meat Glaze and Pimento Butter)

Sauce Chivry (For Poached or Steamed Poultry)

Sauce ivoire (For Boiled, Poached and Steamed Poultry)

Sauce ravigote (For Poached or Steamed Poultry)

Sauce estragon (Tarragon Sauce)

SAUCE AU VIN BLANC AND ITS VARIATIONS

Sauce au vin blanc (Fish Veloute and Cream [White Wine Sauce])

Sauce Bercy (May be served with Fish)

Poaching Stock as Basis

Fillet of Sole with Sauce Aurore

Sauce bretonne (Sauce with White Vegetables, White Wine and Cream)

Sauce aux crevettes (Shrimp Sauce)

Sauce homard (Lobster Sauce)

Sauce livonienne (Sauce livonienne)

Sauce normande (Fish Veloute, Cream, Cooking Liquor from Button Mushrooms, Sole and Oyster)

Sauce Normande

Sauce aux huîtres (Oyster Sauce)

Sauce diplomate (Sauce Normande with small dices of Lobster and Truffle)

Sauce Joinville (Sauce Normande with Truffle, Crayfish and Crayfish Butter)

Sauce régence (Velouté de Poisson, White Wine, Mushrooms, Truffle Peelings and Truffle Essence)

Sauce anchois (Sauce Normande with Anchovy Butter and Anchovy Fillets)

Sauce Véron (Sauce Véron)

Sauce Rubens (Madeira Wine and Red Compound Butter)

Sauce Saint-Malo (Sauce Saint-Malo)

Sauce marinière (Mussel Sauce – to gratinate Mussels and Fish)

Sauce souchet (Julienne of Carrot, Celeriac and Root Parsley, Fish Stock, White Wine)

Sauce vénitienne (Tarragon Vinegar, Shallots, Chervil Leaves, White Wine Sauce)

Sauce matelote blanche (Fish Court Bouillon, Mushroom Heads, White Wine Sauce, Silverskin Onions)

Sauce américaine (Lobster, Garlic, Brandy, White Wine, Fish Stock, Tomato, Parsley)

Sauce Américaine

Sauce Newburg au homard cru (With raw Lobster – ideal with poached Flatfish)

BECHAMEL SAUCE AND ITS VARIATIONS

Sauce béchamel (Béchamel Sauce)

Sauce Béchamel

Sauce cardinal (Sauce Béchamel with Fisch Stock, Truffle Essence and Lobster Butter)

Sauce aurore (Béchamel Sauce with Purée de Tomate)

Sauce Mornay (Béchamel Sauce with Sbrinz or Parmesan Cheese)

Sauce Nantua (Béchamel Sauce with Cream, Crayfish Butter and Crayfish tails)

Sauce écossaise (Scotch Sauce – with a Brunoise of Celeriac, Carrot, Onion and Green Beans)

Sauce Soubise (Sauce Soubise)

SAUCES AU BEURRE A BASE D’ŒUFS

Sauce bavaroise (Bavarian Sauce with Crayfish Butter, Crayfish and Whipped Cream)

Sauce béarnaise (Béarnaise Sauce – Served with Fried or Grilled Butcher’s Meat)

Sauce Béarnaise

Sauce arlésienne (Arlésienne Sauce – Sauce Béarnaise [without Tarragon and Chervil] with Purée de Tomate and Anchovy Fillet)

Sauce Choron – Sauce Bearnaise Tomatée (Choron Sauce)

Sauce Foyot (Sauce Foyot – Glace de Viande in Sauce Béarnaise – served with Fried or Grilled Butcher’s Meat)

Sauce hollandaise (Hollandaise Sauce)

Sauce maltaise (Sauce Hollandaise with Blood Orange)

Sauce tyrolienne (Béarnaise Sauce prepared like a Mayonnaise)

SAUCES AU BEURRE LIEES – THICKENED BUTTER SAUCES

Sauce Batarde or Sauce au beurre, dite bâtarde (Butter Sauce)

Sauce groseilles (Gooseberry Sauce)

Sauce Laguepierre (Butter Sauce with Glace de Poisson [or Fish Essence] – for Poached or Steamed Fish)

Mustard Sauce (Sauce Moutarde)

SAUCES MOUSSEUSES AU BEURRE

Sauce mousseuse (Sauce with Butter, Lemon Juice and Whipped Cream)

Sauce Solférino (Solférino Sauce – Tomatoes, Lemon, Beurre d’Echalotes and Beurre Chivry – for Grilled Meat)

HOT ENGLISH SAUCES

Sauce Albert (Sauce Albert)

Sauce aux pommes (Apple Sauce)

Sauce aux Aromates (Aromatic Sauce)

Sauce au Pain (Bread Sauce)

Celery Sauce (Sauce au Céleri)

Cranberry Sauce (Sauce aux Airelles)

Cream Sauce (Sauce Crème à l’Anglaise)

Devilled Sauce (Sauce Diable)

Egg and Butter Sauce (Sauce aux Œufs au Beurre Fondu)

Egg Sauce (Sauce aux Œufs à l’Anglaise)

Fried Bread Sauce (Sauce au Pain Frit)

Gooseberry Sauce (Sauce aux Groseilles)

Lobster Sauce (Sauce Homard à l’Anglaise)

Melted Butter Sauce (Sauce au Beurre à l’Anglaise)

Onion Sauce (Sauce aux Oignons)

Oyster Sauce (Sauce aux Huîtres)

Parsley Sauce for Fish (Sauce Persil pour Poissons)

Port Wine Sauce (Sauce au Porto)

Reform Sauce (Sauce Réforme)

Roebuck Sauce (Sauce Chevreuil)

Sage and Onion Sauce (Sauce Sauge et Oignons)

Scotch Egg Sauce (Sauce des Œufs Ecossaise)

VICTORIA SAUCE (Sauce Victoria)

Waterfish Sauce (Sauce Waterfish)

Yorkshire Sauce (Sauce Yorkshire)

SAUCES A L’HUILE

Sauce bohémienne (Cold Béchamel Sauce prepared like a Mayonnaise)

Sauce ravigote or vinaigrette (Sauce for Poached or Steamed Poultry)

Sauce Ravigote / Vinaigrette

Sauce génoise (Cold Béchamel Sauce with Herbs and Pistachios, prepared like a Mayonnaise)

Sauce Gribiche (Sauce with Hard-boiled Egg Yolks, Capers, Gherkins, Parsley, Tarragon, Chervil)

Sauce verte (Green Sauce – Mayonnaise with Spinach, Watercress, Parsley, Tarragon and Chervil)

Sauce italienne (Mayonnaise with Purée of Calf’s Brain and Parsley)

Sauce Italienne

Mayonnaise – Classic Variation (Sauce Mayonnaise)

Mayonnaise – Modern Variation (Sauce Mayonnaise)

Sauce Mayonnaise

Sauce aïoli / beurre de Provence (Aïoli / Garlic Sauce with Garlic, Egg Yolk, Lemon Juice)

Sauce Rouille (Rouille Sauce – Mayonnaise with Chili Peppers, Harissa, Potatoes, and Saffron)

Sauce Rouille

Sauce suédoise (Sauce Mayonnaise with Apple-White Wine Purée and Horseradish)

Sauce Tartare – Classic Variation (Sauce Mayonnaise with Chives and Green Onions)

Sauce Tartare – Modern Variation

Sauce au thon (Tuna Sauce)

Sauce Vincent (Mayonnaise Sauce with Herbs)

COLD SAUCES BASED ON CREAM

Sauce raifort (Horseradish Sauce)

Sauce raifort aux noix (Horseradish Sauce with Nuts)

Sauce moutarde à la crème (Mustard and Cream Sauce)

COLD ENGLISH SAUCES

Cambridge Sauce (Sauce served with any kind of Cold Meat)

Cumberland Sauce (Sauce based on Red Currant Jelly, Port Wine, Zest of Orange and Lemon)

Cumberland Sauce

Horseradish Sauce (Sauce Raifort)

Gloucester Sauce (Sauce Gloucester)

Mint Sauce (Sauce Menthe)

GELEES (ASPIC JELLIES) AND SAUCES CHAUD-FROID

Gelée de viande (Ordinary Aspic Jelly)

Gelée de volaille (Chicken Aspic Jelly)

Gelée de Volaille – Chicken Aspic Jelly

Gelée de gibier (Game Aspic Jelly)

Geleé de poisson (Fish Aspic Jelly)

SAUCES CHAUD-FROID BRUNES (BROWN)

Sauce chaud-froid brune (Brown Chaud-froid Sauce)

Sauce chaud-froid tomatée (Tomato-flavoured Chaud-froid Sauce)

SAUCES CHAUD-FROID BLANCHES (WHITE)

Sauce chaud-froid aurore (Pink Chaud-froid Sauce)

Sauce chaud-froid vert-pré (Green Chaud-froid Sauce [with Herbs])

Sauce chaud-froid Blanche (White Chaud-froid Sauce)

MAYONNAISES COLLEES

Mayonnaise collée (Jellied Mayonnaise)

Chaud-Froid

Sauce mayonnaise fouettée à la russe (Whipped Mayonnaise, Russian Style)

Mayonnaise, Russian Style

BEURRES COMPOSES – COMPOUND BUTTERS

Beurre Bercy (Bercy Butter – White Wine, Shallot Butter, and Beef Marrow)

Beurre noir (Black Butter)

Beurre Chivry / Beurre ravigote (Chivry Butter / Herb Butter)

Beurre Chivry – Herb Butter

Beurre de curry (Curry Butter)

Beurre d’estragon (Tarragon Butter)

Beurre de crevette (Shrimp Butter)

Various Beurres Printaniers (Vegetable Butters)

Beurre colorant vert (Green Colouring Butter)

Beurre d’aveline (Hazelnut Butter)

Beurre à la maître d’hôtel (Herb Butter [Parsley])

Beurre de Homard, Variation 1 (Lobster Butter)

Beurre de Homard, Variation 2 (Lobster Butter)

Beurre de caviar (Caviare Butter)

Beurre d’ail (Garlic Butter)

Beurre d’écrevisse (Crayfish Butter)

Beurre d’amande (Almond Butter)

Beurre de raifort (Horseradish Butter)

Beurre de Montpellier (Butter with Herbs, Spinach, Shallots, Pickled Gherkins, Anchovy Fillets)

Beurre noisette (Hazelnut Butter)

Beurre de paprika (Paprika Butter)

Beurre de pimientos (Pimento Butter)

Beurre de pistache (Pistachio Butter)

Beurre de saumon fumé (Smoked Salmon Butter)

Beurre colorant rouge (Red Colouring Butter)

Beurre marchand de vins (Red Wine Butter)

Beurre d’anchois (Anchovy Butter)

Beurre d’échalote (Shallot Butter)

Beurre d’escargots (Butter for Snails)

Beurre de moutarde (Mustard Butter)

Beurre de tomate (Tomato Butter)

FLAVOURED OILS

Herb oils, seasoning oils and others

Huile de crustacés (Oil from Shellfish)

Huile de Crustacés - Oil from Shellfish

Explanations

Bibliography

About the author

Acknowledgment

Preface Anton Mosimann

Classical French cuisine is the firm foundation for most chefs’ training the world over. Auguste Escoffier’s summary in his “Guide Culinaire”, on stocks and sauces, is as true today as it was then: “You can never take too much care or pay too much attention to their preparation.”

Historically, in Britain, more importance was attached to the gravy, the meat juices that were served to accompany roast meat, poultry and game. This is still the case, but sauces to accompany fish dishes are very much in the French tradition. That said, both the Mediterranean diet and Asian influences have encouraged a diversity of styles – a wedge of lemon, a drizzle of olive oil or a stir fry involving herbs and spices – simple, fresh cooking that ensure the natural flavours are retained. In such instances, sauces are now less prominent than they once were.

Art presupposes solid craftsmanship. Salvador Dali learnt to paint in the true classical manner before he embraced surrealism and abstract art. The pianist Lang Lang interprets the most difficult pieces as lightly as a feather because he learnt classical piano playing from a sound base. You can only become a virtuoso by continually practicing the fundamentals.

Craftsmanship means working on the foundation repeatedly and understanding the reasons why the basics work so well; you cannot adapt them until they are second nature. According to Escoffier it is essential to truly understand the sauces and their structural composition as one of the most important bases of French cuisine.

Always start at the beginning to really learn the basics of the chef’s profession. You only become a star chef or chef to the royal household by constant practice, learning, extending your knowledge, and developing further. You can only become a virtuoso when you have really understood the basics and appreciate the science of cooking – why heat will produce one reaction and cold another. To be able to feel a passion for cooking, with heart and soul, is the intrinsic condition of being a great chef.

“I really welcome this book and know that, within a short space of time, the copy I will be putting in the kitchen at Mosimann’s will certainly become not only well-thumbed, but also sauce-splattered; surely the essence of a great and important book!”

Anton Mosimann, OBE

The schematic representation of the sauces

Basic Products | Basic Sauces | Minor (compound) Basic Sauces | Variations
Brown Sauces
Brown StockBrown Veal Stock (Gravy)Veal Gravy | Brown Basic Sauce (Demi-glace) | Variations
Thickened Brown Veal Gravy
Thickened Veal Gravy
Thickened Brown Gravy, based on Duck
Brown Game Stock | Thickened Brown Gravy, based on Game
Tomato Sauces
Tomatoes-Concassée | Sauce Portugaise
Sauce a la Provençale
Tomato Sauce
White Sauces
White Veal Stock | Veal Veloute | Sauce Allemande (also known as Sauce Parisienne)Veal Veloute + Egg Yolk and Cream | Variations
Chicken Stock | Chicken Veloute | Chicken Veloute(Chicken Veloute + Cream) | Variations
White Fish StockConcentrated White Fish Stock (Fumet de Poisson) | Fish Veloute | White Wine Sauce(Fish Veloute + Cream) | Variations
Milk | Sauce Béchamel | Variations
Butter Sauces
Egg Mass + Butter | Bavarian Sauce
Béarnaise Sauce | Variations
Hollandaise Sauce | Variations
Tyrolienne Sauce | Variations
Water and ButterThickened with Roux | Bastard Sauce | Variations
Frothy Butter, warm Sauces | Frothy Sauce
Solférino Sauce
Hot English Sauces
| Hot Englisch Sauces
Cold Sauces
Egg Yolk + Oil | Sauce Mayonnaise | Variations
Vinegar + Oil | Vinaigrette (Sauce Ravigote)
Oil | Other Oil Sauces
Whipped Cream | Cold Sauces based on Cream
| Cold Englisch Sauces
Aspic Jellies and Chaud-Froid Sauces
Ordinary Aspic Jelly + Brown Stock | Brown Chaud-froid Sauce
Chicken Aspic Jelly + Brown Gravy, based on Duck | Brown Chaud-froid Sauce for Ducks
Game Aspic Jelly + Brown Gravy, based on Game | Brown Chaud-froid Sauce for Game
Ordinary Aspic Jelly + Brown Stock + Tomato Puree | Tomato-flavoured Chaud-froid Sauce
Chicken Aspic Jelly + Béchamel or Chicken Veloute + Tomato Puree | Pink Chaud-froid Sauce (Aurora Chaud-froid Sauce)
Chicken Aspic Jelly + Béchamel or Chicken Veloute + Herb Puree | Green Chaud-froid Sauce
Chicken Aspic Jelly + Béchamel or Chicken Veloute | White Chaud-froid Sauce
Ordinary Aspic Jelly + Mayonaise | Jellied Mayonnaise
Ordinary Aspic Jelly + Mayonaise | Whipped Mayonnaise, Russian Style
Compound Butters and Flavoured Oils
Butter + Ingredients | Compound Butters
Oil + Ingredients | Flavoured Oils

Georges Auguste Escoffier

Born on 28 October 1846 in Villeneuve-Loubet, France

Died on 12 February 1935 in Monte Carlo, Monaco

As far as is possible to tell from the records, Escoffier, the king of chefs, was a calm and equanimous chef de cuisine who spent a good 60 years of his life at the stove.

1859 | Started his apprenticeship at the age of 13 in the kitchen, table service and buying of produce in the restaurant belonging to his uncle. Then first jobs as a chef at the Hotel Belleveue near Nice and in the Petit Moulin Rouge in Paris.

1866 | Chef de cuisine in the French general staff, among others during the Franco-Prussian War (1870 to 1871). Prisoner of war.

1872 | Return to Nice as the chef de cuisine at the Hotel Luxemburg.

1873 | Then to Paris, as the chef de cuisine at the Petit Moulin Rouge.

1876 | Opening of his own restaurant Le Faisan doré in Cannes.

1878 | On 28 August marriage to Delphine Daffis, with whom he had three children Paul, Daniel and Germaine.

1879 | Took over the management of the Maison Chevet at the royal palace in Paris.

1880 | Chef de cuisine in the Casino in Boulogne-sur-Mer and in the Restaurant Maire in Paris.

1884 | César Ritz recruits Auguste Escoffier as chef de cuisine. First attempts to rethink traditional French cuisine.

1890 | Took over the management of the kitchen at the Savoy Hotel in London, where important creations such as the Homard à l’américaine, Poire Hélène or Pêche Melba were developed.

1897 | Disputes with the owners of the Savoy. Escoffier leaves the Savoy with the majority of his team and returns to Paris where he was recruited by César Ritz for the reopening of the Ritz on the Place Vendôme for the organisation of the kitchen. The European gourmet community already follows him everywhere.

1899 | Reorganisation and management of other kitchens on behalf of César Ritz, among others that of the Ritz in London. The arrangement to manage the kitchens of the hotels in London and Paris for César Ritz lasted until 1920. Escoffier works on his culinary guide, the «Guide Culinaire».

1903 | His work Guide Culinaire, a culinary guide, is published.

1919 | Escoffier is appointed an Knight of the Legion of Honour by the French President Raymond Poincaré. In the same year, Escoffier, who is now 73, writes his memoirs «L’aid-mémoire culinaire». The first edition appears in 1923.

1920 | Escoffier retires with his wife.

Guide Culinaire

The content of the culinary guide, or to give it its original title in French «Guide Culinaire», still appears very simple, streamlined, extremely contemporary and above all timeless, even today. Even more than a hundred years after the first edition, the content and language of every teaching manual of the present is based on Escoffier’s culinary guide. Even if the basics already existed back then, the culinary foundations were still an unordered pluralism of styles at the end of the 19th century. Ordering structures were not defined; there was an extensive lack of clarity and ease of understanding. As the initiator of the Grand Cuisine and as the créateur of diverse dishes still used today, Auguste Escoffier left an indelible mark on French cuisine, even though he did not of course invent the cuisine. Work techniques, production practices, types of basic preparation and the most important dishes and creations already existed. The ingenuity of his work lay in the way he merged, straightened, streamlined and structured the existing processes and brought a new, heavily simplified and easy-to-understand order to them. Escoffier was not only a brilliant chef, he was also very obviously an outstanding organiser with exceptional management qualities. He not only reorganised the traditional cuisine with all its national and international styles and influences; he also restructured kitchen organisation with all its work processes into the form that we know today, with its brigade system and allocation of duties at specific locations. It was probably hardly an accident that Escoffier’s work was done at precisely the time of developing classic modernism. At the beginning of the 20th century, a variety of new artistic styles starts to develop that, although they are based on the past, nevertheless revolutionise the present. Cubism, constructivism, Dadaism and surrealism develop. Expressionism, the new objectivity and Bauhaus develop. And behind all of it the striving to comprehend the reality behind things. Escoffier’s work is basically the fundamental disclosure of the logical structure of French cuisine. Its simplicity was and is so ingenious that the Guide Culinaire constitutes both the formal and the practical basis for the Western world’s cuisine because it describes the fundamental reality that underlines a chef’s art.

THE BASICS

Bouillon de Viande / Bouillon a l’Os (Meat Broth / Bone Broth)

Ingredients for 1 l (1 3/4 pt or 4 1/2 U.S. cups)

800 g (1 lb 12 oz) beef brisket bones, roughly chopped

1.5 l (2 5/8 pt or 6 1/2 U.S. cups) water

500 g (1 lb 2 oz) vegetables: equal amounts of carrots, celeriac, leek, white turnips

1 pc/s onion

spices: salt, 1 bay leaf, 1 clove, 5 peppercorns

Preparation

Boil beef briskets (blanch): place in boiling water (1:10), let boil for 2 minutes, drain, rinse bones first with hot, then with cold water.

Cut vegetables into thumb size pieces. Halve the onion (for colour), place in hot pan, cut side down and blacken. Set aside.

Place beef brisket in pot, cover with 1.5 l (2 5/8 pt or 6 1/2 U.S. cups) of cold water, add salt, slowly bring to the boil, skim frequently.

Reduce heat, gently boil for 1 hour, then add spices, vegetables and blackened onions and continue to softly boil for another 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Drain through a coarse sieve, then through a very fine tea strainer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Note

Blackened onions can be replaced by caramel couleur: put 50 g (2 oz) of sugar in a small pan, heat and blacken, then deglaze with 100 ml (3 1/2 fl oz or 1/2 U.S. cups) of water, let dissolve and cool. Only add amount required to obtain desired colour to broth.

Bones can be replaced in part or in total by boiled beef, thus turning bone broth into meat broth. The more meat is used, the stronger the broth.

Add water during the boiling process if necessary (evaporation).

Bouillon de Viande / Bouillon à l’Os

A carefully prepared Bouillon de Viande will serve as an excellent basis for different stocks, sauces and dishes due to its strength. Please make sure never to cover a Bouillon de Viande. It will otherwise become cloudy.

1. Prepare, wash vegetables and cut into thumb size cubes.

2. Cut unpeeled onion in half.

3. Place onions in hot frying pan, without adding any oil.

4. Roast onions until they have blackened.

5. Add bones to water at full rolling boil.

6. Add meat, briefly bring water to the boil and drain off.

7. Rinse bones and meat, first with hot, then with cold water, then place in pot with cold water.

8. Bring to the boil and gently boil for 1.5 hours. Skim and degrease frequently.

9. Add vegetables and blackened onions after 1.5 hours.

10. Add a little salt to the broth.

11. Add spices. Continue to gently boil for another 30 minutes to 1 hour.

12. At the end, strain the Bouillon de Viande through a cheesecloth.

1. Prepare, wash vegetables and cut into thumb size cubes.

2. Cut unpeeled onion in half.

3. Place onions in hot frying pan, without adding any oil.

4. Roast onions until they have blackened.

5. Add bones to water at full rolling boil.

6. Add meat, briefly bring water to the boil and drain off.

7. Rinse bones and meat, first with hot, then with cold water, then place in pot with cold water.

8. Bring to the boil and gently boil for 1.5 hours. Skim and degrease frequently.

9. Add vegetables and blackened onions after 1.5 hours.

10. Add a little salt to the broth.

11. Add spices. Continue to gently boil for another 30 minutes to 1 hour.

12. At the end, strain the Bouillon de Viande through a cheesecloth.

Fond brun / Estouffade (Brown stock)

Ingredients for 1 l (1 3/4 pt or 4 1/2 U.S. cups)

20 ml (3/4 fl oz or 1/10 U.S. cups) oil (sunflower or peanut oil)

400 g (14 oz) brisket of beef with bones or shin

400 g (14 oz) breast of veal with bones

100 g (3 1/2 oz) bacon rind

100 g (3 1/2 oz) knuckle of ham, blanched

100 g (3 1/2 oz) onions

100 g (3 1/2 oz) carrots

20 g (2/3 oz) parsley stalks, thyme

1.8 l (2 5/6 pt or 6 1/2 U.S. cups) water (consider evaporation during preparation)

spices: salt, garlic, 1 bay leaf, 1 clove, 5 peppercorns

Preparation

Bone out beef brisket and breast of veal. Chop bones into small pieces. Cut the meat from the beef brisket, the breast of veal and the shin into thumb size pieces, set aside. Mix bones with a little oil, roast and lightly brown them in oven for 30 to 45 minutes. At the end, add onions and carrots and let everything roast for another 10 minutes. Place the bones together with the bacon rind and the knuckle of ham in a pot, fill with 1.8 l (2 5/6 pt or 6 1/2 U.S. cups) of cold water, add a little salt, bring to the boil and gently boil for at least 3 hours. The original recipe calls for boiling the bones for 12 hours. Regularly add boiling water to replace the evaporated liquid during the boiling process. Sear and brown the meat cut into pieces on all sides. Then deglaze with 200 ml (7 fl oz or 7/8 U.S. cups) of the prepared stock and reduce to a glaze until everything starts to roast again. Repeat process once or twice and add to stock. Continue to gently boil for a total of another 3 hours. Add thyme, parsley stalks, garlic, bay leaf, clove and peppercorns 1/2 hour before finishing and continue to gently boil. Strain the stock through cheesecloth and reduce to 1 l (1 3/4 pt or 4 1/2 U.S. cups).

Note

May be used as the basis for brown stocks and sauces instead of meat or bone broth, wine or water, according to taste. In particular the beef and the shin as well as the knuckle of ham give the stock a strong, at times a hearty note.

In respect of this stock, Escoffier considered it an error to colour the stock by overly roasting the ingredients because he claimed that the osmazome contained in meat would suffice to reach the required colour. (Osmazome = substance imparting meaty smell and taste to liquid during cooking).

Fond de Veau Brun (Brown Veal Stock)

Ingredients for 1 l (1 3/4 pt or 4 1/2 U.S. cups)

20 ml (3/4 fl oz or 1/10 U.S. cups) oil (sunflower or peanut oil)

600 g (21 oz ) veal bones, chopped into thumb size pieces

200 g (7 oz) calf’s feet, chopped into thumb size pieces

200 g (7 oz) vegetables: carrots, celeriac, onions (no leek, would turn bitter during roasting)

30 g (1 oz) tomato puree

1.5 l (2 5/8 pt or 6 1/2 U.S. cups) water (2 to 3 times > 500 ml (18 fl oz 2 1/4 U.S. cups))

600 ml (1 pt or 2 5/8 U.S. cups) white wine

1l (1 3/4 pt or 4 1/2 U.S. cups) broth or Fond Brun

spices: salt, 1 bay leaf, 1 clove, 5 peppercorns, 1 sprig of thyme

Preparation

Roasting Variant 1: Mix veal bones and calf’s feet with the oil in a frying pan (iron or cast iron pans are best suited, but coated pans also work) and roast slowly and carefully for 1 to 1.5 hours, turn occasionally. Place bones in a bowl. Slowly and gently roast vegetables for approx. 30 minutes in the same pan. Add tomato puree and roast together for 10 minutes.

Roasting Variant 2: Mix veal bones and calf’s feet with the oil, place in (coated or uncoated) metal roasting pan. Place on grid in heated oven (200 °Celsius), medium height, roast for 2 to 3 hours, turn occasionally. Keep an eye on temperature, reduce heat before it starts to burn. Add vegetables, continue to roast for 30 minutes. Add tomato puree, continue to roast for 15 minutes.

According to variant 1, put everything back into frying pan, deglaze with 500 ml (18 fl oz 2 1/4 U.S. cups) of water; according to variant 2 deglaze roasted ingredients with 500 ml (18 fl oz 2 1/4 U.S. cups) of water.

For both variants, boil down water and reduce until everything begins to slightly roast again (reduce to a glaze), then add another 500 ml (18 fl oz 2 1/4 U.S. cups) of water. Repeat once or twice.

Once everything has reduced for the second or third time, transfer to a suitable pot. Rinse cookware or frying pan with a little water and add to bones.

Top up with white wine and broth or brown stock. Bring to the boil and frequently skim and degrease. Add spices after one hour.

Gently boil for 1 to 2 hours.

Pass through a coarse sieve, pressing gently. Then strain through a cheesecloth. Season to taste with salt.

Note

Seasoning with salt: Do not season with salt according to taste and usage until the stock has been strained through the cheesecloth; the broth is already seasoned with salt.

Slowly roast over low heat. Never at excessive heat. Do not burn anything. Otherwise the stock would develop unpleasant bitter substances and undesirable black pigments. Roasting is a time consuming and continuous process.

Jus de Veau / Veal Jus

Escoffier introduced the term Jus de Veau as being Fond de Veau reduced to 1/4 (4 l (7 pt or 18 U.S. cups) Fond de Veau = 1 l (1 3/4 pt or 4 1/2 U.S. cups) Jus de Veau). It is customary today to replace veal bones used to produce Fond de Veau with gristle and meat of veal and veal trimmings. The quantities can be increased in accordance with the liquid used, and the stock then does not have to be reduced quite as much (reduce to 1/2 will suffice in general) to produce a Jus de Veau. For all variants: To make sure that the Fond de Veau / Jus de Veau gets a beautiful brown colour and pure flavour as requested by Escoffier, one must see to it that only the best ingredients are used and prepared with utmost care.

You may replace the broth with white wine, water or brown stock.

You may also replace the entire liquid with red wine, which will give the stock a different flavour and a stronger colour. Disadvantage: There is a risk that the stock will turn greyish when mixed with cream and / or white sauce (e.g. for Sauce à la Crème).

Fond de Veau Brun – Brown Veal Stock

Fond de Veau Brun is the most important basis for all brown sauce, be it as a base for Demi-glace, for Jus de Veau or directly as thickened Fond de Veau. This is why a careful and perfect preparation is required.

1. Prepare, wash vegetables and cut into thumb size cubes.

2. Mix veal bones with oil. Place in cookware.

3. Slowly roast veal bones for 1 to 1.5 hour. (Do not burn).

4. Remove roasted veal bones from cookware, drain off excess fat.

5. Place vegetables in cookware and roast gently.

6. Add tomato puree and roast with other ingredients. Do not burn.

7. Add roasted bones.

8. Deglaze and top up with water.

9. Reduce until everything begins to slightly roast again. Repeat once or twice.

10. Once everything has reduced for the third time, place bones in suitable pot.

11. Dissolve juices at the bottom of the pan with water and add to bones.

12. Top up with broth and white wine.

13. Bring to the boil and gently boil for 1.5 to 2 hours. Skim and degrease frequently.

14. Add spices half an hour before the end of the cooking time.

15. Pass through a coarse sieve.

16. Drain off and press bones.

17. Pour through cheesecloth.

18. Squeeze thoroughly.

1. Prepare, wash vegetables and cut into thumb size cubes.

2. Mix veal bones with oil. Place in cookware.

3. Slowly roast veal bones for 1 to 1.5 hour. (Do not burn).

4. Remove roasted veal bones from cookware, drain off excess fat.

5. Place vegetables in cookware and roast gently.

6. Add tomato puree and roast with other ingredients. Do not burn.

7. Add roasted bones.

8. Deglaze and top up with water.

9. Reduce until everything begins to slightly roast again. Repeat once or twice.

10. Once everything has reduced for the third time, place bones in suitable pot.

11. Dissolve juices at the bottom of the pan with water and add to bones.

12. Top up with broth and white wine.

13. Bring to the boil and gently boil for 1.5 to 2 hours. Skim and degrease frequently.

14. Add spices half an hour before the end of the cooking time.

15. Pass through a coarse sieve.

16. Drain off and press bones.

17. Pour through cheesecloth.

18. Squeeze thoroughly.

Fond de Gibier Brun (Game Stock)

Ingredients for 1 l (1 3/4 pt or 4 1/2 U.S. cups)

20 ml (3/4 fl oz or 1/10 U.S. cups) oil (sunflower or peanut oil)

700 g (1 lb 8 2/3 oz) trimmings and bones of game, chopped into thumb size pieces

100 g (3 1/2 oz) calf’s feet, chopped into thumb size pieces

200 g (7 oz) vegetables: carrots, onions (no leek, would turn bitter during roasting)

30 g (1 oz) tomato puree

1.5 l (2 5/8 pt or 6 1/2 U.S. cups) water (2 to 3 times > 500 ml (18 fl oz 2 1/4 U.S. cups))

600 ml (1 pt or 2 5/8 U.S. cups) white wine

1 l (1 3/4 pt or 4 1/2 U.S. cups) water or Fond Brun

spices: salt, 1 bay leaf, 5 juniper berries, 5 peppercorns, bouquet garni (1 sprig of sage and thyme and parsley stalks)

Preparation

Roasting Variant 1: Mix trimmings / bones of game and calf’s feet with the oil in a frying pan (iron or cast iron pans are best suited, but coated pans also work) and roast slowly and carefully for 1 to 1.5 hours. Turn occasionally. Place bones in a bowl. Slowly and gently roast vegetables for approx. 30 minutes in the same pan. Add tomato puree and roast together for 10 minutes.

Roasting Variant 2: Mix trimmings / bones of game and calf’s feet with the oil, place in (coated or uncoated) metal roasting pan. Place on grid in heated oven (200 °Celsius), medium height. Roast for 1.5 to 2 hours, turn occasionally. Keep an eye on temperature, reduce heat if necessary. Add vegetables, continue to roast for 30 minutes. Add tomato puree, continue to roast for 15 minutes.

According to variant 1, put everything back into frying pan, deglaze with 500 ml (18 fl oz 2 1/4 U.S. cups) of water.

According to variant 2, deglaze with 500 ml (18 fl oz 2 1/4 U.S. cups) of water.

For both variants, boil down water and reduce until everything begins to slightly roast again (reduce to a glaze), then add another 500 ml (18 fl oz 2 1/4 U.S. cups) of water. Repeat once or twice.

Once everything has reduced for the second or third time, transfer to a suitable pot. Rinse cookware or frying pan with a little water and add to bones.

Top up with white wine and 1 l (1 3/4 pt or 4 1/2 U.S. cups) of water. Bring to the boil and frequently skim and degrease. Add spices after one hour.

Gently boil for 1 to 2 hour.

Pass through a coarse sieve, pressing gently. Then strain through a cheesecloth. Season to taste with salt.

Note

Trimmings and bones of furred game: roe deer, deer, wild boar, hare.

Trimmings and bones of game birds: pheasant, partridge etc. Depending on use, only process one variety.

Seasoning with salt: Do not season with salt according to taste and use until the stock has been strained through the cheesecloth.

Slowly roast over low heat, never at excessive heat. Do not burn. Otherwise the stock would develop unpleasant bitter substances and undesirable black pigments. Roasting is a time consuming and continuous process.

You may also replace the entire liquid with red wine, which will give the stock a slightly different flavour and a stronger colour. Disadvantage: There is a risk that the stock will turn greyish when mixed with cream and / or white sauce (e.g. for Sauce à la Crème).

Fond de Veau Blanc (White Veal Stock)

Ingredients for 1 l (1 3/4 pt or 4 1/2 U.S. cups)

600 g (21 oz ) veal bones of breastbone or veal trimmings

100 g (3 1/2 oz) calf’s feet

1.4 l (2 1/2 pt or 6 U.S. cups) water

100 g (3 1/2 oz) vegetables: carrots, white part of leek, celeriac, onions

spices: salt, 1 bay leaf, 1 clove, 5 peppercorns, 1 small sprig of thyme, 5 parsley stalks

Preparation

Boil (blanch) veal bones / veal / calf’s feet: place in boiling water (1:10), vigorously boil for 2 minutes, drain, rinse bones first with hot, then with cold water.

Cut vegetables into thumb size pieces.

Place veal bones / veal / calf’s feet in a pan, cover with 1.4 l (2 1/2 pt or 6 U.S. cups) of cold water, season with salt, slowly bring to the boil, skim frequently.

Reduce heat, gently boil for 1 hour, then add spices and vegetables and continue to softly boil for another 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Pass through a coarse sieve first, then through a very fine tea strainer or through a cheesecloth. Season to taste with salt.

Fond de Veau Blanc – White Veal Stock

Fond de Veau Blanc is the base for Velouté de Veau or, respectively, Sauce Allemande. Reducing Fond de Veau will result in a white meat glaze.

1. Prepare, wash and trim vegetables. Tie up vegetables into a bouquet garni.

2. Add bones to water at full rolling boil.

3. Also add meat and calf’s feet. Bring to a quick boil and drain off.

4. Rinse bones, meat and calf’s feet, first with hot, then with cold water, then place in pot with cold water.

5. Bring to the boil and gently boil for 1.5 hours. Skim and degrease frequently.

6. Add vegetables.

7. Add spices 30 minutes before straining and let boil together.

8. Season Fond de Veau Blanc with salt. Continue to gently boil for another 30 minutes to 1 hour.

9. Pass Fond de Veau Blanc at the end through a cheesecloth.

1. Prepare, wash and trim vegetables. Tie up vegetables into a bouquet garni.

2. Add bones to water at full rolling boil.

3. Also add meat and calf’s feet. Bring to a quick boil and drain off.

4. Rinse bones, meat and calf’s feet, first with hot, then with cold water, then place in pot with cold water.

5. Bring to the boil and gently boil for 1.5 hours. Skim and degrease frequently.

6. Add vegetables.

7. Add spices 30 minutes before straining and let boil together.

8. Season Fond de Veau Blanc with salt. Continue to gently boil for another 30 minutes to 1 hour.

9. Pass Fond de Veau Blanc at the end through a cheesecloth.

Fond de Volaille (Chicken Stock)

Ingredients for 1 l (1 3/4 pt or 4 1/2 U.S. cups)

600 g (21 oz ) boiling fowl and / or poultry carcasses

1.4 l (2 1/2 pt or 6 U.S. cups) water

100 g (3 1/2 oz) white vegetables: white part of leek, celeriac, onions

spices: salt, 1 bay leaf, 1 clove, 5 peppercorns, 1 small sprig of thyme, 1 small sprig of rosemary parsley stalks

Preparation

Cut boiling fowl into small pieces, boil (blanch): place in boiling water (1:10), vigorously boil for 2 minutes, drain, rinse boiling fowl (pieces) first with hot, then with cold water.

Cut vegetables into thumb size pieces.

Place boiling fowl (pieces) in pan, cover with 1.4 l (2 1/2 pt or 6 U.S. cups) of cold water, season with salt, slowly bring to the boil, skim frequently.

Reduce heat, gently boil for 30 minutes, then add spices and vegetables and continue to softly boil for another 30 minutes to 1.5 hours.

Pass through a coarse sieve first, then through a very fine tea strainer or through cheesecloth. Season to taste with salt.

Note

You can do without the first boiling (blanching) step. However, you will then have to skim the stock more frequently.

The remaining meat of the boiling fowl may be used to prepare, for instance, chicken salad or curry rice salad with chicken. Remove skin from pieces of chicken, bone meat and cut to pieces of desired size.

Fond de Poisson Blanc (White Fish Stock)

Ingredients for 1 l (1 3/4 pt or 4 1/2 U.S. cups)

600 g (21 oz ) fish bones (exclusively from sea fish like turbot, sole, whiting)

1 l (1 3/4 pt or 4 1/2 U.S. cups) water

100 ml (3 1/2 fl oz or 1/2 U.S. cups) white wine

100 g (3 1/2 oz) white vegetables: white part of leek, onions, button mushrooms, parsley root, parsley stalks, celeriac

spices: salt, 5 peppercorns, juice of half a lemon (small)

Preparation

Cut vegetables into thumb size pieces, place in pan together with spices, place fish bones on top. Cover with 1 l (1 3/4 pt or 4 1/2 U.S. cups) of cold water, add salt, slowly and very carefully bring to boiling point, skim thoroughly. Add white wine and continue to gently cook just under the boiling point for 30 minutes (do not boil). Remove from heat and let stand for another 15 minutes. Pass through a coarse sieve first, then through a very fine tea strainer or through a cheesecloth.

Note

Fish bones from sole, lemon sole, red mullet or whiting. Available at quality fishmongers or at speciality departments. If not readily available, sacrifice one whole fish and cut into pieces. Respect the times indicated for boiling and do not exceed them. Excessive cooking might result in undesired flavours reminiscent of fish glue.

Fond de Poisson Blanc – White Fish Stock

Fish Stock is the base for Fumet de Poisson, Velouté de Poisson or respectively for Sauce au Vin Blanc. The White Fish Glaze is produced by reducing the Fond de Poisson or the Fumet de Poisson.

1. Prepare, wash vegetables and cut into thumb size cubes.

2. Remove fish bones from blood residues and cut them into small pieces.

3. Place vegetables and peppercorns on bottom of the pan.

4. Place fish on top of vegetables.

5. Season fish and vegetables with salt.

6. Top up with water.

7. Add lemon juice.

8. Bring to boiling point and allow to simmer for 15 minutes. Skim.

9. Add white wine and allow to simmer for another 30 minutes. Frequently skim.

10. At the end, pass Fond de Poisson Blanc carefully through cheesecloth.

1. Prepare, wash vegetables and cut into thumb size cubes.

2. Remove fish bones from blood residues and cut them into small pieces.

3. Place vegetables and peppercorns on bottom of the pan.

4. Place fish on top of vegetables.

5. Season fish and vegetables with salt.

6. Top up with water.

7. Add lemon juice.

8. Bring to boiling point and allow to simmer for 15 minutes. Skim.

9. Add white wine and allow to simmer for another 30 minutes. Frequently skim.

10. At the end, pass Fond de Poisson Blanc carefully through cheesecloth.

Fumet de Poisson (Concentrated White Fish Stock)

Ingredients for 1 l (1 3/4 pt or 4 1/2 U.S. cups)

400 g (14 oz) fish bones (only seafish – turbot, sole, whiting)

50 g (2 oz) shallots, chopped

100 g (3 1/2 oz) white vegetables: white part of leek, onions, button mushrooms, parsley roots, parsley stalks, celeriac

50 g (2 oz) butter

1 l (1 3/4 pt or 4 1/2 U.S. cups) Fond de Poisson Blanc

100 ml (3 1/2 fl oz or 1/2 U.S. cups) white wine

spices: 5 peppercorns

Preparation

Cut vegetables into thumb size pieces, sweat shallots in butter, but do not colour. Add the roughly cut fish bones and sweat everything together. Top up with Fond de Poisson. Slowly and very carefully bring to boiling point and skim thoroughly. Add white wine and peppercorns and continue to cook just under the boiling point for another 30 minutes (do not boil). Remove from heat and let stand for another 15 minutes. Thoroughly pass through a cheesecloth.

Fond de Poisson Rouge (Red Fish Stock)

Ingredients for 1 l (1 3/4 pt or 4 1/2 U.S. cups)

2 l (3 1/2 pt or 9 U.S. cups) red wine, strong of dark colour

600 g (21 oz ) fish bones (of turbot, sole or whiting)

100 g (3 1/2 oz) white vegetables: white part of leek, onions, button mushrooms

spices: salt, 2 g (1/2 tsp) / l,5 peppercorns, 1 bay leaf, parsley stalks, thyme, possibly garlic

Preparation

Pour 2 l (3 1/2 pt or 9 U.S. cups) of red wine in a pan, bring to the boil and reduce to approx. 1.1 l (2 pt), let cool.

Cut vegetables into thumb size pieces, place in pan together with spices, place fish bones on top. Cover with the 1.1 l (2 pt) reduction of red wine, add salt, slowly and very carefully bring to boiling point, skim thoroughly. Gently cook just under the boiling point for approx. 30 minutes (do not boil).

Remove from heat and let stand for another 15 minutes.

Drain through a coarse sieve, then again through a very fine tea strainer.

Note

Fish bones of sole, lemon sole and red mullet. Available at quality fishmongers or at speciality departments. If not readily available, sacrifice one whole fish and cut into pieces. Respect the times indicated for boiling and do not exceed them. Excessive cooking might result in undesired flavours reminiscent of fish glue.

Fish stock with red wine is not directly used in the production of basic sauces and its variations, it rather a) serves as the base for the preparation of fish matelote or b) develops while preparing it. Fond de Poisson Rouge is mentioned here for the sake of completeness.

Glaces (Glazes)

Glaces are stocks concentrated in their consistency and flavours by reducing them. They are used to increase and perfect the flavour during the preparation of sauces. The reduction process also condenses the gelatinous substances, which is why glazes that have cooled down are rather solid in texture.

– Reduction of Fond de Veau Brun = Glace de Viande / Meat Glaze

– Reduction of Fond de Gibier = Glace de Gibier / Game Glaze

– Reduction of Fond de Veau Blanc = Glace de Viande Blonde / Blonde Meat Glaze

– Reduction of Fond de Volaille = Glace de Volaille / Poultry Glaze

– Reduction of Fond de Poisson (Fumet) = Glace de Poisson / Fish Glaze

Essence de Tomate (Tomato Essence)

Choose very ripe tomatoes. Wash, cut in half, remove peduncle. Briefly mix in a food processor. Place colander in sink and line with cheesecloth. Add mixed tomatoes. Lift cloth at all four edges and wring until the first juice is squeezed out. Cover tomatoes with cloth and weight down. Set aside in refrigerator overnight. Reduce tomato juice thus won until it is syrupy. Possibly pass through a cheesecloth one more time.

Essence de Tomate

The preparation of Essence de Tomate is more demanding, yet the resulting flavour is also more sophisticated. It is particularly suitable as an addition to delicate sauces to improve their taste.

1. Wash very ripe tomatoes and remove peduncle.

2. Cut tomatoes into small pieces.

3. Place in a food processor.

4. Briefly mix and puree tomatoes.

5. Pass through cheesecloth.

6. Thoroughly squeeze once. Reserve juice.

7. Squeeze out remaining mass using a glass bowl. You may also put a weight on top and set aside in refrigerator over night.

8. Pour liquid thus won into a pan.

9. Season the juice with a little bit of sugar and salt.

10. Reduce tomato juice until it is syrupy. Season to taste with basil.

11. Strain through cheesecloth again and squeeze thoroughly.

12. The remaining substance is concentrated Essence de Tomate.

1. Wash very ripe tomatoes and remove peduncle.

2. Cut tomatoes into small pieces.

3. Place in a food processor.

4. Briefly mix and puree tomatoes.

5. Pass through cheesecloth.

6. Thoroughly squeeze once. Reserve juice.

7. Squeeze out remaining mass using a glass bowl. You may also put a weight on top and set aside in refrigerator over night.

8. Pour liquid thus won into a pan.

9. Season the juice with a little bit of sugar and salt.

10. Reduce tomato juice until it is syrupy. Season to taste with basil.

11. Strain through cheesecloth again and squeeze thoroughly.

12. The remaining substance is concentrated Essence de Tomate.

Puree de Tomate (Tomato Puree)

Purée de Tomate as described in the recipes of this book has nothing in common with tomato puree or tomato paste that you will find in grocery stores, even if they bear the same name. The recipe given below demonstrates what is meant by Purée de Tomate. Commercial tomato puree or tomato paste might possibly be used to prepare brown sauces. Never add it to round off a sauce that has already been prepared because it would be too concentrated (and too crude in taste).

Ingredients for 1 l (1 3/4 pt or 4 1/2 U.S. cups)

1500 g (3 1/2 lb) tomatoes, peeled and cored, cut in cubes

100 ml (3 1/2 fl oz or 1/2 U.S. cups) water

spices: salt, 2 g (1/2 tsp)/l

Preparation

Bring water to the boil, add tomatoes and bring to the boil slowly while stirring constantly. Reduce tomatoes over low heat until just about a maximum of 1 l (1 3/4 pt or 4 1/2 U.S. cups) is left. Puree in a blender and pass through cheesecloth with wooden spatula. Possibly reduce to the desired texture on heat.

Glace de Viande Brune – Meat Glaze

Glace de Viande Brune is based upon Fond de Veau Brun. Glaze is strongly reduced stock. Its preparation is always the same, be it for Glace de Viande Blonde or Brune, Glace de Poisson or Glace de Volaille. The reduction process not only includes the condensation of aromas, but also of the gelatinous substances, which is why glazes that have cooled down are rather solid in texture.

1. Bring the Fond de Veau Brun to the boil. Skim and degrease frequently while reducing the stock to 1/4 of its original volume. Depending on taste, it can be reduced to 1/10.

2. Pass the Glace de Viande Brune thus produced through a very fine sieve.

3. Return to the pot and bring to the boil once again.

4. Pour Glace for example into a preserving jar.

5. Close jar and store in refrigerator.

6. That way, Glace de Viande can be stored in portions and used when needed.

1. Bring the Fond de Veau Brun to the boil. Skim and degrease frequently while reducing the stock to 1/4 of its original volume. Depending on taste, it can be reduced to 1/10.

2. Pass the Glace de Viande Brune thus produced through a very fine sieve.

3. Return to the pot and bring to the boil once again.

4. Pour Glace for example into a preserving jar.

5. Close jar and store in refrigerator.

6. That way, Glace de Viande can be stored in portions and used when needed.

THICKENING AGENTS

Thickening agents have three functions to improve consistency (depending on the thickening agent). Their first task is to bind and thicken liquids, as the name suggests. Their second task is to round off the sauce’s taste. Their third task is to make the sauce smoother and creamier.

Farine (Flour)

Thickening sauces simply by flour can have the following reasons: 1. Re-thickening a sauce that is not sufficiently thick. 2. Reducing the energy content of a sauce by not using fat as a thickener. Thickening sauces simply by flour does not require any additional butter or fat (as is usually the case in a Roux). The following methods apply: a) for dark sauces: Mix flour with a little tomato puree and red wine until reaching a liquid consistency, b) for white sauces: mix flour with milk until reaching a liquid consistency, c) for all other white sauces: mix flour with water or, according to taste, with white wine until reaching a liquid consistency. In any case, pass through a sieve and add to gently boiling liquid, stirring the sauce vigorously until the desired consistency is reached. Important to note: Continue to gently boil sauce thickened with flour for at least 10 minutes, stirring it frequently so that the starch granules swell and the optimum thickening degree is reached without affecting the taste.

Roux

Sweating flour in fat has two advantages: 1. Starch turns into dextrin and thus loses its floury taste. 2. Flour is bound by fat as a “transportation vehicle” and dissolves more easily in the liquid / sauce. We differentiate between white and brown Roux. The thickening ratio for 1 litre of liquid / sauce: 40 g (1 1/3 oz) of butter or fat (coconut fat, margarine etc.) and 50 g (2 oz) of flour. a) White Roux for all white sauces: Slowly heat fat, and gently cook flour for one to two minutes over low heat. b) Brown Roux for all brown sauces: Slowly heat fat and gently roast and brown flour for approximately 30 minutes over low heat. In both cases: Add the warm liquid / sauce to the Roux which is still hot, bring to the boil, frequently stirring the sauce or alternatively place cooled down Roux in hot liquid / sauce and dissolve, stirring frequently. It is recommended to add hot liquid to cold Roux. Reason: The sauce boils up more quickly and the risk of burning is thus reduced.

Roux Clair

1. Melt butter and heat it without browning it.

2. Add flour and mix with butter.

3. Gently sweat flour for a maximum of 2 minutes without browning it.

1. Melt butter and heat it without browning it.

2. Add flour and mix with butter.

3. Gently sweat flour for a maximum of 2 minutes without browning it.

Roux Brun

1. Melt butter and heat it without browning it.

2. Add flour and mix with butter, stirring constantly.

3. Slowly increase temperature until reaching desired colour (resembling hazel colour).

1. Melt butter and heat it without browning it.

2. Add flour and mix with butter, stirring constantly.

3. Slowly increase temperature until reaching desired colour (resembling hazel colour).

Beurre Manié (Kneaded Butter)

Beurre Manié is in particular used when re-thickening sauces. The thickening ratio for 1 litre (1 3/4 pt or 4 1/2 U.S. cups) of liquid / sauce (Fond de Veau Brun or Blanc (Brown or White Veal Stock)): 50 g (2 oz) of butter (you may also use other fats, like coconut fat, margarine etc.) and 50 g (2 oz) of flour. Knead together butter and flour. Add Beurre Manié to hot, yet not boiling Sauce and dissolve, stirring constantly. Continue to gently boil sauce for at least another 7 minutes to dissolve the flour completely and remove the floury taste.

Amidon de Ble (Wheat Starch [rice, corn, potato or arrowroot starch, and others])

Depending on the type of starch used, the thickening ratio varies strongly. All starches except rice flour must be dissolved in a cold liquid before use. Add subsequently to hot, but not boiling liquid, stirring it constantly. Starches begin to thicken best from 80 °Celsius and lose some (approx. 10 %) of their thickening power above 90 °Celsius. This is why they are added shortly before serving. Starches provide thickened sauces with a silky shine and do not have to boil through. They are particularly suited for the short-term (re-)thickening of sauces because they do not have a specific aftertaste, other than flour.

LIANTS POUR SAUCE, PRODUITS INDUSTRIELLEMENT (Commercial Sauce Thickeners)

Modern, commercially produced sauce thickeners are based upon starch. Through special processing procedures, e.g. freeze-drying or roller drying, immediate solubility is reached (instant products). There is no “caking” when stirring it into hot or cold liquids. The thickening power and temperature of sauce thickener is the same as for starch.

CREME – Double, SAUCES, AIGRE (Cream – Double, Whipping, Sour)

Sauces thickened with cream only will have a rather liquid consistency. They give the impression of relatively light sauces. The truth, however, is that such sauces have a higher energy content than sauces thickened with flour or starches. On the one hand, whole cream or half-and-half are added, and then reduced to reach the desired texture. On the other hand, adding cream is intended to improve the sauce. One can reach a stronger thickening result by folding in the cream or sour cream to the hot, but not boiling sauce just before serving. Sour cream goes well in some sauces (Sauces aux Champignons, Sauces Venaison), but it is by far not the perfect match for all sauces. Before adding it to the sauce, add sour cream to a small amount of sauce and check taste. Here the same principle applies in respect of salt and spices: what has been added is in the sauce – you can always add something to it, but you can never remove anything from it!

Which type of cream to use depends mostly on one’s individual taste. Single cream: whipping cream, between 30 to 36 % milkfat. Double cream / Crème double at least 40 % / milkfat, in Switzerland 45 % milkfat. Half cream 25 % milkfat. Sour cream: light sour cream with at least 10 % milkfat, smetana (sour cream) with 20 to 29 % and crème fraîche with at least 30 % milkfat.

Jaune d’œuf (Egg Yolk)

Egg yolk is often used to thicken desserts, in case of savoury sauces it is usually used in combination with cream or to bind butter and oil sauces. The use of egg yolk as a thickener is a delicate matter because it coagulates from 83 °Celsius and starts to clot, yet its maximum thickening power is only reached just underneath that threshold, i.e. at temperatures between 80° to 82 °Celsius. Thickening sauces with egg yolk therefore requires experience and an exact working method (e.g. when whisking Butter Sauces).

As an alternative, one may use the following, slightly outdated egg yolk method: strain a boiled egg yolk through a fine sieve, put into mortar or food processor and crush with a little bit of cream. Stir this mixture into hot liquid, boil through, stirring the sauce vigorously, and strain through cheesecloth. Coagulated or hard-boiled egg yolk does not lose its thickening power.

Liaison (Thickening with Egg Yolk and Cream)

The thickening ratio for 1 litre (1 3/4 pt or 4 1/2 U.S. cups) of liquid / sauce: 1 to 2 egg yolks and 100 to 200 ml (3 1/2 fl oz or 1/2 U.S. cups to 7 fl oz or 7/8 U.S. cups) of cream, always in a 1:1 ratio. Beat egg yolk and cream in a bowl with a whisk, slowly add approximately 20 ml (7 fl oz or 7/8 U.S. cups) of the hot sauce, whisking vigorously. Add mixture subsequently to hot, but not to boiling liquid, stirring it constantly. Reduce by vigorously stirring and boiling through. The sauce will then be mixed and subsequently strained through a cheesecloth.

Liaison / Thickening with Egg Yolk and Cream

1. Separate egg yolk from egg white.

2. Add cream to egg yolk.

3. Mix egg yolk and cream. Subsequently add some of the sauce to be thickened before stirring Liaison into sauce.

1. Separate egg yolk from egg white.

2. Add cream to egg yolk.

3. Mix egg yolk and cream. Subsequently add some of the sauce to be thickened before stirring Liaison into sauce.

BEURRE (Butter)

General rule: Cut butter in required quantity into slices or cubes the size of a thumbnail and ca. 2 mm thick. Fold into the hot sauce (approx. 70 °Celsius), stirring vigorously with a whisk or a blender. This vigorous stirring or whisking method results in a certain degree of homogenization. Do not reheat sauce, this would destroy homogenization and the thickening effect: the butter (milkfat) would separate from the sauce and float on top.

Tip: Add pieces of butter cooled in ice water to hot sauce (ca. 80 °Celsius), carefully, yet constantly, whisking and tossing it until the desired thickness has been reached. Curiously, better thickening results are achieved by gentle stirring and tossing rather than by vigorous whisking.

Foie gras / fattened duck or goose liver: According to taste, butter may be replaced by foie gras de canard (duck) or foie gras d’oie (goose), however, it has to be puréed first and strained through a cheesecloth. See Sauce Rouennaise.

Monter – Mount with Butter

1. Remove prepared sauce from heat, add butter.

2. In the pan, slowly whisk and toss butter into sauce in a circular motion until reaching desired consistency.

1. Remove prepared sauce from heat, add butter.

2. In the pan, slowly whisk and toss butter into sauce in a circular motion until reaching desired consistency.

MONTER – Whisk in Butter

1. Remove prepared and hot sauce from heat, add butter.

2. Add butter to sauce using a whisk, stirring it vigorously, until reaching desired consistency.

1. Remove prepared and hot sauce from heat, add butter.

2. Add butter to sauce using a whisk, stirring it vigorously, until reaching desired consistency.

Sang (Blood)

In the past, stews from roe deer, boar or deer used to be thickened with fresh pig’s blood (blood of other animals is also possible, for instance hare’s blood, if available). This thickening method is rather rare today. The thickening ratio for 1 litre (1 3/4 pt or 4 1/2 U.S. cups) of liquid / sauce: 100 ml (3 1/2 fl oz or 1/2 U.S. cups) of pig’s blood. Freshly slaughtered, stirred blood is the prerequisite. Stir blood into hot, but not boiling sauce, and strain through a cheesecloth. The blood may be mixed with cream in a 1:1 ratio before adding it. Blood reacts similarly to egg yolk when it comes to temperature: the optimum thickening power starts around 80 °Celsius and coagulation begins at 85 °Celsius. Products thickened or rounded off with blood are more delicate, and spoil more quickly, than other products. Unfortunately, fresh pig’s blood as a thickening agent has a bad reputation today.This is totally unjustified because well dosed and subtly used, it provides Sauce Venaison with a marked, velvety consistency and a subtle, but quite unmistakable, flavour and typical colour.

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.