Showing posts with label mother sauces. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mother sauces. Show all posts

Velouté Soupe and Sauce Velouté - A Veloute Soup and a Veloute Sauce. - A Velouté is One of France's "Mother" Sauces and one of the Many Styles of Soups and Sauces on French Menus.

from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

 

  
Spring Pea Velouté
https://www.flickr.com/photos/dalecruse/14150291763/sizes/m/ 
  
The Velouté, a mother sauce.

Veloutés are velvety soups and sauces that developed from the work and writings one of the most famous of the early 19th-century chefs Antonin CarêmeAmong Antonin's many rules for French Cuisine were the four “mother sauces." From these sauces, all other sauces were to be developed.   Antonin, with friends,  created the format for French Haute Cuisine in the first part of the 19th century. His rules remained in place until Escoffier began publishing important changes in the early 20th century, some seventy years later.  Antonin's four “mother sauces" were Sauce Bechamel, Sauce Allemagne, Sauce Espagnole and  Sauce Velouté. When Escoffier began his changes, the Sauce Velouté remained untouched as did Sauce Béchamel and Sauce Espagnole. Nevertheless, Escoffier demoted Sauce Allemande and added Sauce Tomât and Sauce Hollandaise. In all Escoffier designated five sauces as "mother sauces". Escoffier's changes remain in place.
  
Escoffier
Photograph courtesy of Heidi Dietrich.
   
From Antonin’s four mother sauces Escoffier made five.  I agree with Escoffier’s addition of Hollandaise as  I really like Hollandaise and without Hollandaise, there would be no Sauce Béarnaise and that would be terrible!  Escoffier also added Sauce Tomat, tomato sauce, and that, of course, for the 20th and 21st centuries is a no-brainer.

The origin of the word Velouté.

The word velouté comes from the language of d’Oc, Occitan.  Occitan is the language that competed with modern French as the language that all Frenchmen and women would speak. Even in the late 19th century, some 20% of the population spoke very little French. Now all French children leave school with near-perfect French. However, Occitan and its dialects are still spoken or at least partly understood by some 12 million Frenchmen and women directly or through one of its dialects like Gascon,  Languedocien, Provencal, and Niçoise among others. In Occitan the word velouté means velvety, and that should be how a velouté soup or sauce should feel on your tongue. 
   
Butternut squash velouté
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sfllaw/3315254490/

The Original Sauce Velouté
  
The original Sauce Velouté began with a “roux,”  that is butter and flour that has been rolled and re-rolled together. Then a light fish stock or chicken stock would be added and apart from salt and pepper, that was the original velouté. To this "mother sauce", would be added vegetable or other flavorings along with egg yolks and butter and or cream as required. Modern recipes have made changes, but a soup or sauce with a velvety taste remains a velouté. For all the other names of soups on French menus click here.  I saw that the Miriam Webster website gave the definition of a Sauce Velouté only for sauces made with chicken, veal or fish stock. That was true once upon a time; however, many Sauce Veloutés on today's menus will be made with vegetables alone.
  
Veloutés on a French menus:
           
Velouté d'Ail aux Escargots A velvety, garlic accented, snail soup.
   

Spring Garlic Velouté with Escargot, Nettle and Potato Dariole
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jaytong/2563599768/
  
Velouté d’Épinards aux Moules – A smooth spinach soup prepared with mussels.
  
Velouté de Châtaigne, Espuma Poivrons Rouges et Paprika, Copeaux de Noix – A velvety chestnut soup prepared with a foam of sweet red peppers and paprika and served with walnut shavings.
 
Velouté de Choux Fleur au Lait de Coco et Épices Douces – A cauliflower velouté made with coconut milk and sweet spices.
  
Velouté de Cressonnette aux Crevettes – A velvety  watercress soup prepared with shrimps.
 
Velouté de Girolles, Pistou de Persil Plat  A velvety Girolle Chanterelle mushroom soup prepared with a flat parsley pistou.  Pistou is French for the Italian Pesto  In the original Italian pesto and the French pistou sweet basil leaves are the main herb, here the star of this pistou is flat parsley.
     
Chanterelle Girolle - Cantharellus Cibarius
https://www.flickr.com/photos/40948266@N04/28515104604/
   
Veloute de Panais et Topinambour – A parsnip and Jerusalem artichoke veloute.

Velouté de Potiron et Chataignes Avec Homard –  A velvety  pumpkin and chestnut soup served with pieces of the European two-clawed lobster.
   
Chataignes, Chestnuts.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/rhian/3993039576/

------------------------

Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

 

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

 

Copyright 2010, 2016
---------------------------

Searching for the meaning of words, names or phrases
on
French menus?

Just add the word, words, or phrase that you are searching for to the words "Behind the French Menu" (best when including the inverted commas), and search with Google or Bing,  Behind the French Menu’s links, include hundreds of words, names, and phrases that are seen on French menus. There are over 450 articles that include over 4,000 French dishes with English translations and explanations.


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Sauce Béchamel, One of the Five Mother sauces in French Cuisine.

from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

 


   
Sauce Béchamel
 
Sauce Béchamel
  
Sauce Béchamel is a white sauce that at its simplest is made with butter, flour, and milk flavored with nutmeg. It has been part of French cuisine since at least the mid-1600s when it was named after Louis de Béchamel Marquis of Nointel, (1630-1703). Louis de Béchamel was King Louis XIV of France’s Finance Minister and his tax collector. As such Béchamel flattered by having many dishes named after him; however Sauce Béchamel is the only recipe with his name that has survived. (BTW  King Louis XIV built the Chateau de Versailles).


Zucchinis (courgettes) with Sauce Béchamel Gratinée.

Sauce Béchamel is a mother sauce.

A mother sauce may be served on its own but its importance lies in its use as a base for many other sauces. Nearly all creamy white sauces are the children of Sauce Béchamel.  Following on them a sauce that develops from a child is, obviously the original sauce’s grandchild, The most well-known children of Sauce Béchamel are listed towards the end of this post.
   

Salmon and Sauce Bechamel.
                    
 Sauce Béchamel on French menus:
                   
Gratin d'Aubergine, Pommes de Terre et Viande Hachée à la Sauce Béchamel -  Aubergines, USA eggplants, mashed potatoes and chopped beef covered with a Béchamel sauce; cooked and browned in the oven.
        
 Pâtes Farcies au Veau et Épinard, Nappées d'une Sauce Tomate et Béchamel, le Tout Gratiné -Fresh pasta stuffed with veal and spinach and served with an oven-browned tomato and Béchamel sauce.
  
 

Lasagna alla Besciamella
That’s Italian for lasagna with Béchamel sauce.
The French use many Italian recipes and the Italians have returned the compliment with Sauce Béchamel mostly called La Besciamella.
Good recipes are for sharing.
         
Choux-Fleur à la Béchamel Gratinée  - Cauliflower covered with Béchamel sauce and browned under the grill.

Gratiné de Noix de Saint-Jacques en Béchamel - The meat of the king scallop cooked with béchamel sauce and browned under the grill.
  
Stuffed red peppers with Sauce Bechamel.
www.flickr.com/photos/jlastras/4531446575/
  
Pain de Mie, Jambon Blanc, Béchamel, Tomates et Gruyère - A sandwich of sliced bread with cooked ham, tomatoes, and Gruyere cheese; covered with Sauce Béchamel. In France, at lunchtime, sandwiches, and croissants stuffed with ham, cheese or vegetables will be on many menus with many coming with Sauce Béchamel.

The children of Sauce Béchamel

The most well-known children of Sauce Béchamel are Sauce Aurore. Sauce Mornay, Sauce Nantua, and Sauce Soubise.

Sauce Aurore

Sauce Aurore is Sauce Béchamel with added tomato puree and crème fraiche with a hint of garlic. The sauce’s color gave the sauce its name; aurore means dawn in French.
   

Cauliflower with Sauce Aurore Gratiné

Sauce Mornay

Sauce Mornay is Béchamel’s most famous child and it is simply made by adding Gruyere or Parmesan cheese to the Béchamel Sauce. The sauce’s original recipe and the claim that it was named after Philippe de Mornay (5 November 1549 – 11 November 1623) is disputed as Philippe de Mornay died before Louis de Béchamel was born. However, there are other Duke's de Mornay in French history.
  

Endives au Jambon Sauce Mornay
Belgian Endives with cured ham and Sauce Mornay.

Sauce Nantua

Sauce Nantua is a Béchamel sauce originally made with freshwater crayfish and their shells from around the town of Nantua in the department of Ain in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Today, from over-fishing and pollution any crayfish on Nantua menus will not be local and more often than not a lobster bisque or shellfish shells replace the crayfish with tomato paste assisting with the sauce’s color. 
  

Quenelles de Brochet Sauce Nantua
Pike (the fish) dumplings with Sauce Nantua.

 
Sauce Soubise

Sauce Soubise is a Sauce Béchamel flavored with veal stock, butter, fried onions, crème fraicheand nutmeg.   In Paris, there is a Hôtel de Soubise that was built for the Prince and Princess de Soubise in 1375.  The sauce was named after Prince Soubise, Charles de Rohan (1715 – 1787) and the Hôtel de Soubise is now the French National Archive Museum.


( N.B. Sauce Béchamel and the four other Mother sauces of French have many children and grandchildren. The five sauces are Béchamel; Espagnol, a brown sauce; Hollandaise; Veloute; and Tomate, a thick tomato-based sauce.  

---------------------------
 

Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

 

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

 

Copyright 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015,2019
  
---------------------------

Searching for the meaning of words, names or phrases
on
French menus?

Just add the word, words, or phrase that you are searching for to the words "Behind the French Menu" (best when including the inverted commas), and search with Google or Bing,  Behind the French Menu’s links include hundreds of words, names, and phrases that are seen on French menus. There are over 450 articles that include over 4,000 French dishes with English translations and explanations.
  
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