Stocks, Sauces & Soups

Stocks Are the seasoned liquids that form the foundation of sauces and soups.

Stocks Composed of 4 ingredients 50% nourishing element 10% mirepoix Bouquet garni 40% liquid

Nourishing Element Most important element Fresh bones (beef, lamb, chicken, fish, veal or game) Meat trimmings Fish trimmings for fish stock Vegetables for vegetable stock

Mirepoix (meer-PWA) Mix of coarsely chopped vegetables that add flavor, nutrients and color Usually include 2 parts onion, 1 part celery and 1 part carrot

Bouquet garni Combination of fresh herbs and vegetables May include: carrots, leeks, celery, thyme, and parsley stems bundled with butcher twine It is removed before stock is used

Liquid Almost always water Always begin with cold water as it brings out the maximum flavor and prevents stock from becoming cloudy

Stock types White- nourishing element is simmered Brown- nourishing element is roasted Fish- lean fish or shellfish Vegetable- no meat products are used

Stock Vocabulary Glaze- a stock that is reduced and concentrated, resulting in a flavorful, thick, and syrupy liquid Reduction- the process of evaporating part of the stock’s water through simmering or boiling Base- a powdered or concentrated form of a stock (boullion cubes or paste)

Sauces Most sauces are flavored, thickened liquids They are formed by adding seasonings, flavorings, and a thickening agent Thickening agent- an ingredient typically a starch, that adds body to the sauce

Sauces- Thickening agents The difference between a stock and a sauce is that a sauce must be thickened Most thickening agents are forms of starch Gelatinization- a process where starch granules absorb moisture when placed in a liquid

Quality sauces have: No lumps A flavor that is not floury or pasty Sticks to the back of the spoon Will not break apart when it cools down

Thickening agents include: Flour Cornstarch Arrowroot Instant starches Bread crumbs Tapioca

5 Grand (Basic) sauces: Mother Sauces Bechamel Veloute Tomato Sauce Espagnole Hollandaise

Bechamel-cream or white sauce (roux) Made from milk and white roux Roux- (roo) a thickener made of equl parts cooked flour and a fat, such as clarified butter, oil, or shortening. To make a roux, the fat is heated in a pan, and the flour is added. Stir until fully blended.

Veloute- light colored stock, light colored roux (blond sauce) In preparing a velouté sauce, a light stock (one in which the bones used have not been previously roasted), such as chicken or fish stock, is thickened with a blond roux. Thus the ingredients of a velouté are equal parts by mass butter and flour to form the roux, a light chicken or fish stock, and salt and pepper for seasoning.

Tomato- tomato, seasonings and stock

Sauce Espagnole- thickened brown stock and tomato product

Hollandaise- egg yolks, butter, lemon juice and seasonings

Other Sauces Salsa- raw vegetables, fruits, spices and onion Relishes- may be cooked, pickled or brined Gravy- meat juices combined with cream/milk/or water Compound butters- herbs added to butters Independent sauces- BBQ

How to choose the right sauce? Ask: What will be the style of service? Plated or self-serve? How is the main ingredient of the dish being cooked? Bold sauces are best for roasted meats, while lighter sauces are best for white meats How does the sauce’s flavor work with the dish’s flavor?

Soups Two basic kinds – Clear – flavored stocks, broths, and consomme’s. Ex: chicken noodle, vegetable Thick – cream soups and puree’ soups such as bisques, chowders, lentil, split pea

Variations include dessert soups fruit soups cold soups gumbo

How to Prepare Soups Most are cooked at a gentle simmer with occasional stirring. Chopped fresh herbs, lemon juice, or hot pepper sauce can brighten flavor. Add at the end of cooking time. Overcooked soups have soft/mushy vegetables, little flavor

Preparing Thick Soups Cream soups are thickened with an added starch, such as roux. Never boil – milk fats will scorch & break down. Puree soups are thickened by the starch found in main ingredient such as potatoes, and should be thick but pourable.

Bisques are cream soups made from stock flavored with shellfish shells. Chowders are cream soups thickened with a roux and have bite size pieces of vegetables & /or meat.

Quiz! Name the 4 ingredients in a stock. Name the 4 types of stocks. Name and describe the 5 mother sauces. Name and describe 3 other sauces.