what are the 6 mother sauces?
Sauces are a very important part of cooking. The sauce is what complements the
dish that you are making, and can vary in flavors. In this post I am going to talk
about the 6 base sauces called the mother sauces. These sauces are the base
for a lot of sauces you will deal with. To remember these sauces, in school they
taught us a great mnemonic, “Beth has vd”. But first let’s talk about the sauce
history.
History of sauce
The sauces have been a big part of history, and not only because they taste
great. Well what does the word “sauce” mean exactly? That is a French word
that has roots meaning “a relish to make our food more appetizing”. Why would
that be the definition of a sauce? Let’s look at the history of why it was made. In
the early days, there was no refrigeration, so food would go bad, and sauces
were used to mask the flavors of rancid food. The early Romans also used
sauces to mask all the tastes of food, probably to hide the freshness, and to hide
what the host was serving! In the 17 Century there was a little known sauce
called “Rober”, which was a precursor to the Espagnole sauce that I will discuss
later in this post. Marie-Antoine Careme was a French cook in the 1800s, who
was known as “the chef of kings, and the king of chefs”. He pioneered many
aspects of French cuisine, including grouping together 4 mother sauces that
formed the base for 100’s of sauces in France. His 4 mother sauces were
Béchamel, tomato, Espagnol, and veloute; other chefs later added Demi glace to
the list, and I will also discuss a 6th mother sauce, Hollandaise. I know that this
is just a small part of the long history but I just wanted you to have a little
background knowledge about it.
1.
Béchamel – white sauce
Béchamel is a white sauce with a cream base. This sauce is the base for alfredo
sauce, mornay sauce, nantua sauce, crème sauce, Mustard sauce, cheddar
cheese sauce, and much more.
To make this sauce
First bring milk to slow simmer and add onion piqué (onion cut in half) and some
fresh black pepper corns
Slowly add a blond roux (half part flour and half part fat – usually butter, cooked
lightly), whisking constantly
Next boil the milk then reduce to a simmer (chef’s notes: do not take your eyes
off the milk as it can overflow and make a big mess!). Simmer for about 20
minutes and then season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
Next strain out the pepper corns and remove onion pique.
History of Béchamel:
In the 17th Century many people where very suspicious of milk because
merchants would sell watered down or rancid milk, so only the rich could afford
good milk. There are several theories concerning the origin of Béchamel:
The Italian version of the story states that the chefs of Catherine de’Medici (an
Italian born queen of France) brought it to the court of France in the 1500s.
Marie- Antoine Careme wrote in 1822 : “The cooks of the second half of the
1700s came to know the taste of Italian cooking that Catherine de’Medici
introduced to the French court.”
Another version is that duke Philippe De Mornay invented it in the 1600s. He was
the governor of Saumur, Lord of the Plessis, and has also been credited for many
other sauces including Mornay sauce.
Yet another version states that Marquis Louis de Béchamel was the inventor of
the sauce. In the 1600s he held the honorary post of Chief Steward for King
Louis XIV. It has been said that he invented it when trying to come up with a
sauce to serve with dried cod.
Although this sauce was named after Marquis Louis de Béchamel, the most likely
story is that Chef Francois Pierre de la Varenne, who also worked for King Louis
XIV, was the one who invented the sauce. This is an interesting story, because
he has also been cited as developing haute cuisine in France, and he was the
first one to use flour and butter (a roux) instead of bread to thicken sauces. It is
believed that he personally credited marquis Louis De Bechamel as a
compliment.
2.
Espagnole sauce – Brown sauce
Espagnnole sauce is a brown sauce made from either beef or veal stock. This
sauce is a base for Africaine sauce, Bigarade sauce, Bouguigdnonne sauce, aux
Champignons sauce, chasseur sauce, chevreuil sauce and many more. It is also
the base for another mother sauce, demi glace. (Chef’s note: This sauce is very
strong. It is meant to be a base for other sauces, or used in small amounts by
itself). This sauce can be used on a variety of dishes.
To make this sauce:
First gradually whisk in hot stock (Beef or veal stock) with a brown roux (flour
and butter cooked to brown color) until dissolved completely.
Bring this to a broil and reduce to a simmer and skim foam as needed.
Meanwhile render some bacon bits in a sauté pan then remove it and drain the
fat. Sauté the mirepoix (diced onions, celery, and carrots) until it browns.
Next add this mixture into the thickened stock.
Add a bouquet garni (consists of thyme leaves, bay leaves, pepper corns and
parsley stems tied in a cheese cloth), keep simmering and skimming.
Strain to just the liquid.
History of Espagnola sauce
The name espagnola is a French word meaning “Spanish”. Although the name
indicates it is from Spain it in fact comes from France.
The story goes that some Spanish cooks made this sauce for King Louis XIII’s
bride Anna for their wedding feast. This improved upon a brown French sauce,
and so it was named it in honor of the Spanish.
3.
Tomato sauce – red sauce
The Tomato sauce probably the best known sauce. It is a base for many sauces.
To make this sauce:
Heat olive oil on low heat (remember that extra virgin olive oil burns easily, so if
you use this, make sure it doesn’t burn). Add diced onions and garlic, cook until
the onions are translucent but do not burn the garlic.
Next add chopped or peeled tomatoes to the pot, and bring to a broil. Lower the
temperature to a simmer and let cook for 20 minutes to 1 hour.
Remove from the heat and puree. Or, if you want a more rustic look, you can
leave as is.
If you want to add herbs: fresh herbs need to be added at the end, while dried
herbs need to be added during the cooking process.
History of Tomato sauce
Tomatoes have a short history in Europe, as the Spanish brought it to Europe
from South America. Until just over a hundred years ago, people in Europe did
not eat tomatoes because they thought they were poisonous. When they found
out tomatoes were not harmful, tomatoes became popular very fast.
In about 1839 the first recipe for tomato sauce in Europe was devoloped by
Ippolito Cavalacanti. He was Duke of Bounvicino, and he offerd his recipe to
vermicelli col pomodoro, and about 30 years later he created tomato soup, and
other sauces.
4.
Hollandaise – yellow sauce
Hollandaise is a yellow sauce that should be pale yellow in color. This sauce
should also be smooth and light in texture, with an acidic buttery flavor. Also this
sauce should not separate. This sauce is a tricky sauce to make because you do
not want the eggs to scramble.
To make this sauce:
First make a reduction of white wine, a little vinegar or lemon juce, pepper
corns, and a bay leaf.
Then cool the reduction and add to egg yolk
Whip the egg yolks over a double boiler (simply a metal bowl over a pot of
boiling water). This is the tricky part.
Remove from heat and slowly drizzle in clarified butter (chef’s note: to clarify
butter, heat some butter and skim off the foam, being careful not to burn the
butter. When this is clarified it will be clear.) Make sure that you keep the
Hollandaise emulsified (emulsified means the oils do not separate from the
sauce)
Blend just a little hot water until it is the right consistency, and then season with
some salt and white pepper, and a pinch of cayenne pepper (chef’s note: in
school we replaced the cayenne with a little fresh tarragon)
History of Hollandaise sauce
The name Hollandaise means Holland.
In the 1651 , François Pierre La Varenne mentioned a sauce in his cookbook Le
Cuisinier François: “with good fresh butter, a little vinegar, salt, and nutmeg, and
an egg yolk to bind the sauce”. Later sauces that were mentioned seemed to
leave out the egg yolks, until the 19th Century.
5.
Veloute – white sauce
Veloute is a light colored sauce made with fish, chicken, or veal stock that is
thickened with a blond roux. Although this sauce is a white sauce, it is very
different from the Béchamel sauce that I mentioned earlier. This sauce is a base
for allemand sauce, Aurore sauce, Supreme sauce, and Bercy sauce.
To make this sauce:
First cook the blond roux (roux cooked slightly do not darken)
In a pot bring the stock to a boil and whisk in the roux until it is dissolved.
Lower to a simmer for about 20 minutes. Skim any of the film that forms on the
top.
When the sauce reaches the correct consistency, season with salt and pepper.
History of veloute
I tried to do research on the veloute sauce history, but I came up with nothing.
If you know the answer please share it with us. I know that this sauce was
added by Marie-Antoine Careme so that would indicate that it has been around
since before the 1800s in France, as he picked sauce that had been around for a
long time before that.
6.
Demi glace – brown sauce
Demi glace is a classic brown sauce and the only mother sauce that needs
another mother sauce, Espagnola. This is a simple but tasty sauce that is used
on many foods like meat.
To make Demi glace:
Add half parts Espagnola sauce and plain brown stock
Next simmer until it is reduced to a glossy finish
Yup, that’s it! This one is the simplest one to make, once you have the
Espagnola sauce, that is.
History of the Demi glace
The Demi glace sauce has been attributed to Augusta Escoffier, who is also one
of the people that defined French cuisine, and he has been known as “the
grandfather of culinary arts”.
I really hope that was helpful, I know that was a long post. If you like this post
or just want to add something please leave a comment below.
Keep cooking!