Mother Sauces & Derivatives

Ques:- What are the mother sauces and their derivatives?

               

Answer:- There are six mother sauces in classical French cuisine: bechamel, veloute, tomato, espagnole, mayonnaise and hollandaise sauce. Nearly all other types of sauces can be derived from them.

The five mother sauces are part of the basis of classic French cuisine. Once a cook or chef knows how to prepare these five sauces, he or she can craft hundreds of derivative sauces with different ingredients and cooking methods.

• Bechamel - a basic white sauce usually with a whole milk base. Its derivatives include cream sauce, Mornay, cheddar cheese sauce and mustard sauce
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• Veloute - a light stock-based sauce usually made with veal, chicken or fish stock. Derivatives of veloute sauce include white wine sauce, sauce supreme, Allemande, Poulette, Bercy and sauce Normandy
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• Tomato - a tomato-based sauce made from tomato paste, puree or stewed tomatoes. There are many derivatives of tomato sauce, including ketchup, marinara sauce, Creole sauce, Portuguese and Spanish tomato sauce
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• Espagnole - a brown sauce made with a dark brown roux and roasted veal or chicken stock. Derivatives include a variety of gravies, demi-glace, sauce Robert, Bordelaise and Madeira sauce
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• Hollandaise- is an emulsion of egg yolk and liquid butter, usually seasoned with lemon juice, salt, and a little white pepper or cayenne pepper or it is a sauce made from eggs, lemon juice and butter. Common derivatives seen are mayonnaise, Choron, Foyot, Maltaise, and Bearnaise sauce.
• Many derivative sauces can be made from the mother sauce Hollandaise. A few classics are listed below:
  Maltaise
  – Hollandaise made with a reduction orange juice and zest (typically blood oranges)
  – commonly served with fish and asparagus
  Mikado 
  – Hollandaise made with a reduction of mandarin orange juice, zest
  – commonly served with fish
  Mousseline
  – typically 1 part whipped cream is folded into 3 or 4 parts Hollandaise (or to taste) just before serving
  – commonly served with cooked vegetables, fish and eggs
  Moutarde
  – Hollandaise flavored with mustard to taste
  – commonly served with cooked vegetables, fish and eggs
  Noisette
  – Hollandaise flavored with noisette butter at the end (to taste)
  – commonly served with cooked vegetables, fish, eggs and meat
  Experiment with different combinations of hollandaise, but remember this: the classics are classics for a reason because their flavors pair well with both the sauce and the ingredients that they are served with.
  
  

Mayonnaise:- Mayonnaise and often abbreviated as mayo is a thick, creamy dressing often used as a condiment. It is a stable emulsion of oil, egg yolk, and either vinegar or lemon juice. It's a cold sauce served oftenly with salads, fish etc. e.g. waldorf salad, russian salad, beetroot salad etc.

Most commonly used sauce with their derivaties are as under:

PESTO MAYONNAISE

An all-time favourite, this aromatic mayonnaise is simply bursting with flavour. Serve with prawns (shrimp), scallops, smoked wild boar, smoked goose or chargrilled vegetables.

• Mayonnaise (basic recipe)

• 1 tablespoon pesto sauce

• Juice of 1/2 lemon

Blend pesto sauce and lemon juice, then add to the mayonnaise and mix together well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

WATERCRESS MAYONNAISE

This colourful dressing is a knockout!. Serve with beef, salmon, bresaola (dried beef), trout and herrings.

• Mayonnaise (basic recipe)

• 50g (2 oz / 1/4 cup ) or one bunch watercress, finely chopped

Put the ingredients in a bowl and stir until evenly blended. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

GARLIC MAYONNAISE (Aioli Sauce)

This versatile sauce is a great favourite and widely used in the south of France. Its wonderful garlicky flavour is delicious with pasta, chicken, beef, roast peppers, clams and shellfish.

• 2 hard-boiled egrg yolks, sieved

• 1 egg yolk, size 2

• 4 cloves garlic, crushed

• 300mI (10 fl oz / 1 1/4 cups) olive oil

• Juice of 1/2 lemon

• 1-2 teaspoons water

• Salt and pepper

Cream cooked eggs and raw yolk with the garlic, then add the water to make a smooth paste. Add olive oil drop by drop whisking all the time. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice.

SMOKED BACON AND TARRAGON MAYONNAISE

An ingenious combination which can be used in a hundred different ways! Try it with tomatoes, cheese, haricot beans or lentils, for example.

• Mayonnaise (basic recipe)

• 100g (4 oz / 1/2 cup) smoked streaky bacon, fried and cut into thin strips

• 15g (1/2 oz / 1 tablespoon) fresh tarragon, chopped

Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix together well. If necessary, season with salt and pepper

ANCHOVY MAYONNAISE

Generally associated with fish, this versatile mayonnaise is also delicious served with poached or boiled eggs, vegetable flans, veal, chargrilled sardines, or smoked beef

• Mayonnaise (basic recipe)

• 100g (4 oz /1/2 cup) anchovy fillets, finely chopped

• Juice of 1/2 lemon

Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix together really well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

TARTAR MAYONNAISE

A tasty dressing especially designed to complement the more delicate flavour of fish cakes, tuna, fried fish, mushrooms and potatoes.

• 25g (1 oz / 2 tablespoons) capers, finely chopped

• 25g (1 oz / 2 tablespoons) gherkins (cornichons), finely chopped

• 1 shallot, finely chopped

• 25g (1 oz / 2 tablespoons) fresh parsley, chopped

• Juice of 1/2 lemon

Put all the ingredients in a bowl and stir together well. Season with salt and pepper

PROPRIETARY SAUCE :

These sauces are industrially made.

1. Soya sauce : it is the basic condiments from south east Asia and Japan. This sauce is made from soya beans, wheat, water and salt.

2. Worcestershire sauce : it is also known as LP sauce( lea and perrins sauce). Traditional w. sauce is thin, dark brown and pungent, with visible sediment.

3. Barbeque sauce : it was originated in USA. It is used in marination and dipping sauce.

4. Ketchup : commercial ketchup is like  smooth tomato sauce, and it is highly seasoned.

5. Tobasco sauce : the chilli or hot red pepper is the principal ingredients of commercially prepared hot sauce.

CONTEMPORARY SAUCES :

Today’s chefs are responding to demands for lighter sauces that are simpler, less rich and more easily prepared than those of past.

1.      Pesto sauce : it is popular sauce from Italy. Pesto means a paste and is popularly made with basil.

2.      Harissa : a hot red pepper sauce from north Africa

3.      Romesco sauce : this spicy red sauce from catalonia is wonderfull with grilled fish.

4.      Salsa di noci : in linguria, Italy, pepared with walnut, garlic, bread crumb, olive oil, parmesan cheese, sour cream etc. 

Soup/Potage/Suppe/Zuppa/Shorba/Sopa/Marmites/Soep

A soup is a flavourful and nutritious liquid food generally served at the beginning of a meal or a snack.These are the second course on the French Classical Menu and are referred to as "potage". Soups will have textures, colours, and flavours depending upon the type of soup made,while stock would just be white or brown and usually always a liquid with no texture.

Classification of Soups Fig 1.1

Broth: It is a liquid food preparation, typically consisting of either water or an already flavored stock, or broth may be defined as a stock-based soup which is not thickened. It is served unpassed and garnished with chopped herbs, vegetables, or meats. e.g. minestrone, scotch broth etc.While serving broths as soups, one should add reduced stock or glaze to give body to the soup.

Consomme: A consomme is a clear soup which is clarified with egg whites. It is an old saying that if one can read the date on the dime of thrown in four litres of consomme. it is named after the garnish used in the soups.

e.g.

Beef Consomme:

• Brunoise – A brunoise of leeks, carrots, turnip, celery, peas and chervil
• Celestine consomme – Julienne of savory crepe, traditionally thickened with tapioca for clarity.
• Julienne consomme – Julienne of leeks, carrots, turnips, celery, cabbage, sorrel and chervil.

Chicken Consomme:

• Caroline – Royale, rice and chervil
• Mimosa – Sieved white and yolk of hard-boiled egg

Fish Consomme:

• George Sand – White fish and crayfish quenelles, morels, carp soft roe on croutons made from French baguette.

Game Consomme:

• Saint-Hubert – White wine, game and lentil royale, julienne of game.

Cream: A cream soup is a passed thick soup. it may be vegetable based or even meat based but most commonly vegetables are used to prepare cream soups. classical recipes thickened with bechamel and finished with cream.

Note: Modern trends , however, avoid bechamel usage because of health reasons and to retain the delicate flavours of the veggies.

E.g. Cream of mushroom, cream of tomato, cream of chicken etc. Some more classic cream soups are as under:-

• Creme Dubarry – Cauliflower
• Creme de Celeri – Celery
• Creme de Tomates – Tomato
• Creme Solferino – Tomato & Potato
• Creme Portugaise – Tomato & Rice
• Creme Palestine – Artichoke
• Creme Soubise – White onion
• Creme de Poireaux – Leek

Veloute: A veloute is a thick soup, which is thickened with blonde roux, passed and finished with a liaison. They may be vegetable or chicken stock based.

E.g.Chicken Veloute.

Puree: Puree soups are thick soups made by cooking and then pureeing vegetables or ingredients used in soup.

E.g. Lentil soup, potato soup, pumpkin soup, green peas soup.

Chowder: Chowders are not strained and traditionally they are seafood-based soups thickened with potatoes and finished with cream or milk originated from USA. 

E.g. Manhattan Chowder, Prawn Chowder, Oyster Chowder.

Bisque: It is a shellfish-based soup, which is passed and  may  be garnished with dices of the seafood used. Traditionally it is thickened with rice and finished with cream.

E.g. Lobster Bisque

Cold Soups: These soups are served cold but not chilled. chilling would dull the flavours and the soup would taste bland.

E.g. Jellied consommes, Gazpacho, Vichyssoise, Cold Cucumber Soup

International Soups: They represent the region of origin. These again do not form a seperate classification various international soups are as under:

Sno.	Name of the Soup	Origin
1	Avgolemono	Greece
2	French Onion	France
3	Gazpacho	Spain
4	Green Turtle	England
5	Manhattan Clam Chowder	USA
6	Minestrone	Italy
7	Mullygatwny	India/Srilanka
8	Scotch Broth	Scotland
9	Shark’s Fin	China
10	Tom-Yum	Thailand