Week 2:

Stocks, Sauces, & Soups

■ In todays class we will be looking at the following things:
■ Basic Stocks and Stock Production
■ Mother Sauces, Secondary Sauces
■ Soups and Classifications of Soups
Week 2: Stocks, Sauces, & Soups
■ Stocks:
■ There are 4 main components to
■ There are 4 basic stocks used in preparing stock, they are: Bones,
Western Culinary Arts: White Stock, Mirepoix (vegetables), Water, and
Brown Stock, Fish / Shellfish Stock, Spices /Herbs. Of course, when
and Vegetable Stock. The classic making vegetable stock, additional
method for preparing stocks vegetables will replace the part of
generally follows a simple set of the bones.
steps depending on which stock is
being made.
■ With advancements in science and
technology in kitchens, classical
methods are not always followed,
and most chefs have their own
particular methods for making
stock.
Week 2: Stocks, Sauces, & Soups
■ White Chicken Stock: Chicken bones ■ Brown Beef Stock: Been bones are
are washed and added to a pot with a roasted in an oven until very dark
mirepoix of onion, celery, and carrot. brown, mire poix and tomato
This is covered with cold water and paste is added and also cooked
spices are added, the stock is brought until dark brown. This is then all
up to a simmer and cooked for the next placed into a pot with spices and
3-4 hours. cold water, brought to a simmer,
and cooked slowly for the next 10-
12 hours. It is necessary to cook
■ Brown Chicken Stock: The exact
beef stock for such a long time in
same method is followed as above
order to penetrate the bones and
with the additional step of placing the
extract the full amount of flavor
bones and mirepoix into an oven and
and gelatin from the bones. It is
cooking until very dark golden brown.
also very common to add a
This results in a darker stock with a
“brunt” onion to the stock for
different flavor profile.
flavor.
Week 2: Stocks, Sauces, & Soups
■ White Beef Stock: Usually made
using veal bones instead of beef ■ Fish Stock: In most cases, fish
bones, this stock is made using the stock is made using bones from
same process as the white chicken lean white fish such as cod, bass,
stock. Once the bones, mire poix, bream, etc. Using the bones from
spices, and water are in a stock pot, oily fish such as salmon would
it is brought up to a simmer and result in an oily and cloudy stock.
cooked. Unlike the white chicken Place the bones, mirepoix, water,
stock, white beef / veal stock also and spices into a stock pot and
needs to be cooked for 8-10 hours bring to a simmer, this needs to be
to achieve the desired flavor. cooked for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Due to fish bones being much
softer than that of animals, it is
much quicker to extract the full
flavor and gelatin from them
faster.
Week 2: Stocks, Sauces, & Soups
■ Shellfish Stock: When making ■ Vegetable Stock: Making this stock
shellfish stock, usually the shells of mainly depends on what the final use
prawns, lobsters, or crabs are used. is intended for, you can make a basic
vegetable stock for multiple uses,
These shells should be roasted first which follows the same steps as
in order to remove an ammonia making a meat stock. The only
flavor that is present in the shells. It differences would be that there is no
is also very common that a tomato meat, and more vegetables are used
product such as tomato paste is in order to enhance the final taste. If
added in order to enhance the taste the goal is to use the stock to make a
and color of the final stock. mushroom soup or mushroom risotto,
then the stock would normally
contain a larger amount of mushroom
trimming or scraps and spices / herbs
that compliment mushrooms, such as
thyme, sage, or rosemary.
Week 2: Stocks, Sauces, & Soups
■ Tips on Stock Making:
- Wash the bones first to remove ■ Classic Sauces:
impurities from the surface.
- Start stock with cold water as many ■ Roux: A mixture of melted fat
of the proteins are soluble in cold (butter, margarine, animal fat) and
water but not hot water. flour used as a thickener in classic
- Skim the surface of stocks often as sauce production. Using a sauce pot,
they cook. Once the stock is butter is placed overheat and cooked
simmering, impurities will begin to until melted, flour is added and mixed
rise to the top. very well to form a paste. This paste
- Try to avoid boiling stocks if you want can then be used to make sauces or
to retain a clear final stock. can be cooked to darken the color and
alter the flavor.
Week 2: Stocks, Sauces, & Soups
■ If cooking a roux, it is VERY
important to not leave it cooking, if
a roux becomes burnt there is no
saving it and it must be remade. It
is also important to note that as
roux is cooked to a darker color, it
has less strength or ability to
thicken a sauce. This is because
the starch that would normally
thicken a liquid is being cooked out
before liquid can be added and
thickened.
Week 2: Stocks, Sauces, & Soups
■ Mother Sauces:
■ In classic French cuisine there are 5 mother sauces, these are the base
sauces that all other sauces are made from. Béchamel, Veloute, Tomato,
Espagnole, and Hollandaise are considered to be the mother sauces with
some chefs considering mayonnaise to be the 6th sauce.
Week 2: Stocks, Sauces, & Soups
■ Béchamel: This sauce consists of
flavored milk and roux, it can be used in ■ Veloute: Very similar to béchamel,
many applications such as: main sauce, however, instead of using infused milk
secondary sauce, binding sauce, gratin, as the base a stock is used. Usually,
soups, etc. The first step to making this Veloute is made with white chicken
sauce is to flavor milk with onion, clove, stock or white veal stock. Another
and bay leaf (Onion Pique). The milk difference to that of béchamel is that
and onion pique are left over a very low very often the roux will be cooked to
heat to slowly warm and infuse the the blond roux stage. This is to add
flavor. While the milk is cooking a white additional color and flavor to the
roux is made and the warm milk is Veloute sauce.
slowly added and mixed very well into
the roux.
Week 2: Stocks, Sauces, & Soups
■ Espagnole Sauce: This mother sauce
is one of the most important as it is the ■ Tomato Sauce: The classical
base for many of the sauces that are method for this sauce includes salt
served with meat dishes. Beef bones are pork and pork bones, along with
first roasted with mirepoix and tomato mirepoix, and herbs / spices. It is
paste to produce a rich beef stock. also sometimes made using a roux.
Mirepoix is then cooked in a pot with The salt pork is cooked down to
butter until it is browned, flour is added render the fat out, the mirepoix is
and cooked until a brown roux is added and also cooked but not
formed. Brown stock and tomato paste colored. Tomato paste and canned
is added and mixed well into the roux tomato is added along with pork
and the sauce is then simmered on a bones and water. This sauce is
low heat for 90 minutes to 2 hours. then simmered for around 2 hours
and then strained or passed
through a food mill.
Week 2: Stocks, Sauces, & Soups
■ Some tips to remember when cooking
with roux: - Once liquid and roux has been
- Never try to add very cold liquid to roux as mixed, cook the sauce longer to
the cold temperature will solidify the fat finish cooking the flour, but be sure
and can cause lumps. to stir very often to avoid lumps of
- Do not try to add liquid to a sizzling hot burning.
roux as that can cause the roux to thicken - Always strain your final sauce with
very fast and cause lumps. a china cap and cheese cloth to
- I prefer to add warm liquid to warm or ensure a very smooth final sauce.
room temperature roux.
Week 2: Stocks, Sauces, & Soups
■ Hollandaise Sauce: This sauce is an
emulsion of egg yolk, melted (clarified) ■ Once the mixture has thickened it
butter, and a reduction of flavored is removed from the heat and
vinegar. To begin, a reduction of white clarified or melted butter is then
wine or champagne vinegar is made slowly added as it is whisked in. The
usually with shallots, peppercorns, and final mixture should be thick but
sometimes tarragon. The reduction is pourable and is usually flavored with
then added to a mixing bowl with egg other ingredients depending on the
yolks and placed over a bain marie (hot use and the chef.
water bath). The mixture is whisked
overheat to form a “sabayon”, this
mixture should be thick and pale yellow
in color.
Week 2: Stocks, Sauces, & Soups
■ Hollandaise based sauces also have a - If hollandaise sauce does split, there is a
potential health risk because they need way to save it. Take a fresh egg yolk and
to be stored / served inside the danger some reduction or even some warm water
zone. It needs to be served warm but (about 20ml) and whisk in a clean bowl
kept below 60C which puts it in a over a bain marie. Once the egg yolk
temperature zone that is good for mixture has thickened begin to slowly
bacteria growth. It is recommended whisk in the split hollandaise to form a
now that pasteurized egg yolks be used new emulsion.
in the production of these sauces in - Make it in smaller batches as it can only
order to limit the number of bacteria. last for approximately 90 minutes.
- Never use aluminum to make or store
■ Tips on Hollandaise:
hollandaise sauces.
- Do not store prepared hollandaise in
- Never mix an old recipe of hollandaise
an area that is too cold or the butter
with a freshly made one.
will harden. If it is stored in an area
- Always use very clean equipment.
that is too hot, the sauce will split.
Week 2: Stocks, Sauces, & Soups
■ Soups:
- Broths / Bouillons are basically clear
■ Soups fall into 1 of 3 main categories:
soups that can be served as only liquid
clear soups, thick soups, or specialty /
or can be garnished.
national soups.
- Vegetable soups are ones that are
■ Clear Soups: Also referred to as usually made by starting with a clear,
unthickened soup, this class of soups seasoned stock or broth and adding in
relies on a clear stock or broth that is a variety of vegetables and can also
served as is or garnished in a variety of include meats.
ways. In this category there are different - Consommé is the most difficult of the
kinds of soups such as broth, bouillon, clear soups to make as it requires
vegetable soups, and consommés. taking a very rich stock and clarifying it
to produce a totally clear / transparent
soup. The final product is often very
strong in taste and can be served as is
or garnished.
Week 2: Stocks, Sauces, & Soups
■ Thick Soups: This category uses the - Puree Soup: rely on pureeing one or more of
use of a thickening agent such as a roux, the ingredients to provide the thickened
or by pureeing one or more of the body of the soup. They can often also
ingredients to provide the heavier contain cream but are usually not as smooth
consistency. These are some of the main as a cream soup would be.
thick soups: - Bisque: thickened soup made from a base of
- Cream Soup: usually thickened using shellfish and tomato that is usually finished
a roux, liaison, beurre manie, or with cream and garnished with the shellfish.
another thickener plus milk / cream. It is very common now to see restaurants
They are usually named after the misuse the name bisque menus as a
main ingredient such as cream of marketing function.
mushroom, cream of chicken, etc. - Chowder: these are typically thick / hearty
soups made with fish / shellfish, and
vegetables. There are many methods to
make chowders, but they all usually contain
milk, cream and potato.
Week 2: Stocks, Sauces, & Soups
■ Specialty Soups / National Soups:
This group is made up of soups that
don’t fit well into the clear or thick
soups or that have unusual
preparation methods or ingredients.
Some of the soups that would fall into
this group would include turtle soup,
gumbo, peanut soup, and cold fruit
soup.
■ Cold soups are often considered to
be specialty soups and a great deal of
them are, however, many of them are
simply cold versions of classic clear or
thick soups.