Velouté Sauce (white or blond) - A Mother Sauce
Very simply, Velouté is a white stock thickened with a white roux. The
stock can be made from chicken, veal, or fish. As with the other Mother
Sauces this is the base from which other sauces are made.
The following is a sample recipe to give you an idea of what it consists
of:
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups chicken, fish or veal stock
Salt
White pepper
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook over
medium, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly, about 1
to 2 minutes. Slowly stir in stock. Heat to boiling, stirring
constantly. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 5 minutes, stirring
occasionally. Season to taste with salt and white pepper.
Makes about 2 cups.
Some of the variations (or children) of Velouté follow:
Allemande sauce (a.k.a. Parisienne sauce) - Veal Velouté with egg yolk
and cream liaison. (used to top cold asparagus, also used with poultry
and some fish dishes)
Berchoux sauce - Allemande with cream and herb butter (used with
poultry)
Supreme sauce - Chicken Velouté reduced with heavy cream. (used with
baked and broiled chicken and chicken/vegetable dishes. Also some beef
and fish dishes)
Vin blanc sauce - Fish Velouté with shallots, butter, wine and fines
herbs. (used with fish, shellfish and a few chicken dishes.)
Bercy sauce - Fish Velouté with wine, shallots and parsley. (used with
fish, shellfish and a few beef dishes.)
Curry sauce - Chicken or Fish Velouté with curry powder, garlic, thyme
bay leaf and parsley stems thickened with cream. (used with fish,
shellfish and a few chicken dishes.)
Hungarian sauce - Chicken Velouté with onion, paprika and wine. (use
with fish, chicken or veal)
Most of these sauces are strained before using some are not. When
looking these recipes up you'll notice that some have been modified once
more.
You'll also find "make-do", or "quick-n-easy" recipes for these sauces.
Keep in mind that the stock means everything!
Back to Sauce Basics