What Is Veloute Sauce and How Do You Make It?
The French Mother Sauces - What Is Veloute Sauce?
There are four classic French mother sauces in French cuisine, from which all other sauces are made. These are allemande, bechamel, espagnole, and veloute sauces.
Veloute means velvet in French. A veloute sauce is basically a smooth, creamy white sauce made with a pale stock and then made thicker using a white roux. It is similar to a Bechamel sauce.
What Ingredients Are in Veloute Sauce?
The basic ingredients in a veloute sauce are flour, butter, and a light
colored stock. The most common stocks used in veloute sauce are chicken,
fish, or sometimes veal. Veloute sauces go superbly with any of these
as well, plus it is a great sauce for vegetables.
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What Are the Veloute Daughter Sauces?
The common 'daughter' sauces that are made with a basic veloute sauce
are allemande, aurora, andalouse, Bercy, Hungarian, Normandy, poulette,
supreme, Venetian, and sauce vin blanc.
Allemande is a very common sauce in traditional French dishes. It is a
veloute sauce that has been thickened with cream and egg yolks. A bit of
lemon juice is also added.
Andalouse is a spicy version of the classic veloute sauce, with garlic
and peppers added.
Aurora is just veloute with added tomato puree.
Bercy sauce is a fish veloute sauce that includes white wine, lemon
juice, and shallots.
Hungarian has onions, white wine, and paprika added.
Normandy style sauce starts out as a fish veloute sauce. Then liquids
from cooked mushrooms and oysters are added. Egg yolks and cream are
added last.
Sauce poulette has lemon juice, mushrooms, and parsley added to the
veloute sauce.
Sauce supreme is a chicken veloute sauce which has added reduced sauces
of cream and leftover liquid from cooked mushrooms.
Sauce Vin Blanc is a fish veloute sauce with added white wine and cream.
Venetian sauce has added shallots, tarragon, and chervil.
How to Make Veloute Sauce
Making a basic veloute sauce is pretty simple and straightforward.
First, you make a roux. This is just a fancy names for equal parts
butter and flour mixed to make a paste. To make a roux, add the butter
to the pan first. After the butter melts, add an equivalent amount of
flour. Stir it together well and cook it. Stir constantly until it
starts to change colors. It will take a few minutes. Once it has become a
golden color, it's good.
After the roux is ready, add a light colored stock, usually chicken or
fish. First, only add about half of the stock or less. Whisk it until
the paste is completely dissolved and there are no lumps.
Then add the rest of the stock. Heat the sauce on a low heat. Stir it
occasionally. It should start to thicken. It takes about half an hour to
get the right consistency. Then, add any preferred seasonings. Strain
the sauce to remove any unwanted particles. That's basically all there
is to learning how to make a veloute sauce.
