Stocks, Sauces & Soups

Stocks

• Are the seasoned liquids that form the foundation of sauces and soups.

Stocks

• Composed of 4 ingredients• 50% nourishing element• 10% mirepoix• Bouquet garni• 40% liquid

Nourishing Element

• Most important element• Fresh bones (beef, lamb, chicken, fish, veal or

game)• Meat trimmings• Fish trimmings for fish stock• Vegetables for vegetable stock

Mirepoix (meer-PWA)

• Mix of coarsely chopped vegetables that add flavor, nutrients and color

• Usually include 2 parts onion, 1 part celery and 1 part carrot

Bouquet garni

• Combination of fresh herbs and vegetables• May include: carrots, leeks, celery, thyme, and

parsley stems bundled with butcher twine• It is removed before stock is used

Liquid

• Almost always water• Always begin with cold water as it brings out

the maximum flavor and prevents stock from becoming cloudy

Stock types

• White- nourishing element is simmered• Brown- nourishing element is roasted• Fish- lean fish or shellfish• Vegetable- no meat products are used

Stock Vocabulary

• Glaze- a stock that is reduced and concentrated, resulting in a flavorful, thick, and syrupy liquid

• Reduction- the process of evaporating part of the stock’s water through simmering or boiling

• Base- a powdered or concentrated form of a stock (boullion cubes or paste)

Sauces

• Most sauces are flavored, thickened liquids• They are formed by adding seasonings,

flavorings, and a thickening agent• Thickening agent- an ingredient typically a

starch, that adds body to the sauce

Sauces- Thickening agents

• The difference between a stock and a sauce is that a sauce must be thickened

• Most thickening agents are forms of starch• Gelatinization- a process where starch

granules absorb moisture when placed in a liquid

Quality sauces have:

• No lumps• A flavor that is not floury or pasty• Sticks to the back of the spoon• Will not break apart when it cools down

Thickening agents include:

• Flour • Cornstarch• Arrowroot• Instant starches• Bread crumbs• Tapioca

5 Grand (Basic) sauces: Mother Sauces

• Bechamel• Veloute• Tomato• Sauce Espagnole• Hollandaise

Bechamel-cream or white sauce (roux)

Made from milk and white rouxRoux- (roo) a thickener made of equl parts

cooked flour and a fat, such as clarified butter, oil, or shortening. To make a roux, the fat is heated in a pan, and the flour is added. Stir until fully blended.

Veloute- light colored stock, light colored roux (blond sauce)

• In preparing a velouté sauce, a light stock (one in which the bones used have not been previously roasted), such as chicken or fish stock, is thickened with a blond roux. Thus the ingredients of a velouté are equal parts by mass butter and flour to form the roux, a light chicken or fish stock, and salt and pepper for seasoning.

Tomato- tomato, seasonings and stock

Sauce Espagnole- thickened brown stock and tomato product

Hollandaise- egg yolks, butter, lemon juice and seasonings

Other Sauces

• Salsa- raw vegetables, fruits, spices and onion

• Relishes- may be cooked, pickled or brined

• Gravy- meat juices combined with cream/milk/or water

• Compound butters- herbs added to butters

• Independent sauces- BBQ

How to choose the right sauce?

Ask:• What will be the style of service? Plated or

self-serve?• How is the main ingredient of the dish being cooked? Bold sauces are best for roasted

meats, while lighter sauces are best for white meats

• How does the sauce’s flavor work with the dish’s flavor?

Soups

Two basic kinds –• Clear – flavored stocks, broths, and

consomme’s. Ex: chicken noodle, vegetable• Thick – cream soups and puree’ soups such as

bisques, chowders, lentil, split pea

Variations include• dessert soups• fruit soups• cold soups• gumbo

How to Prepare Soups

• Most are cooked at a gentle simmer with occasional stirring.

• Chopped fresh herbs, lemon juice, or hot pepper sauce can brighten flavor. Add at the end of cooking time.

• Overcooked soups have soft/mushy vegetables, little flavor

Preparing Thick Soups

Cream soups are thickened with an added starch, such as roux.

Never boil – milk fats will scorch & break down.

Puree soups are thickened by the starch found in main ingredient such as potatoes, and should be thick but pourable.

• Bisques are cream soups made from stock flavored with shellfish shells.

• Chowders are cream soups • thickened with a roux and • have bite size pieces of • vegetables & /or meat.

Quiz!

1. Name the 4 ingredients in a stock.2. Name the 4 types of stocks.3. Name and describe the 5 mother sauces.4. Name and describe 3 other sauces.