Velouté

One of the classic French mother sauces: savory stock whisked into a cooked butter-and-flour roux and simmered until it lightly coats a spoon. It's the savory counterpart to béchamel, trading milk for stock, and takes on the character of whatever you build it from — the strained juices of a roast or braise make an especially rich one.

Makes about 2 cups

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups stock, warmed (chicken, beef, or any kind — store-bought, or better, the braising liquid from a meat dish)
• Salt and pepper

Sauces

Beurre Monté Hot Wing Sauce B Beurre Blanc Roasted Red Pepper Sauce Port Reduction Sauce Sauce au Poivre Mustard Sauce Sauce Bordelaise Sauce Marsala Tare Teriyaki Sauce Plum Sauce Barbecue Sauce Béchamel Cheese Sauce Tomato Basil Sauce Country Gravy Sausage Gravy

Concentrating Flavor→

Method

The stock is everything here. Store-bought works and gives a perfectly good sauce, but a velouté is much better built on the natural braising liquid left behind from a meat dish — the strained juices from a roast or a braise carry far more flavor than anything from a carton. Chicken, beef, pork, fish: any stock will do, and the sauce simply takes on the character of whatever you pour in.

Make the roux

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, whisk in the flour, and cook, stirring constantly, for 1–2 minutes, until the raw flour smell cooks off — this is your roux.

Add the stock

Slowly whisk in the warm stock, a little at a time at first, whisking out any lumps before adding more. Continue cooking, whisking often, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, 5–7 minutes — whisk in a splash more stock if it gets too thick, or simmer longer to reduce if it's too thin. Season with salt and pepper.