The Mother Sauces, Part 2: Velvety Velouté

Velouté sauce is a simple combination of butter, flour, and white stock which is stock made from bones that have not been roasted. The sauce starts with a blond roux then warm stock is whisked in, and the sauce is left to simmer for a bit. Although making velouté is easy, you do have to continuously whisk when adding the stock to the roux and it’s always a good idea to pour the finished sauce through a fine-mesh sieve to ensure that there are no lumps. This will result in velouté that is velvety smooth sans the richness of béchamel. As for flavor, that is determined by the type of stock used. Like the other four mother sauces of French cuisine, velouté often serves as the base for a long list of sauces which is why the flavor is kept very neutral. 

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 23 minutes

Ingredients

Yields about 1-1 ¼ cups
⦁ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or ghee
⦁ 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
⦁ 1 1/3 cups white stock, warmed
⦁ Kosher salt and white pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Heat the butter or ghee in a saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add the flour.
3. Stir frequently with a whisk or rubber spatula until the butter and flour form a thick paste and no raw flour remains.
4. Continue to cook while frequently stirring until a caramel color is achieved. This will take 7-10 minutes.
5. Slowly add the stock as you whisk.
6. Bring the sauce to a gentle boil, reduce to a simmer, and let simmer for 10 minutes or until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
7. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any lumps.
8. Use as desired. Consider adding white wine and lemon juice before transferring to a gravy boat and serving over your favorite dish.

Notes: Veal, chicken, seafood, or vegetable stock can be used for the sauce.
Have an additional ½ cup of warm stock available to add to the sauce just in case your velouté is too thick. You also want additional stock on hand if you do not plan to use the sauce immediately since it will thicken as it cools.


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