A Brief History of The Mother Sauces
The French mother sauces were originally four base sauces set forth by Antonin Careme in the 19th century. Careme’s four original mother sauces were Sauce Tomat, Bechamel, Veloute and Espagnole. Then in the 20th century, Chef Auguste Escoffier added the fifth and final mother sauce, hollandaise, with its derivatives covering almost all forms of classical emulsion sauces including mayonnaise.
One Last Thing…
Some of the classical versions of these sauces use different thickening agents to bring the sauce to its proper consistency. If you’re unfamiliar with thickening agents such as roux, liasons, or emulsions, you can follow the corresponding links for more information.
Sauce Bechamel
■Base: Milk (Usually Whole Milk)
■Thickening Agent: White Roux
■Classical Flavorings: White Onion, Clove, Bay Leaf, Salt, White Pepper, Nutmeg
■Common Secondary Sauces: Cream Sauce, Mornay, Cheddar Cheese Sauce, Mustard Sauce, Nantua
■Classically Served With: Eggs, Fish, Steamed Poultry, Steamed Vegetables, Pastas, Veal
■Technique and Recipe: How To Make Bechamel and its Derivatives
■Corresponding Podcast Episode: FCS Episode 10| Bechamel
Sauce Veloute
■Base: White Stock (Classically Veal, but Chicken and Fish Stock can also be used)
■Thickening Agent: Classically a Roux, but sometimes also a Liason is used.
■Classical Flavorings: None, used specifically as a base
■Common Secondary Sauces: Sauce Vin Blanc (White Wine Sauce), Sauce Supreme, Sauce Allemande, Sauce Poulette, Sauce Bercy, Sauce Normandy
■Classically Served With: Eggs, Fish, Steamed Poultry, Steamed Vegetables, Pastas, Veal
■Technique and Recipe: How To Make Sauce Veloute and its Derivatives
■Corresponding Podcast Episode: FCS Episode 9| Sauce Veloute
Sauce Tomat (AKA Tomato Sauce)
■Base: Tomatoes (Raw, Tomato Paste, Tomato Puree, Stewed Tomatoes)
■Thickening Agent: Classically a Roux, modern versions commonly use a reduction or purees
■Classical Flavorings: Salt Pork, Mirepoix, Garlic, White Veal Stock, Salt & Pepper, Sugar (Just enough to balance acidity, not enough to make the sweetness perceptible).
■Common Secondary Sauces: Modern variations concentrate more on seasonings giving rise to sauces such as Creole, Portuguese and Spanish Sauce Tomat.
■Classically Served With: Pasta, Fish, Vegetables (Especially Grilled), Polenta, Veal, Poultry (Especially Chicken), Breads and Dumplings such as Gnocchi.
■Technique and Recipe: How to Make Tomato Sauce and Its Modern Variations
■Corresponding Podcast Episode: FCS Episode 11| Sauce Tomat
Sauce Espagnole (AKA Sauce Brune or Brown Sauce)
■Base: Roasted Veal Stock (Roasted Chicken Stock Is Sometimes Used In Modern Variations).
■Thickening Agent: Brown Roux
■Classical Flavorings: Mirepoix, Sachet (Bay Leaf, Fresh Thyme, Parsely), Tomato Puree
■Common Secondary Sauces: Demi-Glace, Bordelaise, Sauce Robert, Lyonnaise, Sauce Madeira, Sauce Bercy, Sauce Chasseur
■Classically Served With: Roasted meats, especially beef, duck, veal, lamb
■Technique and Recipe: How To Make Sauce Espagnole and Demi-Glace
■Corresponding Podcast Episode: FCS Episode 12| Sauce Espagnole
Hollandaise Sauce
■Base: Egg Yolks and Butter (Classically Clarified Butter)
■Thickening Agent: Emulsification
■Classical Flavorings: Peppercorns (Black), White Wine Vinegar, Salt, Lemon Juice, Cayenne Pepper
■Common Secondary Sauces: Bearnaise, Maltaise, Mousseline, Foyot, Choron…Also check out this post on How to Make Mayonnaise and Its Derivatives, which is based on the hollandaise technique.
■Classically Served With: Eggs (Eggs Benedict), Vegetables (especially Asparagus), light poultry dishes, fish, Beef (Bernaise Sauce)
■Technique and Recipe: How To Make Hollandaise: Guidlines and Techniques
■Corresponding Podcast Episode: FCS Episode 8| Hollandaise
