The Mother Sauces; Veloute - Part One in a Series

Last time we got together I made chicken stock in the Instant Pot. Now there's six pints of the stuff in my freezer. What am I going to do with it?

I'm going to indulge in a bit of classic French cooking, that's what.

Julia would approve. Her 108th birthday was earlier this week. Go drop an omelette on the floor and enjoy a glass of wine in her honor.

That in mind, we're making veloute today, which is one of the mother sauces of French cooking. Others include espagnole, tomate, hollandaise, and another one I can't remember right now.

So, how do we make veloute? It's incredibly easy, and can be done in about ten minutes.

Let's get cooBECHAMEL! The fifth mother sauce is bechamel.

Friggin' geek.

Ahem.

Let's get cooking.

Your edibles for this are minimal. You'll need fat (we're going to talk about what kind real soon), flour, and chicken stock.

Fat. It's not a dirty word no matter what the people in Big Sugar might tell you. That's not hyperbole, either. In the 1960s the U.S.'s sugar producers paid research scientists to demonize fats as horrific for your health and the root cause of obesity. For real.

Now, I'm not going to tell you to go eat a whole tub of Crisco, but I will say that you need a little fat in your diet. It's good for your skin, hair, brain, nervous system, and in moderation, your cardiac system as well.

Please note that I said moderation. You don't have to eat a pound of butter every day. A little goes a long way.

But I can if I want to, right?

For assembly you'll want a digital scale, a small sauce pan, a wire whisk, a mesh strainer, and a container for your finished product.

We begin (finally) by making a roux. This is a combination of equal parts by weight of fat and flour, cooked over medium heat for a few  minutes so as to knock out the raw cereal flavor of the flour. Traditionally the fat used is butter, but not today.

Measure yourself 45 grams by weight of vegetable oil. That's our fat. It's completely neutral in flavor, and that's why I'm using it this time. My most recent batch of stock is so good I don't want to cover up any of the stocky goodness.  I'll usually just put my sauce pan right on the scale and pour the oil in directly. Why dirty up another dish, right?

Put your pan of oil over medium heat. While that's warming up grab your pepper mill and grind about three or four grinds into the oil to open up the pepper's fat soluble flavors.

Also what appears to be the constellation Scorpio.

Now add 45 grams of AP flour to the oil. You'll know if the oil is hot enough if bubbles form once the flour is introduced.

It'll do that.

Whisk together over that heat for three minutes. Set a timer if you care to, or just keep an eye on your watch. Don't have either handy? Count to one hundred eighty. Can't count? Then figure it out on your own time. Three minutes, no less.

Now it's time to introduce the stock. Just pour it right in in a thin, even stream while whisking steadily. Your roux will absorb the liquid and the flour will puff up. At first it's going to look like clay, then mashed potatoes. This is normal, just keep whisking and slowly adding the stock, it will come together. Patience is one of the tools you need in your kit.

Once it's all in, you can turn the heat up a little and continue whisking until the sauce thickens. Probably take about two or three minutes. Once you have it the way you like it, you can salt it to taste.

Pour through a fine mesh strainer into the container of your choice. Chances are there will be a couple small lumps, the straining will take them out and leave you with a beautiful, velvety final product. It's right there in the name, by the way.

VIVE LE GOOGLE TRANSLATE!

Just like that.

So, what do you do with it now? 

Maybe let it cool first?

Well, let's ponder for a moment. You've probably heard this called something else. Something magical. Something that might bring grandmothers and family reunions to mind.

This is also known in the common tongue as chicken gravy, and if this isn't the cornerstone of the happy family, I don't know what is. Go ask your grandmother what her secret is. If she likes you she might tell you. If she doesn't, ask one of your aunts. If that doesn't pan out, make up your own. I recommend a tiny bit of cayenne in the fat with the black pepper.

Incidentally, if you want to make this the same way my grandmother used to make it, don't use vegetable oil. Use bacon fat instead. You, my friend, are welcome.

Cook in peace, make good food.

P.S. Yes I did get a haircut. Got hot under that mop and I had had enough.

P.P.S. Do you know what you get when you thicken water with roux? Bastard sauce. Seriously.