Page 453 - YC Cooking School

Choose your quantity

The quantity of the roux will determine the quantity of the sauce. A good rule of thumb is
that 80g flour and 80g of butter will make about 1.2L of sauce.

Different shades of roux
A roux is classified into three categories, depending on how long you cook it for:

Roux blanc (or white) is used to make a béchamel sauce and has a cooking time of 5-6
minutes.
Roux blond has a nuttier flavour and is used in many poultry and seafood sauces or
veloutés (stock thickened with roux). A roux blond should cook gently for 8-10 minutes

or until its colour darkens slightly.
Roux brun (or brown) is the basis for brown sauce that is often used to accompany
red meat. To make a brown roux, first toast the flour in a dry pan over medium heat
until it is brown in colour before adding it to the melted butter and cooking it for
about 8-10 minutes.

Remember that the longer a roux cooks, the less effective it is as a thickener because the
starch in the flour is broken down by heat.

Cook out the flour flavour

Five to six minutes of cooking on a gentle heat is all you need to rid the roux of its floury
flavour. Remember to keep an eye on it and stir regularly so that it doesn’t get too brown
(unless of course you’re making a darker roux) or burn.

Save seasoning until the end

There’s no need to rush in and season a roux too early. Rather save seasoning for the end
when you’ve combined the roux with milk or stock to form a sauce.

From roux to béchamel sauce

What’s not to love about béchamel sauce? It’s creamy and delicious and extremely versatile.
It pairs wonderfully with cooked veggies and can also be used to make lasagna, other pasta
dishes and egg dishes too. A thicker béchamel or velouté can also be used as the base of a
soufflé. The bonus is that it’s actually an easy sauce to make and will keep for up to a week
in the fridge.

Arm yourself with the right tools to get top results
To make a great béchamel sauce, you’ll need a few basic tools by your side: two saucepans
(preferably heavy-based), one to make the roux and one to heat the milk, plus a handy
wooden spoon and a whisk.

Warm up the milk
When you’re adding two mixtures together, it’s best to keep them roughly the same
2/4