Tag: espagnole

  • 0016. Sauce Espagnole, Spanish Sauce

     

    Escoffier recipe for making sauce espagnole, Spanish sauce, at home (Escoffier, 16).

    Sauce Espagnole, or Spanish Sauce, is a rich brown sauce — one of Auguste Escoffier’s mother sauces — and the basis for many others. Why is it called Spanish sauce? One of those things that’s lost to history for sure, but there are several theories.

    “Spanish cooks of Louis XIII’s bride, Anne, helped to prepare their wedding feast, and insisted upon improving the rich brown sauce of France with Spanish tomatoes. This new sauce was an instant success, and was gratefully named in honor of its creators.” — Louis Diat.

    “When the Bourbons made their way to the Spanish throne under Louis XV, and when Spanish fashions came back to Paris, the French cooks took a hint from the Spanish pot-au-feu — the olla podrida — and produced a variation of their brown sauce which they called Spanish.” — Auguste Kettner, 1877

    “Espagnole sauce was imported as a celebratory salute to honor Louis XIV’s son, Philip V, in 1700 when he was placed on the Spanish throne.” — Glenn Gary Gamboa, 2011

    You’ll find that most modern recipes (even Lagasse’s) for sauce espagnole start out with a brown stock, then add a mirepoix of carrots, onions, celery — rather than carrots, onions and mushrooms — and omit the meat. What the…

    To heck with that! We’re doin’ it up right.

    Caveat: this is shortened to six hours from Escoffier’s two-day recipe.

    Classic Sauce Espagnole
    brown stock + brown roux + mirepoix + bouquet garni + salt pork + butter + wine + tomato
    Modern Sauce Espagnole
    brown stock + brown roux
    Classic Sauce Espagnole Maigre
    fish stock + brown roux + mirepoix + bouquet garni + mushrooms + butter + wine + tomato

     

    Sauce Espagnole

    In a large stockpot, sauté the meat until browned. Add carrots, onion and mushrooms, and sauté in the butter until translucent. Then add the tomato paste and let all brown. Deglaze the pot with the white wine and reduce until almost dry.

    Add the estouffade (brown stock), thyme and bay leaf. Gently simmer, skimming off any foam from the surface, for about 5 hours.

    Strain and add the roux brun (brown roux) to the reduced stock.

    Simmer gently for another hour, stirring so it does not stick. Brown roux can sometimes have a pronounced flavor. Try the sauce, and if it has a floury flavor, simmer some more.

    Remove from heat, strain, and stir occasionally until the sauce has cooled to room temp. Use immediately, or place in plastic containers and reserve in the freezer.

    Ingredients
    225g (1/2 lb) diced salt pork, pork belly, smoked hamhock or bacon
    65g (1/2 cup) diced carrots
    40g (1/4 cup) diced onions
    65g (3/4 cup) diced button or brown mushrooms
    35g (7 1/2 teaspoons) unsalted butter
    100g (1/2 cup) white wine
    33g (2 tablespoons) tomato paste
    1000g (4 cups) estouffade (brown stock)
    2 sprigs fresh thyme
    1 bay leaf
    125g (about 1 cup) roux brun (brown roux)

    Equipment
    Salter digital scale
    Measuring bowls
    Cutting board and kitchen knife
    Large stock pots
    Wooden spoon
    Chinois, strainer or sieve
    Spoon or small strainer for skimming
    Small bowl
    Plastic containers

    Total time: Prep: 15 minutes, Cook: 6-8 hours

    Yields: 2-4 quarts of stock, depending on how long you simmer it.

    From the Book:

    16. Sauce Espagnole

    Ingredients:
    625g (1 lb 6oz) brown roux – using 285g clarified butter and 340g sifted flour
    12 litres (2 5/8 gal or 3 1/4 U.S. gal) estouffade, brown stock
    150g (5oz) roughly diced salt belly of pork
    250g (9oz) roughly diced carrots
    150g (5oz) roughly diced onions
    2 sprigs thyme
    2 small bay leaves
    500g (l lb 2oz) tomato purée or 2000g (4.5 lb) fresh tomatoes
    2 dl (7 fl oz or 7/8 U.S. cup) white wine

    Preparation:
    Place 8 litres (1 3/4 gal or 2 1/4 U.S. gal) of the stock in a heavy pan and bring to the boil; add the Roux, previously softened in the oven. Mix well with a wooden spoon or whisk and bring to the boil mixing continuously. Draw the pan to the side of the stove and allow to simmer slowly and evenly.

    Meanwhile, place the salt pork in a pan and fry to extract the fat, add the vegetables and flavourings and fry until light brown in colour. Carefully drain off the fat and put the ingredients into the sauce; deglaze the pan with the wine, reduce it by half and also add to the sauce. Allow to simmer gently for 1 hour skimming frequently.

    Pass the sauce through a conical strainer into another pan, pressing lightly. Add another 2 litres (3/4 pt or 9 U.S. cups) stock, bring to the boil and allow to simmer gently for a further 2 hours. Pass the sauce through a fine strainer and stir occasionally until completely cold.

    The next day, add the remainder of the stock and the tomato purée; bring the sauce to the boil stirring continuously with a wooden spatula or whisk, then allow to simmer gently and evenly for 1 hour skimming carefully.

    Pass through a fine strainer or tammy cloth and stir occasionally until the sauce is completely cold.

    Notes
    1) The time required for the preparation and refining of this sauce cannot be indicated exactly as it depends to a large extent on the quality of the stock used in its making. The refining of this sauce will be quicker if the stock is of very good quality in which case an excellent Espagnole can be prepared in five hours.
    2) Before adding tomato purée to this sauce it is advisable to spread the required quantity on a tray and to cook it in the oven until it turns a light brown colour. This will destroy most of the excess acidity found in tomato purées, and when prepared in this way, the purée assists in clarifying the sauce and at the same time gives it a smoother taste and a more agreeable colour.

    A. Escoffier. Le guide culinaire, 1921

  • 0049. Sauce Genevoise, Geneva Sauce

    0049. Sauce Genevoise, Geneva Sauce

     

    Escoffier recipe for making Geneva Sauce, Sauce Genevoise, at home (Escoffier, 49).

    This is a very rich and complex fish sauce. When you cook it, the house smells of salmon and red wine. Pretty yummy!

    Mise en place:
    Mise-en-place for Sauce Genevoise

     

    Sauce Genevoise

    In a large saucepan, sauté the carrots, onion and parsley in butter until tender. Add the thyme sprigs, bay leaf, peppercorns and salmon heads.

    Saute the vegetables and salmon heads

    I had my local fishmongers split and clean the salmon heads for me. (I suggest you do the same!)

    Salmon heads from the fishmonger

    Cover and let steam for 20 minutes. Uncover, drain off the butter, and add 750ml (1 bottle) of red wine.

    Add a bottle of red wine

    Simmer and reduce by half. Stir in 500g of Sauce Espagnole Maigre and gently simmer for an hour. Strain into a clean saucepan…

    Strain the Sauce Genevoise

    Add 500g fumét de poisson, an additional 500g red wine, and reduce some more! And while you’re at it, why not enjoy that remaining 250ml of leftover wine?

    Reduce the Sauce Genevoise

    Finish the sauce by whisking in 150g of cubed butter and some fish essence, anchovy paste or fish sauce to taste.

    Geneva Sauce

    Ingredients
    100g (3/4 cup) diced carrot
    80g (1/2 cup) diced onion
    20g (1/3 cup) chopped parsley
    35g (7 1/2 teaspoons) unsalted butter
    4 fresh thyme sprigs
    1 fresh bay leaf
    16 whole, black peppercorns
    1000g (2 pounds, or about 3) salmon heads, split in half and cleaned
    750ml (3 cups, or 1 bottle) red wine
    500g (2 cups) fish Espagnole sauce
    500g (2 cups, or 2/3 bottle) red wine
    500g (2 cups) fish fumét
    150g (2/3 cup) unsalted butter
    3g (1/2 teaspoon) fish essence, anchovy paste or fish sauce, to taste

    Equipment
    Salter digital scale
    Kitchen knife and cutting board
    Measuring bowls
    Large stockpot
    Wooden spoon
    Wire whisk
    Rubber spatula
    Strainer or chinois
    Medium Saucepan
    Plastic containers

  • 0017. Sauce Espagnole Maigre, Fish Espagnole Sauce

    0017. Sauce Espagnole Maigre, Fish Espagnole Sauce

     

    Escoffier recipe for making sauce espagnole maigre, fish espagnole, or lenten espagnole sauce, at home (Escoffier, 17).

    Also called Lenten Espagnole, this sauce is made with fish fumét and mushrooms instead of brown stock and meat (usually salt pork or bacon) as in regular Espagnole. Guess you can get away with having this rich sauce during Lent, eh?

    I made a quick version of this sauce instead of the two-day Escoffier method. (Ha! Only 6 hours.)

    Classic Sauce Espagnole Maigre
    fish stock + brown roux + mirepoix + bouquet garni + mushrooms + butter + wine + tomato
    Classic Sauce Espagnole
    brown stock + brown roux + mirepoix + bouquet garni + salt pork + butter + wine + tomato
    Modern Sauce Espagnole
    brown stock + brown roux

    Mise en place:
    Mise en place for Fish Espagnole

     

    Sauce Espagnole Maigre

    In a large stockpot, sauté a mirepoix of diced carrots, onion, mushrooms, thyme and bay leaf in the butter until translucent.

    Saute the mirepoix

    Then add the tomato paste and let brown. Deglaze the pot with the dry white wine and reduce until almost dry.

    What kind of dry white wine is best for fish-based sauces?

    Ever notice they never say what kind to use? It’s always the very vague ‘dry white wine’ you’ll see in recipes. I’ve found sauvignon blanc, chablis, and Noilly Prat vermouth work well. Each has its own flavor, and will affect your end result. But go for the lighter whites, stay away from the sweet whites like sauternes and reislings, or oaky whites like chardonnay.

    Add the fish fumét.

    Gently simmer to reduce the stock, skimming off any foam from the surface, for about 5 hours.

    Simmer the fish Espagnole stock

    Strain and add the brown roux to the reduced stock. Simmer gently for another hour, stirring so it does not stick.

    Brown roux can sometimes have a pronounced flavor. Try the sauce, and if it has a floury flavor, simmer some more.

    Sauce Espagnole Maigre

    Remove from heat, strain, and stir occasionally until the sauce is completely cold.

    Lenten Espagnole sauce

    Ingredients
    65g (1/2 cup) diced carrots
    40g (1/4 cup) diced onions
    65g (3/4 cup) diced button or brown mushrooms
    35g (7 1/2 teaspoons) unsalted butter
    33g (2 tablespoons) tomato paste
    100g (1/2 cup) dry white wine
    1000g (4 cups) fish fumét
    2 sprigs fresh thyme
    1 fresh bay leaf
    125g (1 cup) brown roux

    Total time: Prep: 15 minutes, Cook: 6-8 hours

    Yields: 2-4 quarts of stock, depending on how long you simmer it.

    Equipment
    Salter digital scale
    Kitchen knife and cutting board
    Measuring bowls
    Large stockpot
    Wooden spoon
    Wire whisk
    Rubber spatula
    Strainer or chinois
    Medium Saucepan
    Plastic containers