The basis of French sauces are emulsified ones. A term as technical to the ear as it is to practice, especially when you don’t have the hang of it. This type of sauce is prepared with egg yolks and a little lemon. The emulsion must make it possible to mix seemingly immiscible ingredients. Too liquid, too thick… Missing it is not uncommon, just as it also happens with dishes or meats. However, with the right advice, you can achieve everything but also catch up on everything. Current wife turned to a two-star chef, elected Meilleur Ouvrier de France (MOF) and also Director of Culinary Arts at the Le Cordon Bleu Paris institute where he leads workshops and demonstrations: Éric Briffard reveals his secrets to you.
Households are preparing fewer and fewer sauces
While they are one of the foundations of our cuisine, the French take less and less trouble to prepare them. “The basic sauces of French cuisine require a lot of preparation time. They say it takes a certain amount of expertise to make a successful sauce“, indicates Chef Briffard. Brilliant, smooth, creamy, precisely spicy… So many criteria which are enough to discourage. Especially since, when we finally decide to get started, we are still or returning in the learning phase.
Here’s how to make up a sauce
Depending on the type of sauce and the miss, chef Briffard has several tips for giving yourself a second chance:
- For a Vinaigretteit’s quite easy: just readjust the dose of oil, vinegar or spices based on the ratio 1/3 vinegar, 2/3 oil.
- For a sauce that is too liquid (whether it’s an emulsion, a juice or a reduction): “If the sauce has not had time to reduce or the flavor is strong enough but the consistency is too runny, gradually add cornstarch or potato starch. Loosen with a little bit of water, go very slowly to avoid lumps forming.“.
- To give more substance to a juice : “To obtain a nice caramelization, add a finely chopped onion if you haven’t already done so. Finalize the preparation with a little starch (potato, corn), this will allow the juice to relax and have a more coating and icy texture.“.
- For a reduction“the only risk is that it is very concentrated in taste“but it’s a question of preference. To make it a little less so,”add a knob of butter and mix off the heat”advises the chef.
- For a sauce that is too thick, it all depends on the base of the sauce, that is to say the products processed. We can assume that we can add a dose of the liquid ingredient to the sauce composition. For example, for a roux (mixture of butter and flour cooked with milk, the base of béchamel, croque-monsieur and endives with ham), the chef recommends “thin the sauce with a little water, milk or cream“. Always, starting with a small dose and building up gradually.
- For a sauce that has not emulsified : if you have missed the binding of the emulsion (and this is common), the chef advises to “add hot pieces of butter as you go. This will provide this missing connection.“
- For a bland sauce: To finish, the chef would like to recall the importance of the role that spices such as curry, turmeric, caraway and even cumin can play. Ideal bases to bring taste and different flavors.
Gain experience and why not take lessons?
Remember that, as with any activity, it is by practicing that we gain experience. In the kitchen, there aren’t many rules about associations, it depends on individual tastes. The leader feels a real need on the part of the French to unwind the idea we have of cooking and especially that of older people. “The general public who are not at all connoisseurs think that there are absolutely essential rituals for cooking. Our recipes do not stop on one principle. When you don’t have everything you need in a recipe, it doesn’t matter, you adapt and, ultimately, that’s what’s interesting.“.
Would we tend to forget that the greatest recipes are made based on mistakes ? It is also because they practice, test and make mistakes that chefs regularly release new creations. “You should not be afraid to follow your inspiration and take risks because in the end there are not many risks to take“, he concludes, encouragingly.
And the one of go to a cooking lessons, SO ? Demonstrations from chefs, learning alongside them and sharing personalized advice, original and thematic workshops… We are far from the master classes launched at the end of the last century. On the contrary. From now on, there is something for all curiosities and all needs, notably at the Le Cordon Bleu Paris institute where the chef is renowned. Because, let’s not forget, it’s also by watching that we learn.
If the experience tempts you, go to the establishment’s website.