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Sauce velouté
Light stock white sauce
Sauce velouté: French mother sauce of light stock thickened with a blond roux (vegetarian version)
Velouté is one of the five mother sauces of classic French cooking, taught in every cookery school from Paris to Lyon and used as the base for dozens of sauces for vegetables, eggs, chicken and fish. A blond roux of butter and flour is cooked without browning, then whisked into hot light stock and simmered until silky. This version uses vegetable stock so it is vegetarian; for the classic, use chicken, veal or fish stock to match the dish. The common mistake is not simmering long enough, which leaves the sauce tasting of raw flour. Chef's tip: add the hot stock to a warm roux gradually, whisking hard, and you will never get lumps.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 1 ⅜ oz butter
- 1 ⅜ oz plain flour
- 3 ¼ cups hot light vegetable stock
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 pinch ground white pepper
- 1 tsp lemon juice (optional)
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Melt the 1 ⅜ oz butter in a heavy pan over a medium-low heat, stir in the 1 ⅜ oz plain flour and cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring, until it smells nutty but is still pale blond.
3 minStep 2: Whisk in the hot 3 ¼ cups hot light vegetable stock a ladle at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition.
5 minStep 3: Simmer very gently for 15 minutes, stirring often and skimming any skin, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon and tastes smooth, not floury.
15 minStep 4: Season with ¼ tsp salt, 1 pinch ground white pepper and 1 tsp lemon juice and strain through a fine sieve if you want it perfectly smooth.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 70 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 5 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sauce velouté take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
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