CC Stocks, Sauces & Soups 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following is NOT one of the five classical French mother sauces?
- BĂ©chamel
- Hollandaise
- Bordelaise (Correct answer)
- Velouté
Correct answer: Bordelaise
Bordelaise is a classic derivative (small) sauce made from red wine and bone marrow; the five mother sauces are béchamel, velouté, espagnole, hollandaise, and sauce tomat.
Question 2: What is the thickening base of a classical béchamel sauce?
- A cornstarch slurry whisked into hot milk
- A liaison of egg yolks and heavy cream
- A white roux of equal parts cooked butter and flour (Correct answer)
- Arrowroot dissolved in warm milk
Correct answer: A white roux of equal parts cooked butter and flour
BĂ©chamel is made by cooking a white roux (equal parts butter and flour) and then gradually whisking in hot milk to create a smooth, creamy white sauce.
Question 3: What liquid base is used to make a velouté sauce?
- Whole milk or half-and-half
- Heavy cream reduced by half
- White or blond stock (veal, chicken, or fish) (Correct answer)
- Tomato purée blended with butter
Correct answer: White or blond stock (veal, chicken, or fish)
Velouté is made by thickening a white or blond stock—veal, chicken, or fish depending on the application—with a blond roux, giving it a smooth, velvety texture.
Question 4: What is the proper technique for 'tempering' egg yolks when incorporating them into a hot sauce?
- Whisk the egg yolks vigorously into the boiling sauce all at once
- Slowly add small amounts of hot liquid to the egg yolks while whisking constantly before combining (Correct answer)
- Beat the egg yolks with ice water before adding them to the hot sauce
- Mix egg yolks with cold cream and pour into the sauce while stirring over high heat
Correct answer: Slowly add small amounts of hot liquid to the egg yolks while whisking constantly before combining
Tempering involves gradually adding small amounts of hot liquid to egg yolks while constantly whisking, slowly raising their temperature to prevent proteins from curdling before they are added to the sauce.
Question 5: What is a roux and what are its three stages based on cooking time?
- A reduction of stock and herbs; stages are light, medium, and dark reduction
- A cooked mixture of equal parts fat and flour; stages are white, blond, and brown (dark) (Correct answer)
- A mixture of cream and egg yolks; stages are thin, medium, and thick liaison
- A clarified butter preparation; stages are whole, drawn, and clarified
Correct answer: A cooked mixture of equal parts fat and flour; stages are white, blond, and brown (dark)
A roux is a cooked mixture of equal parts fat and flour used as a thickening agent; cooking it to different degrees produces white roux (short cook), blond roux (medium), and brown/dark roux (long cook), each with distinct flavors.
Question 6: What does the term 'nappe' describe when evaluating the consistency of a finished sauce?
- The sauce pours freely from a ladle like water
- The sauce coats the back of a spoon and a line drawn through it holds its shape (Correct answer)
- The sauce is thick enough to hold a piped shape at room temperature
- The sauce sets into a firm gel when refrigerated overnight
Correct answer: The sauce coats the back of a spoon and a line drawn through it holds its shape
'Nappe' consistency means the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and when a finger is drawn through the coating, the line holds cleanly without the sauce running back together.
Question 7: What is a 'liaison' in classical French sauce-making and when is it added?
- A mixture of egg yolks and heavy cream added off the heat to enrich and lightly thicken a sauce (Correct answer)
- A mixture of cold butter pieces swirled into the sauce to add gloss
- A fine-mesh straining technique to remove impurities from the finished sauce
- A reduction of wine and shallots used as a flavor base before building the sauce
Correct answer: A mixture of egg yolks and heavy cream added off the heat to enrich and lightly thicken a sauce
A liaison is a mixture of egg yolks and heavy cream (typically 1 yolk to 3 tablespoons cream) stirred into a sauce off the heat to enrich it and add body without boiling, which would cause curdling.
CC Stocks, Sauces & Soups 2
Which of the following is NOT one of the five classical French mother sauces?