Cooking Lessons Mother Sauces and Derivatives Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A chef is preparing a classic sauce for grilled steak. They start with a rich brown stock, thicken it with a brown roux, and then enrich it with red wine, shallots, and bone marrow. Which derivative sauce is the chef creating?
- Sauce Mornay
- Sauce Béarnaise
- Sauce Bordelaise (Correct answer)
- Sauce Allemande
Correct answer: Sauce Bordelaise
Sauce Bordelaise is a classic derivative of Espagnole (a brown sauce). It is characterized by the addition of red wine (specifically Bordeaux), shallots, and often bone marrow, making it a traditional pairing for grilled meats like steak.
Question 2: What is the primary flavoring ingredient that distinguishes a classic Béarnaise sauce from its mother sauce, Hollandaise?
- Lemon juice
- Tarragon (Correct answer)
- Cayenne pepper
- Melted butter
Correct answer: Tarragon
While both are emulsified sauces made with egg yolks and butter, Hollandaise is typically acidified with lemon juice. Béarnaise sauce builds upon the Hollandaise base but is distinguished by a flavor reduction of vinegar, wine, shallots, and, most characteristically, fresh tarragon.
Question 3: Which of the following is a classic derivative of Béchamel sauce?
- Sauce Soubise (Correct answer)
- Sauce Chasseur
- Sauce Choron
- Sauce Suprême
Correct answer: Sauce Soubise
Sauce Soubise is made by adding puréed or finely diced sautéed onions to a Béchamel base. Sauce Chasseur comes from Espagnole, Sauce Choron is a derivative of Béarnaise (which comes from Hollandaise), and Sauce Suprême is derived from Velouté.
Question 4: A chef plans to make a Sauce Allemande to serve with poached chicken. To begin, they must create the correct mother sauce. Which mother sauce serves as the foundation for Sauce Allemande?
- Espagnole
- Béchamel
- Hollandaise
- Velouté (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Velouté
Sauce Allemande, also known as 'German Sauce' or 'Parisienne Sauce,' is a classic derivative of Velouté. It is created by enriching a light stock-based velouté (like chicken or veal) with a liaison of egg yolks and heavy cream.
Question 5: A classic Espagnole sauce, one of the five mother sauces, is primarily thickened with which of the following?
- A liaison of egg yolk and cream
- Cornstarch slurry
- Brown roux (Correct answer)
- White roux
Correct answer: Brown roux
Espagnole is a brown sauce made from a rich brown stock, mirepoix, and tomato purée. It is traditionally thickened with a brown roux, which is a mixture of fat and flour cooked until it develops a dark color and nutty aroma, contributing to the sauce's characteristic color and flavor.
Question 6: Which of the following sauces is NOT a derivative of Hollandaise?
- Sauce Maltaise
- Sauce Mousseline
- Sauce Choron
- Sauce Vin Blanc (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Sauce Vin Blanc
Sauce Vin Blanc ('white wine sauce') is a classic derivative of fish Velouté, not Hollandaise. Sauce Maltaise (with blood orange), Sauce Mousseline (with whipped cream), and Sauce Choron (Béarnaise with tomato) are all well-known derivatives of the Hollandaise family.
Cooking Lessons Mother Sauces and Derivatives Questions and Answers
A chef is preparing a classic sauce for grilled steak.
They start with a rich brown stock, thicken it with a brown roux, and then enrich it with red wine, shallots, and bone marrow.
Which derivative sauce is the chef creating?