Classic Sauce Making Flashcards

Espagnole sauce is traditionally reduced with additional brown stock to create which grand finishing sauce?

Answer: Demi-glace

Demi-glace is classically equal parts espagnole and brown stock reduced by half.

A student's béchamel tastes fine but is full of lumps. What most likely went wrong?

Answer: Hot milk was added too fast to the roux without whisking

Adding liquid too quickly without constant whisking lets the roux clump instead of dispersing.

Which aromatic garnish — an onion studded with cloves and a bay leaf — is classically steeped in béchamel?

Answer: Onion piqué

The onion piqué infuses béchamel with subtle clove and bay flavor.

What distinguishes sauce béarnaise from hollandaise?

Answer: Béarnaise uses a tarragon-shallot-vinegar reduction instead of lemon juice

Béarnaise replaces hollandaise's lemon with a reduction of vinegar, shallots, and tarragon.

When making a pan sauce after searing meat, what is the purpose of deglazing?

Answer: To dissolve the flavorful browned fond into the liquid

Deglazing lifts the caramelized fond off the pan bottom to flavor the sauce.

Which thickener produces a glossy, translucent sauce and thickens almost instantly when added as a cold-water slurry to simmering liquid?

Answer: Cornstarch

Cornstarch slurry gelatinizes quickly and yields a clear, glossy finish.

Why is clarified butter often preferred over whole butter for making hollandaise?

Answer: Removing water and milk solids yields a thicker, more stable emulsion

Clarified butter's lack of water makes the emulsion richer and less prone to thinning or breaking.