Cooking Lessons Mother Sauces and Derivatives 3 â Questions and Answers
Question 1: Your hollandaise has broken and looks like greasy scrambled curds. What is the best first step to rescue it?
- Add more melted butter quickly
- Whisk the broken sauce into a fresh egg yolk with a little warm water (Correct answer)
- Boil the sauce to re-emulsify it
- Freeze it briefly to firm the butter
Correct answer: Whisk the broken sauce into a fresh egg yolk with a little warm water
Slowly whisking the broken sauce into a fresh yolk rebuilds the emulsion.
Question 2: Which derivative of Espagnole is finished with Madeira wine?
- Sauce MadĂšre (Correct answer)
- Sauce Robert
- Sauce Lyonnaise
- Sauce Piquante
Correct answer: Sauce MadĂšre
Sauce MadĂšre is demi-glace flavored with Madeira wine.
Question 3: What is the primary purpose of studding an onion with cloves and a bay leaf (oignon piqué) when making béchamel?
- To thicken the sauce
- To infuse subtle aromatic flavor into the milk (Correct answer)
- To prevent the milk from scorching
- To keep the roux from lumping
Correct answer: To infuse subtle aromatic flavor into the milk
The oignon piqué gently flavors the milk as the béchamel simmers.
Question 4: Sauce Allemande differs from a basic velouté because it is finished with what liaison?
- Blood and vinegar
- Egg yolks and cream (Correct answer)
- Butter and flour
- Gelatin and stock
Correct answer: Egg yolks and cream
Allemande is velouté thickened with an egg yolk and cream liaison, plus lemon juice.
Question 5: A fish velouté combined with white wine and finished with butter is the base for which family of sauces?
- White wine sauce (sauce vin blanc) derivatives (Correct answer)
- Demi-glace derivatives
- Mornay derivatives
- BĂ©arnaise derivatives
Correct answer: White wine sauce (sauce vin blanc) derivatives
Sauce vin blanc, from fish velouté and white wine, anchors many classic fish sauces.
Question 6: Why is Espagnole simmered with tomato purée and a browned mirepoix rather than left as plain thickened brown stock?
- To lighten its color
- To add acidity, depth, and color that define the sauce (Correct answer)
- To speed up the cooking time
- To make it suitable for vegetarians
Correct answer: To add acidity, depth, and color that define the sauce
Tomato and caramelized mirepoix give Espagnole its characteristic deep flavor and color.
Question 7: Which sauce would be the most appropriate classical choice to nap over poached eggs Florentine?
- Sauce Chasseur
- Sauce Mornay (Correct answer)
- Sauce Piquante
- Sauce MadĂšre
Correct answer: Sauce Mornay
Eggs Florentine are classically finished with cheese-enriched Mornay sauce and glazed.
Cooking Lessons Mother Sauces and Derivatives 3
Your hollandaise has broken and looks like greasy scrambled curds.
What is the best first step to rescue it?