Cooking Lessons Mother Sauces and Derivatives 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which chef is credited with codifying the five mother sauces in their modern form?
- Marie-Antoine Carême
- Auguste Escoffier (Correct answer)
- Paul Bocuse
- Fernand Point
Correct answer: Auguste Escoffier
Escoffier refined Carême's system into the five mother sauces taught today.
Question 2: Sauce Nantua, classically served with fish and quenelles, is a béchamel-based sauce flavored with what?
- Crayfish butter and cream (Correct answer)
- Smoked salmon
- Anchovy paste
- Lobster shells only
Correct answer: Crayfish butter and cream
Nantua is béchamel finished with cream and crayfish butter.
Question 3: Why is clarified butter preferred over whole butter when making hollandaise?
- It is cheaper
- Removing water and milk solids gives a more stable, richer emulsion (Correct answer)
- It has a lower smoke point
- It adds extra protein for thickening
Correct answer: Removing water and milk solids gives a more stable, richer emulsion
Clarified butter's lack of water and milk solids makes the emulsion more stable.
Question 4: A cook deglazes a roasting pan with white wine, adds demi-glace, and finishes with fresh tarragon and tomato. Which small sauce results?
- Sauce Chasseur (Correct answer)
- Sauce Chateaubriand
- Sauce Périgueux
- Sauce Bordelaise
Correct answer: Sauce Chasseur
Chasseur combines demi-glace with white wine, tomato, tarragon, and typically mushrooms and shallots.
Question 5: What distinguishes sauce vin blanc for fish from sauce Suprême?
- Vin blanc uses fish velouté and white wine; Suprême uses chicken velouté and cream (Correct answer)
- Vin blanc is a brown sauce
- Suprême contains no dairy
- They are identical sauces with different names
Correct answer: Vin blanc uses fish velouté and white wine; Suprême uses chicken velouté and cream
The two differ in their base velouté (fish versus chicken) and their finishing ingredients.
Question 6: When making Espagnole, why should the brown roux be cooked slowly and carefully?
- To increase its thickening power beyond white roux
- Because browning develops flavor but reduces thickening power, so scorching must be avoided (Correct answer)
- To evaporate all the fat
- Because brown roux thickens instantly
Correct answer: Because browning develops flavor but reduces thickening power, so scorching must be avoided
Browning adds nutty depth but weakens starch thickening, and burnt roux turns bitter.
Question 7: Sauce Mousseline is hollandaise lightened by folding in what?
- Beaten egg whites
- Whipped cream (Correct answer)
- Crème fraîche
- Puréed potatoes
Correct answer: Whipped cream
Mousseline is hollandaise with softly whipped cream folded in.
Cooking Lessons Mother Sauces and Derivatives 5
Which chef is credited with codifying the five mother sauces in their modern form?