Sure wish you had provided the ‘Monkey Bread’ recipe when the monkey was still alive !!
Seriously, can you give me a refresher on the “mother Sauce” recipe and how to vary it for other uses. And what is the trick to getting a roux nice and brown without scorching it ? Thanks, Chef Phil !
Wanda
Wanda, thank you for the question, and a very good one it is. For the first part on the mother sauces I am going to refer you to a book, "Sauces, French and Famous" by Louis Diat and publish by Hammond Press. I found this to be very "reader friendly" and contains much more than just the mother sauces and their derivatives. To cover all the mother sauces and their variations on the web site would make for a night of reading and a good bit of downloading to keep for your reference. Once you get the book, or any other that covers the subject, if you have any specific questions do not hesitate to get in touch.
Now, for the second part of your question about preparation of roux, the key words here are, patience and patience. Firstly we know that by definition a roux is equal parts flour and fat by weight. The fat can be butter, margarine, bacon fat, cooking oil etc. Once you have the proportion correct we begin the cooking process. Heat the fat in your pan over medium heat. Slowly add the flour and begin to whisk. What your looking for now is not only color but the aroma, as the flour and fat begin to combine the smell will go from the "raw" flour smell to that of a more "nutty" smell. Now is the time to watch it closely, unattended it can burn in a short time. Keep it moving with the whisk. If it should burn, start over as I know of no way to rescue burnt roux.
There are 3 types of roux, light or blonde, medium, and dark. The difference is in the cooking time and what you are making, light for chicken dishes, medium for meat dishes and gravies, dark would work well in gumbos and darker soups and gravies. Depending on how much you use, any extra can be held safely in the refrigerator for up to a month if kept tightly covered as it will pick up odors from other foods.
One last bit of advise, roux, or any other thickening agent, will not reach it's thickening level until it comes to a boil. So add it in small amounts to avoid over thickening.
Again, thanks for the question! Hope to hear from you again, and as we say here at JES Restaurant Equipment, now "You are cooking" Check out all the frying pans we offer to make your roux taste amazing!
Chef Phil
