So what do I mean by mother sauces? Bypassing some of the debate, the development of various sauces over the years stems from the 19th-century French chef Antonin Carême who evolved a specific methodology whereby hundreds of sauces were categorized under one of "mother sauces." Carême’s basic sauces are: Béchamel, Velouté, Espagnole; and Allemande (there is some debate as to weather or not vinegar-based Vinaigrette should be included). The 20th Century Chef, Escoffier updated the list to include the egg-based emulsions such as Hollandaise and Mayonnaise as well as Tomato Sauce.
As I’ll discuss later, each type of sauce has its own method of preparation. However, many of the various types of sauces incorporate some of the same techniques. As an example, a roux is a common ingredient in most of the white and brown sauces. A roux is a mixture of flour and fat (usually butter) that is cooked to varying degrees, and shades of color.
Modern cooking is not limited to using these classic sauces. The five mother sauces have been joined by a wide variety of modern-day sauces such that run the gamut from sweet to savory including; dessert sauces, tomato, pesto and barbecue sauces.
Sauces provide a relatively inexpensive way of bringing variety to your daily menu. But many chefs rely so strongly on sauces that they tend to dominate the palette, taking away emphasis from the main ingredient. My recommendation is to use sauces as an accent, letting your primary ingredients speak for themselves.
If you do opt to use a sauce remember that just like any other item on the plate, a sauce is only as good as the ingredients you put into it and the care you take while preparing it.
Defining the Mother Sauces:
Allemande is similar to the velouté sauce, but thickened with egg yolks, heavy cream, and seasoned with lemon juice.
Béchamel, the classic white sauce, was named after its inventor, Louis XIV's steward Louis de Béchamel. Béchamel is often referred to as a cream sauce because of its light colored appearance. Béchamel is made by stirring milk into a butter-flour roux, the thickness of the sauce depends on the proportion of flour and butter to milk that you use.
Velouté is a stock-based white sauce. It can be made from chicken, veal or fish stock. Adding elements such as egg yolks or cream are transforms the sauce into an Allemande.
Espagnole, or brown sauce, is traditionally made of a rich meat stock, a mirepoix of browned vegetables (most often a mixture of diced onion, carrots and celery), a nicely browned roux, herbs and sometimes tomato paste.
Hollandaise is made with butter, egg yolks and lemon juice, usually in a double boiler to prevent overheating, and served warm. It is generally used to embellish vegetables, fish and egg dishes, such as the classic Eggs Benedict.
Mayonnaise is a thick, creamy dressing that's an emulsion of vegetable oil, egg yolks, lemon juice or vinegar and seasonings. It is widely used as a spread, a dressing and as a sauce. It's also used as the base for such mixtures as Tartar Sauce, Thousand Island Dressing, Aioli, and Remoulade.
Sauce Tomate consists of butter, salt pork, flour, onions, bay leaves, thyme, tomato purée or fresh tomatoes, roux, garlic, salt, sugar, and pepper
Vinaigrette is a sauce made of a simple blend of oil, vinegar, salt and pepper (usually 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar). More elaborate variations can include any combination of spices, herbs, shallots, onions, mustard, etc. It is generally used to dress salad greens and other cold vegetable, meat or fish dishes.
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