Classic French cooking, as we know it today, started with Marie-Antoined Carême, one of the original celebrity chefs. Way back in the 1800s, he identified the four sauces that were the basis of much of French cooking. A hundred years later, Georges Escoffier came up with the modern list of mother sauces: hollandaise, velouté, béchamel, espagnole, and tomate. From there, you can add a few simple ingredients to make just about every sauce, glaze, and soup in the French alphabet. Those resulting sauces are known as "daughter sauces."
If your'e ready to do your best Julie And Julia, we've rounded up five delicious recipes that will help you buff up on these five classic French sauces. Bon Appétit!
Eggs Benedict Salad With Dill Hollandaise Dressing
Creamy hollandaise is already a brunch staple. But it gets its "mother sauce" status from the fact that, with the addition of a few ingredients, it can also become Béarnaise, Dijon, or a deliciously airy mousseline, among many others.
Photo: Courtesy of My Name Is Yeh.
Broccoli Cheese Soup With Sauce Velouté Base
Sauce velouté, a velvety broth-based stock, is used as a base for wine sauces and meat glazes. Here, it's used as a lighter base for a delicious broccoli and cheddar soup.
Photo: Courtesy of The Wooden Skillet.
Simmered for hours with pork and veggies, classic French sauce tomate has a depth of flavour you don't normally get from any old jarred marinara. Sauce tomate's daughter sauces include ketchup, hot sauce, and vodka sauce, but it's also delicious on its own on pasta with some basil and Parmesan.
Photo: Courtesy of Girl Gone Gourmet.
Creamy Silverbeet Gratin With Béchamel
Béchamel is similar to an Alfredo sauce, and can actually be frozen to keep on hand for recipes like lasagnas and gratins.
Photo: Courtesy of The Cook's Pyjamas.
Steak & Mushroom Sandwich With Sauce Espagnole
Used to make demi-glaces and mushroom sauces, think of sauce Espagnole as the richest gravy you can imagine — which is why its so good with steak and mushrooms for a simple, hearty Sunday dinner.
Photo: Courtesy of Girl Gone Gourmet.
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