The forgotten mother sauce of classical French cuisine. A velouté resembles béchamel but is made with a white stock instead of milk. This makes it much lighter, more refined and the basis of dozens of restaurant sauces such as suprême, Normande and sauce Poulette.
Velouté
Sauce velouté
Velouté
Sauce velouté
Method
01
Roux
Melt the butter over a low heat until the foam subsides. Add the flour all at once and stir constantly with a wooden spoon. Cook the roux for 3 minutes without letting it colour. It should stay pale and smell faintly of biscuit.
02
Add the stock
Pour the hot stock into the roux little by little and whisk smooth each time before adding more. This produces a completely smooth sauce without lumps.
03
Cook
Add the bay leaf, thyme and parsley and leave the sauce to simmer gently for 20 minutes over the lowest heat. Stir over the bottom now and then so that nothing catches.
04
Strain
Remove the herbs and pour the sauce through a fine sieve. Don't press on the herbs; let the sauce drain by itself for a clear, velvety texture.
05
Season
Only now season with a little salt and white pepper.
Tips & notes
A good velouté should thinly coat the back of a spoon without being heavy or sticky. When storing the sauce, cover it directly with cling film on the surface to prevent a skin forming. From this one sauce you can make, among others, sauce suprême, sauce allemande, sauce Normande and sauce Poulette. Keeps for 3–4 days in the fridge, and freezes very well (up to 3 months); the flavour often deepens further the next day.
Chef's tip
A classic velouté is always made with a white stock. Use veal stock for veal, chicken stock for poultry and fish fumet for fish dishes. That keeps the flavour refined and in balance.
Variations
- Sauce suprême – Reduced with cream and mushroom liquor.
- Sauce allemande – Thickened with a liaison of egg yolk and cream.
- Sauce Normande – Based on fish fumet, with mussel liquor and cream.
Contains:
Gluten
Milk
Fish
Serve with
- Poached chicken
- Veal blanquette
- Vol-au-vent
- Poached fish
- Rice
| Calories | 97 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 7 g |
| Fat | 7 g |
| Fibre | 0 g |
Estimated values, calculated from standard nutritional values per ingredient.
