How to Make a Brown Sauce

Shelley Young demonstrates how to make a brown sauce from beef stock. This basic sauce can be the canvas of your sauce making. Flavor it however you want or leave it as is for a rich complement to meat & poultry.

Basic Brown Sauce

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion, medium dice
1 stalk celery, medium dice
1 carrot, medium dice
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup wine
2 1/2 cups beef stock
1 bay leaf
salt & pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon cold butter

1. Heat a heavy saucepan over medium heat and add the 2 T of butter.
2. Saute the onion, celery and carrot until caramelized, about 5-6 minutes.
3. Add the tomato paste and continue to cook an additional minute.
4. Add the flour, tossing to coat the vegetables, and cook for one minute more. Deglaze the pan with the wine, scraping any fond off the bottom of the pan.
5. Add the stock and bay leaf and whisk to combine the ingredients. Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for about 10-15 minutes, or until the sauce is reduced slightly and vegetables are soft.
6. Pass through a food mill or strainer into another pot and mount with the cold butter.

Serving Suggestions:
-Sauce over grilled or sauteed red meat.
-Add 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard to the finished sauce and serve with pork chops or pork tenderloin.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• Shelley Young
• The Chopping Block
• cooking school
• cooking classes
• brown sauce
• espagnole
• classic French sauce

[maymeegal]

I spent almost everyday watching cooking show and reading cooking blogs and i have to say you are one the best instructor so far.. very informative and scientific ( well... that's another perspective of cooking that I love )

[TheChoppingBlock1]

@maymeegal Thanks so much!

[SirBrutus07]

is it possible, or would it alter the taste to add some laision to that to give it a nice sheen, and richness?

[TheChoppingBlock1]

@SirBrutus07 We finish the sauce with butter here to give it sheen and richness. The term "liason" is the process of thickening, which is done with roux in this particular sauce. It can also be done with egg yolks, but that's generally more appropriate for white sauces. We like butter to finish beef sauces.

[maztah010101]

my schools recipe doesnt use wine and it doesnt say to monte au beurre--now im confused

[TheChoppingBlock1]

@maztah010101 There are many variations on making a brown sauce. This is just one way to do it. However, monte au beurre is the classic French way of finishing a sauce with butter.

[Flamingogina]

cool! thanks!

[ngorok88]

need a oven baked bone,,,

[TheChoppingBlock1]

@socraticproblem86 Espagnole is one of the mother sauces that are the basis of sauce-making in classic French cooking. You can make many different variations of sauces based on this technique by altering flavors and ingredients.