A veloute is another one of the five mother sauces. It is made by thickening white stock, chicken, fish or veal with a roux and simmering it to reduce for additional flavor.
In my recent Sauce class, the students added vegetables and chicken to the sauce to create a wonderful topping for puff pastry.
There are many other sauces that can be made from the veloute sauce.
Makes 2 cups
Total time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
Instructions:
Heat the chicken stock to a simmer in a medium saucepan, then lower the heat so that the stock just stays warm.
Meanwhile, in a separate heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat until it becomes frothy. Take care not to let the butter turn brown, though — that'll affect the flavor.
With a wooden spoon, stir the flour into the melted butter a little bit at a time, until it is fully incorporated into the butter, giving you a pale-yellow-colored paste. This paste is called a roux. Heat the roux for another few minutes or so, until it has turned a light blond color. Don't let it get too dark.
Using a wire whisk, slowly add the hot chicken stock to the roux, whisking vigorously to make sure it's free of lumps.
Simmer for about 30 minutes or until the total volume has reduced by about one-third, stirring frequently to make sure the sauce doesn't scorch at the bottom of the pan. Use a ladle to skim off any impurities that rise to the surface.
The resulting sauce should be smooth and velvety. If it's too thick, whisk in a bit more hot stock until it's just thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove the sauce from the heat. For an extra smooth consistency, carefully pour the sauce through a wire mesh strainer lined with a piece of cheesecloth. Keep the velouté covered until you're ready to use it.
For the Veloute Sauce: Add mixed vegetables and cooked chicken breast. Serve over puff pastry.