Sauce Veloute is a very simple member of the Five French Mother Sauces that is used for a base to make many different secondary sauces and leading sauces.
Standard Ratio and Recipe for Sauce Veloute
- 4 ounce blond roux (2 ounces clarified butter and 2 ounces all purpose flour)
- 1 1/4 quarts hot, White Stock (Veal, Chicken, or Fish)
- Heat up your white stock in a heavy bottom sauce pan.
- In a separate pan, cook roux to a blond stage.
- Allow roux to cool slightly before adding it to the gently simmering stock.
- Whisk stock and roux together and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Allow to simmer for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Adjust consistency by adding more hot stock if necessary. Recipe should yield 1 qt of sauce at the “napé” stage, meaning the sauce should thinly coat the back of a spoon.
- Finish by straining through a chinois or a strainer lined with cheesecloth.
- Note: Do not season your Veloute. Veloute is always used as a foundation for other secondary sauces and small sauces, at which time you will season the sauce as a whole.
Now that you have the basic recipe for sauce Veloute, lets look at some of its secondary and small sauces.
Sauce Vin Blanc (White Wine Sauce)
Sauce Vin Blanc is a variation of secondary sauce based on fish Veloute. Not surprisingly, the White Wine Sauce goes great with just about any type of fish or seafood dish.
- 4 oz dry white wine
- 1 quart fish Veloute
- 4 oz heavy cream
- 1 oz butter
- Salt, White Pepper and Lemon Juice to taste.
- Reduce your white wine by half and then add your fish Veloute.
- Reduce your Veloute until it coats the back of a spoon. This consistency is referd to as “napé.”
- Temper cream and stir into the Veloute.
- Right before serving, swirl in you butter and season with salt, white pepper and a couple drops of lemon juice.
- Strain through a chinois and serve.
Sauce Supreme
Sauce supreme is a very simple variation based on Chicken Veloute. Since this sauce is so simple, it’s very important to make sure that your chicken stock is made properly and of high quality. Use heavy whipping cream and European butter if you can find them. This sauce is traditionally served with poached or steam chicken, or any other type of poultry dish with delicate flavors.
- 1 qt chicken Veloute
- 1 cup heavy cream, warm
- 1 oz butter
- Salt, White Pepper and Lemon Juice to taste.
- Reduce Chicken Veloute by 1/4.
- Add in warm, heavy cream.
- Swirl in butter
- Season with salt, white pepper and lemon juice to taste.
- Strain through a chinois and serve.
Sauce Allemande
Sauce Allemande is another simple sauce based on Veal Veloute. But with the richness of the Liason and the brightness of the fresh lemon juice, this sauce is simply amazing. This is a perfect sauce for Veal Scallopini.
- 1 qt of Veal Veloute
- 2 egg yolks (for liaison)
- 4 ounce heavy cream (for liaison)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- White Pepper and Salt to taste
Small Sauces Based on Veloute
Although you can use Veloute as a base to make your own, uniquely flavored sauces, there are some traditional “small sauces” that use Veloute as its base.
Sauce Poulette
- Simmer 8 ounces of white, button mushrooms with when making 1 quart of Veloute of your choice.
- Use Veloute to make Sauce Allemande and then strain out mushrooms.
- Finish with 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley and lemon juice to taste.
Sauce Bercy
- Reduce by two-thirds: 2 ounces chopped shallots and 1/2 cup white wine.
- Add 1 quart Fish Veloute and simmer for about 10-15 minutes, reducing slightly.
- Turn of heat and finish sauce by swirling in 2 ounces raw butter.
- Season with chopped parsley and lemon juice to taste.
Sauce Normandy
- Bring 1 quart of Fish Veloute to a simmer.
- Add 4 ounces of mushrooms and 4 ounces of oyster liquid or fish fumet.
- Reduce by 1/3.
- Finish with a liaison of 4 egg yolks and 1 cup heavy cream.
- Strain and swirl in 3 ounces of raw butter off the heat.
Further Information