FRENCH MOTHER SAUCES:

Béchamel - white sauce or cream sauce Demi-glace - reduced and fortified brown meat sauce Espagnole - basic brown meat sauce Hollandaise - sauce made with egg yolks and melted butter served warm Mayonnaise - sauce made with egg yolks and oil, served cold Tomato sauce Velouté - white sauce made with veal, chicken or fish stock thickened with roux.

The variation are endless and once the rigid classification is no longer adhered to. In many cases the classic French sauces have been replaced by reduced meat, fish or vegetable stocks, or by purees called coulis, or by quick sauces made with concentrated ingredients such as beurre blanc, which is a delicate blend of shallots cooked with white wine and vinegar, cream and fresh butter. There are many bottles and canned sauces on the market, and there is no clear distinction between canned sauces and condiments.

Béchamel Sauce Classic French sauce, considered one of the mother sauces. Also known as white sauce. Flour is cooked with fat, normally butter and oil without browning, mixed with milk and boiled until thick. Chefs invented many ways to flavor the basic sauce, such as adding onions and cloves to the milk, or even adding veal stock. However, the basic purpose of the sauce is to be mixed with other food and flavors when used. The sauce is named after Marquis de Nointel Béchamel, gourmet and gourmand during the reign of King Louis XIV of France.

Demi-glace French classical mother sauce. It is a brown sauce, made with beef and veal bones, and reduced until shiny, concentrated and flavorful. The sauce is basically ready for use, but is called mother sauce because garnishes, such as herbs, special wines, mushroom and other items can still be added. The base for demi-glace is Sauce Espagnole, a basic brown sauce.

Espagnole sauce French basic brown sauce. It is made by browning beef and veal bones, adding flavoring vegetables, spices and tomato puree and water, simmering the stock for many hours. The strained stock is then thickened with a brown roux, a mixture of fat and flour cooked until light brown. See roux. Sauce espagnole is considered a basic, or mother sauce in French cuisine. The sauce demi-glace is derived from espagnole, although in modern cooking there is little differentiation between the two sauces. The term is considered old fashioned.

Hollandaise Sauce Classical French sauce consisting of egg yolks, vinegar and water whipped over hot water until thick, and then stirred with warm clarified butter. Hollandaise is considered one of the mother sauce in French cuisine, and a number of variations are made by adding different flavors, spices and herbs. Mousseline sauce is hollandaise sauce with whipped cream added.

Mayonnaise Cold sauce or dressing based on egg yolks, lemon juice or vinegar, spices and oil. Mayonnaise was first produced commercially in 1912. The leading brand is Hellman‟s produced by the CPC company. The origin of the name is obscure. Mayonnaise is a classical French sauce. In French cuisine the term mayonnaise in connection with a main ingredient is used to describe a cold dish, such as Mayonnaise de Volaille, which is chicken salad.

Velouté French sauce made with white stock and roux . Any stock can be used, such as chicken, veal or fish as long as it is white. It is considered one of the basic, or mother sauces in French cooking, and is often finished with cream and egg yolks.