Sauces Mères (French Mother Sauces)
The French mother sauces were originally four base sauces set forth by Antonin Carême in the 19th century. Carême’s four original mother sauces were Allemande, Béchamel, Velouté and Espagnole. In the 20th century, Chef Auguste Escoffier demoted Allemande to a secondary sauce of Velouté, and added Sauce Tomat and Hollandaise.
Today, in the culinary arts, the term "mother sauce" refers to any one of five basic sauces, which are the starting points for making various secondary sauces or "small sauces". They're called mother sauces because each one is like the head of its own unique family. A sauce is essentially a liquid plus some sort of thickening agent along with other flavouring ingredients. Each of the five mother sauces is made with a different liquid, and a different thickening agent - although three of the mother sauces are thickened with a roux, in each case the roux is cooked for a different amount of time to produce a lighter or darker colour. From the mother sauces are dozens of offspring (daughters) from which there are 3rd generation sauces (compounds) or dare I say grand-daughters? Below is a list of the mother sauce and her derivatives:
Sauce Béchamel (White Cream Sauce)
Mother Béchamel: Milk, Nutmeg
Thickening Agent: White Roux
Served With: Eggs, Fish, Steamed Poultry, Steamed Vegetables, Pasta, Veal
Small Béchamel Sauces:
Albert (Shallots, Horseradish, Mustard, Sherry, Vinegar)
Aurore (Tomato Purée, Sherry)
Chantilly (Whipped Cream, Lemon Zest)
Champignon (Mushrooms, Crème Fraîche, Egg Yolk)
Crème (Heavy Cream)
Duxelles (Onions, Mushrooms, Crème Fraîche, Egg Yolk)
Fromage (Cheddar, Mustard, Worcestershire)
Mornay (Gruyère, Parmesan)
Moutarde (Dry Mustard, Whipping Cream)
Nantua (Shrimp Butter, Cream, Cognac)
Persil (Parsley)
Soubise (Onions, Sugar, Crème Fraîche)
Soubise Tomatée (Onions, Sugar, Crème Fraîche, Tomato Purée)
Sauce Espagnole (Brown Sauce)
Mother Espagnole: Mirepoix, brown stock, tomato purée, sachet (bay leaf, thyme, peppercorns, parsley stems) salt and pepper.
Thickening Agent: Brown Roux
Classically Served With: Roasted meats, especially beef, duck, veal, lamb
Small Espagnole Sauces:
Berey (Demi-Glace, White Wine, Shallots, Parsley)
Bigarade (Demi-Glace, Shallots, Orange Juice and Zest, Orange Liqueur, Vinegar)
Bordélaise (Demi-Glace, Red Wine, Shallots, Peppercorns, Thyme, Bay Leaf)
Bourguignonne (Demi-Glace, Burgundy Red Wine, Shallots, Garlic, Herbs)
Champignon (Demi-Glace, Mushrooms, Shallots, Wine or Sherry)
Charcutière (Demi-Glace, White Wine, Onion, Mustard, Cornichons)
Chasseur (Demi-Glace, Red Wine, Mushrooms, Shallots, Parsley)
Châteaubriand (Demi-Glace, White Wine, Shallots, Mushrooms, Herbs)
Chevreuil (Demi-Glace, Sherry, Bacon, Mushrooms, Shallots, Red Currant Jelly, Cayenne)
Colbert (Demi-Glace, White Wine, Shallots, Peppercorns, Tarragon)
Demi-Glace (Reduced Meat Stock)
Diable (Demi-Glace, White Wine, Vinegar, Cayenne, Chives)
Diane (Demi-Glace, Sauce Poivrade, Cream, Truffles, Cognac)
Duxelles (Demi-Glace, Mushrooms, Shallots, White Wine, Tomato Paste, Parsley)
Lyonnaise (Demi-Glace, Shallots, Vinegar)
Madère (Demi-Glace, Madeira)
Marchand de Vin (Demi-Glace, Merlot, Shallots)
O'Jarcutière (Demi-Glace, White Wine, Onions, Mustard, Gherkins)
Périgueux (Demi-Glace, Madeira, Truffles, Cognac)
Piquante (Demi-Glace, White Wine, Vinegar, Cornichons, Capers, Herbs)
Poivrade (Demi-Glace, White Wine, Vinegar, Mirepoix, Peppercorns, Herbs)
Port de Vin (Demi-Glace, Sherry or Ruby Port)
Reforme (Demi-Glace, Sauce Poivrade, Eggs, Cornichons, Mushroom, Truffles, Pickled Tongue)
Robert (Demi-Glace, White Wine, Onions, Mustard)
Zingara Africaine (Demi-Glace, Mudhrooms, Mushroom Liqueur, Ham, Pickled Tongue, Truffles, Cayenne)
Sauce Hollandaise (Egg Sauce)
Mother Hollandaise: Egg Yolks and Butter (Classically Clarified Butter)
Thickening Agent: Emulsification
Served With: Eggs (Eggs Benedict), Vegetables (especially Asparagus), light poultry dishes, fish, Beef (Béarnaise Sauce)
Small Hollandaise Sauces:
Anchois (Anchovy Paste)
Bavaroise (Cream, Horseradish, Thyme)
Béarnaise (Vinegar, Shallots, Tarragon, Peppercorns)
Câpres (Capers)
Choron or Béarnaise Tomatée (Tomato Purée)
Citron (Lemon Zest)
Divine (Mousseline Sauce, Sherry, Crème Fraîche)
Fines Herbes (Fine Herbs)
Foyot or Valois (Béarnaise Sauce, Glace de Viande)
Girondine or Moutarde (Dijon Mustard)
Grimrod (Saffron)
Maltaise (Blood Orange Juice and Zest)
Mikado (Mandarin Orange Juice and Zest)
Mousseline or Chantilly (Whipped Cream)
Noisette (Hazelnuts)
Paloise (Béarnaise Sauce, Mint)
Tyrolienne (Béarnaise Sauce, Oil)
Vin Blanc (White Wine)
Sauce Tomat (Tomato Sauce)
Mother Tomat: Salt pork, mirepoix, tomato, tomato purée, sachet (thyme, bay leaves, garlic, parsley, peppercorns), salt, sugar, white stock, pork bones
Thickening Agent: Classically a Roux, modern versions commonly use a reduction or purées
Served With: Pasta, Fish, Vegetables (Especially Grilled), Polenta, Veal, Poultry (Especially Chicken), Breads and Dumplings such as Gnocchi.
Small Tomato Sauces:
Bolognaise (Ground Meat, Red Wine)
Creole (Onions, Celery, Green Pepper, Garlic, Herbs, Lemon Zest)
Espagnole (Onions, Mushrooms, Onions, Green Peppers, Hot Sauce, Olives)
Milanaise (Mushrooms, Ham, Tongue)
Napolitaine (Olives, Anchovies, Capers, Garlic)
Portugaise (Onions, Tomato, Garlic, Parsley)
Provençale (Onions, Tomato, Garlic, Herbes de Provence, Capers, Black Olives)
Sauce Velouté (White Sauce with Stock)
Mother Velouté: Fish, chicken or veal stock
Thickening Agent: Classically a Roux, but sometimes also a Liason is used.
Served With: Eggs, Fish, Steamed Poultry, Steamed Vegetables, Pasta, Veal
Small Velouté Sauces:
Albuféra (Suprême Velouté, Chicken Glaze, Red Pepper, Shallots, Garlic)
Allemande (Veal Velouté, Egg Yolk, Cream)
Anchoie (Sauce Normandie, Anchovies, Anchovy Butter)
Aurore (Allemande or Suprême Velouté, Tomato Purée)
Bercy (Fish Velouté, Shallots, White Wine, Parsley)
Bretonne (Chicken Velouté, Muscadet, Onion, Leek, Celery, Mushrooms, Cream)
Champignon (Allemande or Suprême Velouté, Mushrooms, White Wine, Cognac, Parsley)
Crevette (White Wine Velouté, Shrimp, Garlic, Crème Fraîche, Parsley)
Curry (Chicken or Fish Velouté, Coconut Milk, Cream, Curry, Garlic, Chives)
Herbe (White Wine Velouté, Parsley, Chives, Tarragon)
Hongrois (Allemande or Suprême Velouté, White Wine, Onion, Paprika)
Impératrice (Allemande Velouté, Chicken Glaze, Cream, Truffles)
Ivoire (Suprême Velouté, Chicken Glaze)
Laquipière (Normandie Velouté, Sherry, Truffles)
Matelote (Fish Velouté, Fish Stock, Mushrooms, Cayenne, Parsley)
Normandie (Fish Velouté, Fish Stock, Mushrooms, Egg Yolk, Cream)
Normandie Ecossaise (Fish Velouté, Fish Stock, Mushrooms, Egg Yolk, Cream, Root Vegetables)
Polonaise (Allemande Velouté, Horseradish, Parsley)
Poulette (Allemande Velouté, Mushrooms, Parsley)
Raifort (Allemande Velouté, Horseradish, Cream, Dry Mustard)
Ravigote (Velouté, White Wine Vinegar, Chives, Tarragon)
Reine (Suprême Velouté, Chicken, Cream)
Suprême (Chicken Velouté, Cream, Lemon)
Vénitienne (White Wine Velouté, Vinegar, Shallots, Tarragon, Chervil)
Vin Blanc (Fish Velouté, White Wine, Cream, Lemon)