Advertisem*nts
Ever wonder where all those amazing sauces on your favorite dishes come from? Look no further than the mother sauces, the OG’s of the sauce world! These 6 basic sauces are like flavor chameleons, transforming into countless others with just a few added ingredients.
Today, we’re getting down and dirty with their offspring, the derivative of mother sauces. Buckle up, because we’re about to take your taste buds on a wild ride through creamy cheese mornays, zingy tomato sauces, and everything in between
Table of Contents
What is Mother Sauces?
Mother sauces were originally the French who gave nomenclature to the sauces and defined them. These people defined the structure of Mother Sauces.
In Food production Mother Sauces are primary and from that all the other sauces derived.
Advertisem*nts
The below chart tells about these Mother Sauces and Components used in a Sauces.
| Sauces | Liquid | Thickening Agents |
| Bechamel | Milk | Roux |
| Valoute | Chicken stock | Blond roux and liaison |
| Espagnole | Brown beef stock | Brown roux |
| Tomato | Brown stock | Brown roux |
| Hollandaise | Clarified butter | Egg yolk |
| Mayonnaise | Oil | Egg yolk |
Mother sauces and derivatives chart
6 Basic Mother Sauces name and their Derivatives
Bechamel Sauce (White Sauce)
The sauce consist of milk and is thickened with white roux containing equal parts of flour and butter. Marquis Louis de Bechamel a seventeenth century invented the bechamel sauce.
Derivatives of Bechamel sauce
| Mornay Sauce | Béchamel + Grated Parmesan and Grated Gruyere cheese. |
| Cream sauce | Béchamel + heavy cream. |
| Mustard sauce | Béchamel +prepared mustard. |
| Soubise sauce | Béchamel + Sautéed diced onions. |
| Lobster sauce | Béchamel +anchovy essence + diced cooked lobster flesh +a little cayenne pepper. |
Veloute Sauce
It literally means velvet. It is a very light blond-coloured sauce, made from chicken, fish, AA or veal stock thickened with a blond roux. Veloute is specifically designed to accompany certain dishes and their recipee indicate a specific stock.
Advertisem*nts
Derivatives of Veloute sauce
| Supreme Sauce | Veloute +Cream. |
| Allemande Sauce | Veloute +Mushroom liquor + egg yolks +grated nutmeg+ lemon juice. (This sauce is also known as Sauce Parisienne a name which is more logical and proper than Sauce Allemande). |
| Normande Sauce | Fish Veloute +mushroom liquor +Mussels liquor +fish stock + liaison (egg yolks + cream) + lemon juice. |
| Mushroom Sauce | Sauce Allemande+ mushrooms (to serve with poultry. To serve with fish Fish Veloute + mushrooms + liaison is used instead of sauce allemande.) |
| Sauce Albufera | Sauce supreme + meat glaze + pimento butter. |
Espagnole (Brown Sauce)
Espagnole meaning ‘Spanish’ in french was the original brown sauce and still is one of the glorious of the French kitchen. Thickening rich brown Stock with brown roux makes the brown sauce.
Derivatives of Espagnole Sauce
| Sauce Bigarade | (For Braised duck) Espagnole + D.G. (Demi glace) + orange juice + Orange zest + Lemon juice + Lemon zest. |
| Sauce Bordelaise | Reduction of (red wine + shallots + peppercorns + bay leaf+ thyme) + Espagnole + Meat glaze (M.G.) + Lemon + dices of poached bone marrow (served with grilled red meat). |
| Sauce Bourguignonne | Reduction of (red wine + shallots + parsley + bay leaf+ thyme + mushroom) + Butter (Beurre Manie) + Cayenne Pepper (served with Eggs and dishes a la Bourguignonne. |
| Sauce Robert | Reduction of finely chopped sautéed onions + white wine + Demi Glace + Sugar + English Mustard (served with grilled pork). |
| Sauce Charcutiere | Sauce Robert + Juliennes of Gherkins. Served with grilled pork chops and any grilled meats. |
| Sauce Chasseur | Reduction of (white wine + slices of mushroom + finely chopped shallots) + D.G. + Tomato sauce +Butter+ Chopped Tarragon and Chervil. |
Tomato Sauce
The traditional French Tomato sauce is thickened with a butter roux. However tomato sauce is more commonly associated with Italian cuisine and in particular as an accompaniment for pasta.
The traditional French recipe included pork, tomato concasse, tomato puree, vegetables and seasonings that the thickened with roux.
Other versions however do not contain roux and are based on tomato chunks and puree.
Advertisem*nts
Derivatives of Tomato sauce
| Sauce Portugaise | Tomato sauce + meat glaze + chopped onions + concassed tomatoes + garlic + salt + sugar + chopped parsley. |
| Sauce Creole | Tomato Sauce + reduction of (white wine + garlic + onion) + Cayenne pepper + strip of red peppers. |
| Sauce Provencale | Dices tomatoes sautéed in oil chopped parsley + garlic + salt + pepper + sugar. |
| Sauce Navarraise | Tomato Sauce + flavoured with garlic + garnished with chopped herbs. |
| Algerian | Tomato sauce garnished with strips of green or red pepper. |
You can Read also10 Thickening agents for Sauces
Hollandaise Sauce (Dutch Sauce)
A warm emulsified sauce based on egg yolks and clarified butter. Hollandaise is a French word meaning Dutch style.
The sauce is is named so as in earlier times ‘a la hollandaise’ indicated a dish served with melted butter a reflection of the importance of butter of Dutch cookery. It is thickened with the emulsification of a warm sabayon of egg yolk with the melted clarified butter.
This sauce is a versatile sauce and is served on a dish and grantinated to give colour.
Hollandaise sauce is served in less quantity as it is a heavy sauce and hence served as topping rather than a dipping sauce.
Derivatives of Hollandaise Sauce
| Sauce Maltaise | Hollandaise sauce + juice of two Blood Oranges + Grated zest of the same oranges. Served with asparagus. |
| Sauce Noisette | Hollandaise Sauce + Hazelnut butter (Beurre de Noisette). Served with poached salmon and trout. |
| Sauce Rubens | Reduction of white wine, fish stock and fine mirepoix. Strain, add Egg yolks and finish with crayfish butter in the same way as with Hollandaise and anchovy sauce. |
| Sauce Bavaroise | Hollandaise Sauce + Cray fish butter + dices of Cray fish tails. Served with fish. |
| Sauce Ancienne | Dutch sauce garnished with chopped Gherkins, mushrooms and truffles. |
| Sauce Aegir | Hollandaise Sauce+ Mustard powder. |
Mayonnaise Sauce
Advertisem*nts
The invention of the sauce or the name is possibly derived from three different sources – ‘mahon’, manier (meaning to stir), ‘moyeu’ (reffered to the middle of the egg).
Mayonnaise is a cold emulsified sauce based on egg yolk. If it is not handled carefully, it will separate giving a curdled appearance.
It constitutes oil, egg yolk and vinegar or lemon juice. The key is to keep the ingredients at room temperature and not chilled.
This sauce is always served cold and thus forms a base for most of the salads and sandwich fillings. Mayonnaise is generally served as the dipping sauce with snacks.
Derivatives of Mayonnaise sauce
| Sauce Alexandra | Mayonnaise prepared with sieved yolks of hard boiled eggs + English Mustard + chopped chervil. |
| Sauce American | Mayonnaise Sauce+ lobster puree + mustard. |
| Sauce Andalouse | Mayonnaise Sauce + tomato puree garnished with dices of sweet peppers. |
| Sauce Tartare | Mayonnaise Sauce with hard boiled eggs garnished with finely chopped onions and chives. |
| Sauce Chantilly | 2 parts of mayonnaise sauce + 1 part of whipped cream + lime juice |
FAQ: Mother Sauces and Derivatives
What is derivative sauce?
Derivatives of Sauces means the sauces that are diversified with different ingredients and flavors after the main sauce is prepared.
What are non derivative sauces?
Non-derivative sauces are sauces that are not derived from one of the 6 mother sauces. They are typically made with a variety of ingredients, including stock, cream, butter, flour, herbs, and spices. Non-derivative sauces can be used to add flavor and moisture to a variety of dishes. E.g. Ketchup, Mustard, Soy Sauce etc.
Advertisem*nts
Conclusion
Mother sauces are the foundation of French cuisine, and their derivatives can be used to create a wide variety of dishes. In this blog post, we discussed the six basic mother sauces: béchamel, velouté, espagnole, hollandaise, mayonnaise, and tomato. We also explored some of their most popular derivatives.
Advertisem*nts
If you are interested in learning more about mother sauces, I encourage you to do some additional research. There are many great resources available online and in libraries. With a little practice, you will be able to master these essential sauces and use them to create delicious and impressive dishes.
