"roux" the day

Roux Roux Roux. You've heard it, you've seen it, you've tried it. But what happened? usually it either tasted like flour, did not thicken properly or you thought you messed it up and you threw it out.

Let's talk about Roux so you don't rue the day you tried to use a Roux.

First a little about the food channel. You see them make what they call a Roux-but frequently it is a Slagg. This is a Roux that is pourable. A true Roux is NOT pourable. This means that what you thought was ruined was probably right. Look at the picture above-see how it looks lumpy and chunky? that's a Roux.

You can continue to cook this Roux-stirring all the while-until it turns brown and then even black. This will give your finished product a distinctly nuttier taste as it gets darker and darker.

I usually use a blond roux. I think it tastes best for my usual use of a roux which is a base for a Bechamel or a Veloute. But some southern cooking (specifically Cajun-New Orleans type) will use a brown or black roux. Most of the taste of the finished product is determined by the darkness of the roux.

Once you have learned how to make a basic roux-you will learn that you can flavor the roux. During in our class, we made one roux the plain way, and then another roux with cilantro, leeks and celery. You put this right in the roux and cook it (there is a picture of this roux as well-it is the first picture).

And what about cooking it? This is a very important step. You need to cook the roux until all the flour taste is cooked out. Raw flour is not a yummy flavor. This is probably the number one problem with most roux's. They were not cooked thoroughly. The flour taste is bland and then overpowers the lovely flavors you should be getting from the butter and milk or stock you have added to the roux

Most people put the milk in as soon as they mix the butter and flour together. Do not do this--it will leave a distinct four aftertaste in your finished sauce. Cook the Roux thoroughly. I cannot emphasize this enough.

Another common mistake is to add the milk to a hot roux. The milk and the roux should be at about the same temperature. so that means heat your milk a bit and let the roux cool a bit before blending them. Hot roux will separate most of the time and your sauce will not be smooth and creamy. So warm milk and warm roux for a consistent result.

Basic recipe for a Roux:

4 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup flour (maybe a little more)

melt butter, add flour and cook well (at least 3 minutes) stirring the whole time. add more flour if it is not thick enough. Make sure to continue to cook and stir until all flour is cooked.

It should look thick and lumpy like the picture above (third picture down).

Now you are ready for lesson 2.