Velouté Sauce

Velouté is one of the five French mother sauces. It is a roux thickened sauce that is extremely versatile. If you have made a homemade gravy thickened with starch of some sort, you have made your own version of a Velouté. Don’t let the fancy French name fool you, it’s merely broth thickened with a combination of butter and flour.

A Velouté gravy style sauce is delicious flavored with fresh herbs and plenty of pepper. It can be ladled over mashed potatoes as a gravy, added to casseroles that call for cream of condensed soups, or stirred into dishes that could use a bit of flavor and moisture to enhance their flavor and texture.

When I come across a recipe that calls for a can of cream of chicken soup, I make this Velouté instead. Velouté Sauce can be made ahead of time and kept refrigerated for a day or two before using.

Want to learn more about How to Make a Roux and Put it to Good Use? You can learn all about it and put that knowledge to delicious use in your kitchen by reading the technique post that describes the science behind it and how you can incorporate it into your recipes.

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Velouté Sauce

Jennifer from 1840 Farm

Velouté is one of the five French mother sauces. It is a roux thickened sauce that is extremely versatile. If you have made a homemade gravy thickened with starch of some sort, you have made your own version of a Velouté. Don't let the fancy French name fool you, it's merely broth thickened with a combination of butter and flour.

A Velouté gravy style sauce is delicious flavored with fresh herbs and plenty of pepper. It can be ladled over mashed potatoes as a gravy, added to casseroles that call for cream of condensed soups, or stirred into dishes that could use a bit of flavor and moisture to enhance their flavor and texture.

When I come across a recipe that calls for a can of cream of chicken soup, I make this Velouté instead. Velouté Sauce can be made ahead of time and kept refrigerated for a day or two before using.

Author: Jennifer from 1840 Farm

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons All-purpose flour (or alternate starch if you prefer)
• 2 cups bone broth or stock (cold or at room temperature)

Instructions

• Melt the butter over medium heat in a saucepan. Once the butter has melted, add the flour (or alternate starch) and whisk or stir with a wooden spoon. Continue to stir as the flour and butter combine. Cook, moving the mixture constantly until it swells slightly and takes on a golden color. Do not cook the roux long enough to brown.
• Add the cold liquid in one addition to the saucepan and stir or whisk briskly to distribute the roux into the liquid. Continue to stir until the liquid comes to gentle boil. The mixture will thicken once it gently boils for a few minutes.
• Remove the saucepan from the heat. Taste for seasoning, adding herbs, salt, pepper, or a dash of hot sauce as needed.

Notes

How can you fix a roux thickened sauce that is too thick or not thick enough?

If your sauce ends up thickening too much for your liking, simply add in a tablespoon or two of additional liquid, stirring until it is smooth and exactly the texture you were aiming for. Repeat if necessary.

If your sauce doesn’t thicken as much as you want, it can be fixed by adding a bit more roux mixture. Rather than start in a clean pan and create a new roux, I like to use a microwave shortcut. In a small bowl, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Stir in 1 tablespoon of flour (or the starch you used for your original roux) and microwave for 20 seconds. The mixture should bubble up and rise quite dramatically. Remove it from the microwave and stir a bit to break up any small lumps. Add this roux mixture to your sauce and stir to disperse it into the sauce. Bring the sauce to a gentle boil and your sauce will thicken a bit more thanks to the addition of more roux. Repeat if needed.

You can learn more about creating a roux and using it in your recipes including the science behind how it works by reading Technique: How to Make a Roux and Put it to Use.

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