Espagnole Sauce Recipe
Espagnole (pronounced like the word for Spanish: "español") is a basic brown sauce that is one of the five mother sauces of classical cuisine. It's also the starting point for the demi-glace, a rich and deeply flavorful sauce that is traditionally served with red meats.Before you tackle the espagnole, you might want to review some of the basics of stock making:
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 cup onions, diced
- ½ cup carrots, diced
- ½ cup celery, diced
- 2 Tbsp clarified butter
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 6 cups brown stock
- ¼ cup tomato purée
- -------- For Sachet: --------
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 3-4 fresh parsley stems
Preparation:
- In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the butter over a medium heat until it becomes frothy.
- Add the mirepoix and sauté for a few minutes until it's lightly browned. Don't let it burn, though.
- With a wooden spoon, stir the flour into the mirepoix a little bit at a time, until it is fully incorporated and forms a thick paste or roux. Lower the heat and cook the roux for another five minutes or so, until it's light brown. Don't let it burn! The roux will have a slightly nutty aroma at this point.
- Using a wire whisk, slowly add the stock and tomato purée to the roux, whisking vigorously to make sure it's free of lumps.
- Bring to a boil, lower heat, add the sachet and simmer for about 50 minutes or until the total volume has reduced by about one-third, stirring frequently to make sure the sauce doesn't scorch at the bottom of the pan. Use a ladle to skim off any impurities that rise to the surface.
- Remove the sauce from the heat and retrieve the sachet. For an extra smooth consistency, carefully pour the sauce through a wire mesh strainer lined with a piece of cheesecloth.
- Serve hot. If not serving the sauce right away, keep it covered and warm until you're ready to use it.
