What in the world is Espagnole sauce?
The first thing to know is, "Espagnole" in French translates to the word "Spanish". The Espagnole sauce originates from the country of Spain. Auguste Escoffier popularized the sauce, which is still followed today around the world.
The 5 French mother sauces are the 5 branches of sauce making, each mother sauce teaching a technique and acting as a base for more sauces to create from. This is highly valuable cooking knowledge in the way of growth and becoming a more rounded cook in the kitchen.
These sauces are not hard to make but require effort to learn the correct process. Making quality Espagnole sauce requires veal or beef stock. Check Out our Clean Beef Stock Post > HERE.
Step One - Making Homemade Veal or Beef Stock
Check it out:
Here's is our post covering every aspect of the Veal or Beef stock making process. The key is using good technique. I call my version of Veal or Beef stock "Clean" due to the extra care given to the veal and beef bones. This small extra step creates a pure and clean stock that is extremely noticeable in the finished product.
Take the time to look over this post and video and decide which route you'd like to go.
- 1) Homemade Veal or Beef Stock
- 2) Sourcing Quality Beef Stock
Making "Clean" Homemade Veal or Beef Stock
Step Two - Making Espagnole Sauce
First is making a Roux
Roux
- Equal parts all-purpose flour & high quality butter
Next, add tomato paste to the Roux and cook out the tomato paste rawness
Add in ⅓ of the Beef Stock
Keep stirring until the sauce starts to thicken then add in the rest of the veal/beef stock
Next, turn up the heat and bring to boil
Reduce the sauce to the desired consistency
Reducing - boiling off excess moisture and reducing the amount of liquid. This process intensifies the flavor and tightens the sauce's consistency. It's one way to control the texture of your sauce or soup.
Chef Tip: Do Not Add Salt Before Reducing - The reduction will enhance the salt and every other flavor for that matter. #TooSalty
The more you reduce the thicker the sauce.
Done...You now have Mother Sauce Espagnole
How to Make Demi Glaze
Once you've made Espagnole Sauce, making Demi Glaze is easy.
Tip. To increase the amount of Demi Glaze add in times 2 the amount of Espagnole sauce. If you have 2 cups of Espagnole sauce add in 2 cups of Veal or Beef Stock...
Espagnole Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon Butter
- 1 tablespoon Beef Marrow Butter If you didn't make the beef stock just use 1 tablespoon of butter Total of 3 tablespoon of fat(butter)
- 3 tablespoon of All-Purpose Flour
- 2 ½ cups of Veal or Beef Stock
- 2 tablespoon of Tomato paste
Instructions
- Melt butter/beef fat in a sauce pot over medium heat. Allow the butter to brown a little, which means taking on a small bit of color to the butter. You'll smell the nuttiness from the butter. Then add in all of the flour and stir incorporating the flour and cooking off the rawness of the flour. Then add the tomato paste and cook it with the Roux (butter & flour) cooking off the rawness.
- Next, add in ⅓ of the veal or beef stock and stir. The sauce will try to start to thicken at this point add the remaining stock and stir. Bring up to the boil and allow the sauce to reduce. The consistency of the sauce is controlled by how much you reduce the sauce. You're in control. The more you reduce the sauce the thicker the sauce.
- Demi Glaze - See video
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