Espagnole Sauce
A classic French mother sauce used to make other sauces like demi-glace. It's a rich, full-bodied, neutral, flavored sauce that is easy to make.
Suggested Equipment
Ingredients
The Roux
- 4 Tablespoons Butter
- 3 Tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
Sauce Base
- 2 ½ cups Beef Stock This recipe covers making a sauce. The amount is related to the use of the Espagnole. Have more than 2 ½ of stock on standby. Espagnole can be made into a soup, sauce, glaze, marinade. All of which require a different amount of stock.
- 2 Tablespoons Tomato paste You may want to add less to begin, test and taste, then adjust to fit your taste buds or uses.
- ½ cup Red Wine Optional
Herbs - Optional Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon Tarragon, Rosemary, Thyme, Parsley Pick one or use all four. If choosing one herb, use between 1 to 2 teaspoons. If using all four, use ½ teaspoon of each herb.
Instructions
- Making the roux: Melt the 4 Tablespoons of butter in a saucepot over medium heat. Allow the butter to brown a little, 2-3 minutes. You will smell the nuttiness from the butter once ready. Using a whisk, add in the 3 Tablespoons of All-Purpose flour and stir, incorporating the flour and cooking off the rawness of the flour. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Timing will depend on the stovetop temperature.If using the addition of red wine, once the roux comes together add it. Then cook for 1 minute or so to cook off the alcohol.
- Add 1 to 2 Tablespoons of tomato paste and cook with the roux. The amount of tomato paste to use will depend on your use of the Espagnole. Start with 2 Tablespoons, then taste and adjust.
- Incorporating the stock: Add in ⅓ of the beef stock and stir. The sauce will begin to thicken at this point. Then the thickening begins, add the rest of the stock and keep stirring.Tip: Have extra stock ready to be used. The finished thickness of the Espagnole will relate to what you're using it for.Bring to the boil over medium heat and allow the sauce to reduce. The consistency of the sauce is controlled by how much you reduce the sauce.In a pinch for time? Mix cornstarch and water or stock together to make a slurry. Pour into the non-reduced Espagnole, then turn the heat up. The sauce will thicken very quickly.The more the sauce reduces, the thicker the sauce.
- Finishing the sauce:Once the sauce is to the consistency of your liking, take a taste. Then perform the Taste-Season-Adjust (TSA).The more the sauce reduces the deeper in flavor the sauce becomes.Tip: No salt is added until the reduction of the sauce is completed.
Notes
Sauces to create using Espagnole Sauce:
- Sauce Africaine: is a Creole sauce made with African/creole seasonings. It's perfect for spicing up any dish.
- Sauce Bigarade: is a classic French sauce made with bitter orange marmalade. It's great for chicken, pork, or fish.
- Sauce Bourguignonne: is a rich and flavorful sauce made with red wine, onions, and shallots.
- Sauce aux Champignons: is a classic French dish made with a variety of ingredients, but most often, it is composed of butter, onions, garlic, white wine, and cream.