A roux is the traditional French way to thicken and enrich gravies, sauces and soups. The technique dates back more than 300 years. A properly cooked roux imparts a silky smooth body and a nutty flavor. Roux can be made from a variety of fats, typically butter, clarified butter, vegetable oil or olive oil but also bacon grease or other rendered fats. There are four varieties of roux; white, blond, brown and dark brown. The different colors are a result of how long the roux is cooked.
White is cooked for the shortest time while dark brown cooks the longest. White and blond roux are the most common, used to thicken sauces, soups and chowders. Brown and dark brown roux have more flavor but less thickening power than white or blond roux. Begin making the roux by melting one cup of Sunnyside Farms butter. But if you’re making a brown roux, use clarified butter because non-clarified butter will eventually burn. Whisk one and three quarter cups of flower into the clarified butter until a thick paste forms. Whisk constantly while it bubbles over medium heat. As it cooks, the roux will become smooth and thin.
This can be stored at room temperature brought to one week or in the refrigerator for a month. After about five minutes of cooking and stirring, the roux will reach the white stage. The mixture will bubble vigorously and the color will be a little paler than when a clarified butter and flower were first combined. White roux is used to thicken milk-based sauces like Bechamel sauce, chowder or mac ‘n’ cheese. After about 20 minutes of continuous cooking and stirring, the roux will reach the blonde stage. The bubbles are beginning to slow and the aroma has taken on nuances of popcorn or toasted bread. The roux is now tan, very smooth and thinner than it was at the white stage. Blonde roux is a great all around thickener for soups, stews and sauces. After about 35 minutes of cooking, the roux will be peanut butter colored. This is a brown roux. Its aroma is more pronounced and sharper than the nutty nuances of the blonde roux. The roux is even thinner and the bubbling has slowed. A dark brown or black roux appears after about 45 minutes of cooking and it’s the color of melted milk chocolate. Its aroma will also mellow from the strong roasted flavor of brown roux and will smell a little like chocolate. The roux is no longer bubbling and it’s very thin. This roux is used in Cajun and Creole dishes, most notably Dumbo.
Here’s a recipe for a mushroom sauce that will accompany two sauteed chicken breast. Keep this warm on making the sauce by covering with foil. Melt one tablespoon of butter in the skillet over medium high heat. Stir in two tablespoons of minced onion, saute it for three to five minutes or until softened. Add one cup of chopped mushrooms and saute it three to four minutes longer. Deglaze with about a quarter cup of stock. Cook until the liquid has evaporated. For the roux, melt one and a half tablespoons of butter or oil in the pan and stir in about the same amount of flour. Cook and stir it over medium heat for three to five minutes. Add a teaspoon of poultry seasoning and whisk in a cup of chicken on vegetable stock. Bring this mixture to a simmer while whisking it until it thickens about one minute. Whisk in a quarter cup of milk continuing to cook until heated through. Season with salt and pepper.
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