What is Veloute sauce ?
Veloute sauce is one of the basic French mother sauces made of chicken stock or fish stock thickened with blond roux. It is usually served with poached meats and so on.
Let’s talk Velouté sauce, a fancy name for what might just become your new kitchen BFF. Picture this: you’re hosting dinner, and your guests are ooh-ing and ahh-ing over your dish. The secret? Velouté, baby!
This silky, velvety French classic is like a culinary blank canvas, ready to turn chicken, fish, or veggies into five-star magic. I remember the first time I made Velouté; I felt like I’d unlocked a chef’s secret weapon. Spoiler alert: it’s way easier than it sounds. All you need is a roux (fancy word for flour and butter), some white stock, and a touch of patience. Voilà—dinner just got elevated!
Table of contents
Origin
Velouté sauce, one of the five “mother sauces” in French cuisine, traces its origins to 17th-century France during the reign of King Louis XIV. The term “velouté” translates to “velvety” in French, aptly describing the sauce’s smooth texture. The first recorded recipe appeared in 1814, authored by royal chef Antoine Beauvilliers in his book “The Art of French Cooking.”Later, renowned chef Auguste Escoffier classified Velouté as a mother sauce in the early 20th century.
What are the derivatives of Veloute sauce ?
What is Roux and its varieties ?
Roux is basically a thickening agent used widely in
French cuisines in various sauces and soups to get thickened. It is basically made from equal quantities of cooked flour and butter. It has different varieties based on the color and the varieties are as follows:
White Roux : It is a roux made from equal quantities of refined flour and butter. Butter is just melted and the refined flour is added so the color does not change and cooked till it leaves the side of pan. It is widely used in Béchamel sauce, and soups.
Blond Roux: It is made from equal quantities of refined flour and butter. Butter is cooked till golden which is about an 30 seconds and the flour is added and cooked till the flour leaves the side of pan easily for exactly about 2 minutes. It is used in Chicken Veloute sauce, Fish Veloute sauce, and various soups.
Brown Roux: It is made from equal quantities of flour and butter where the butter is browned and the flour is added so the roux becomes brown and more sandy in texture. It is exactly about 1 minute of cooking butter in slow to medium flame. It is used widely in brown sauce, and various derivatives of brown sauce/ espagnole sauce such as demi glaze.
What is Veloute sauced used for ?
The main accompaniment or veloute sauce used for poached or boiled poultry meats or seafoods and even vegetables such as chicken supreme, poached salmon, boiled asparagus with grilled cheese and so on .
It is also used as a base for other sauces such as allemande sauce, white wine sauce, supreme sauce etc.
How to make Veloute Sauce ?
How to make French Veloute sauce ?
Equipment
- Stock pot
- Cooking Pan
- Strainer
Ingredients
For Chicken Stock
- 100 g Chicken bones
- 25 g Onions
- 10 g Thyme
- 2 no Bay leaf
- 2 g Cloves
- 5 g Peppercorns
- 250 ml Water
- 20 g Carrot
- 15 g Celery
- 2 g Parsley
- As requred Salt
- 25 ml Oil
For roux
- 10 g Butter
- 10 g Refined flour Maida
Veloute sauce
- 200 ml Chicken stock store brought or homemade
- 20 g Blond roux
- As required Salt
- 5 g White pepper powder
- 10 g Butter
Instructions
How to make chicken stock ?
- In a stock pot or large pot, add oil and once oil is heated add chopped onion and sauté till transparent.25 ml Oil, 25 g Onions
- Add chopped carrot, celery and cooked for 1 minute.20 g Carrot, 15 g Celery
- Then Add the chicken bones and sauté for an minute and add water.100 g Chicken bones
- Add bouquet garni ( thyme, parsley, peppercorn, bayleaf, cloves ), salt, water and let it simmer for 40 minutes.10 g Thyme, 2 no Bay leaf, 2 g Cloves, 5 g Peppercorns, 250 ml Water, 2 g Parsley, As requred Salt
- Once done strain the stock and keep aside.
How to make blond roux?
- In a pan add 10 g butter and let it melt and cook for about 30 seconds until its becomes golden color.10 g Butter
- Then add maida ( refined flour) and cook till the flour releases from pan freely. about 2 minutes.10 g Refined flour
- Cool it down completely before adding in stoock.
How to make veloute sauce?
- In a pan, add butter and add blond roux, and slowly add the chicken stock and whisk continuously so that no lumps are formed.200 ml Chicken stock, 20 g Blond roux
- Check seasoning , add white pepper powder and switch off the flame.As required Salt, 5 g White pepper powder, 10 g Butter
Notes
Rectifications
Lumpy Sauce Drama?
No worries! If your sauce ends up with lumps (we’ve all been there), just grab a whisk and stir like your life depends on it. Still not smooth? Cheat a little—strain it through a fine mesh sieve, and no one will know. 😏
Too Thick or Too Thin?
- If it’s too thick, just add a splash of warm stock and stir until it’s Goldilocks-level “just right.”
- Too thin? Let it simmer for a few extra minutes to thicken up, or whisk in a tiny bit of beurre manié (that’s a butter-flour mix, and yes, it’s as fancy as it sounds).
Keep Stirring, Always Stirring!
Velouté sauce doesn’t like to be left alone—it’s needy like that. Stir it consistently to avoid burning or sticking.
Make It Fancy:
Want to impress? Stir in some cream or a splash of white wine at the end. Voilà, you’ve got a “Velouté 2.0” situation happening.
Other French Mother sauces
most widely used basic mother sauces. Demi-glaze is a derivative of brow stock and is
widely used for the preparation of other brown sauce derivatives
Frequently asked questions
What dishes go best with Velouté sauce?
Velouté is super versatile! Use it to top roasted chicken, drizzle it over fish, or turn it into a soup base. It’s like the Swiss Army knife of sauces!
What is Velouté sauce made of?
It’s a silky sauce made with a simple roux (butter + flour) and white stock (like chicken, fish, or veal). Think of it as the stylish cousin of béchamel!
For more tips, tricks, and answers to all your Velouté sauce questions, check out the full Velouté Sauce FAQ Page!
