STOCKS, SOUPS AND SAUCES
I was well into my apprenticeship, in my second year. I really liked working in the hot section of the main kitchen. The chef in charge was a fantastic chef, great sense of humor and a hard worker. I knew that I had to work just as hard to get his respect. I knew that I will learn to cook all the stocks, soups and sauces, a important part of cooking.
In the beginning, I had to learn again the basics. In the morning, we started with the function sheets, then put together a job list of items to cook and prepare. Part of that preparation list was all the stocks, sauces and soups for the satellite kitchens. Here is a list for some of the basic sauces and stocks. Using in house recipes, we had to make sure that the end result was always the same.
Fish stock, a base stock for fish soups, seafood soups and also to make a fish veluté, a base sauce for fish sauces served with grilled or poached fish. Fumé de poison: a fumé de poison is a fish stock with a stronger fish flavor. Instead of placing the raw fish bones in cold water and with diced vegetables for a slow cook, you sauté the fishbones before adding cold water and the vegetables and slow cook until you have a clear stock. Also used as a base for seafood chowder or a creamy or clear fish soup.
Lobster bisque: a red lobster sauce made from lobster shells or can be used for lobster soup.
Beef bouillon: made from beef bones, beef marrow bones, large diced vegetables, onion halves blackened, bayleaves, cloves, salt, peppercorns. All ingredients are placed in a large stockpot, filled with cold water and slowly bring to the light simmering point. The simmering time will take several hours, the longer the more flavor. We would simmer the lot for about 8 to 12 hours. Once finished, we would strain the stock using a cloth and a chinoise (Chinese hat shaped strainer). Bouillon can be served as a clear soup with fine diced vegetables or with small vermicelli noodles.
Beef bouillon in the making, see photo.
Consommé: using a mix of beef mince mixed with egg whites and ice cubes, A stockpot filled with cold buillon, we mix in the beef mince mix with a whisk. Then we heat the bouillon very slowly but not bringing the bouillon to the boil, just before simmering point. The mince mix will slowly work itself to the top until it forms a cake like surface. This process will take again at least 3 hours. After you strain the consommé very carefully through a cloth and strainer without disturbing the mix on top of the bouillon to much. Consommé is a clear strong beef soup served with bone marrow or other like consomme with julienne of vegetable, see photo
.
Cream sauce: This sauce we made was 95% made from full cream with a fat content of 35%. We would make 50 liters of cream sauce using 50 liters of cream, seasoning like salt, pepper and nutmeg and thicken the heated cream with a roux. A roux is a mix of melted butter and white flour made to a thick paste. Roux is used as a thickening ingredient for soups and sauces. The trouble with this sauce is that you have to stir it all the time. I once burned 50 liters of cream sauce and I got yelled at by the Executive Chef. The cost of that sauce was SFR 460.00 or about USD 490.00. It was my fault becauce I left the sauce and did not stir it all the time.
This sauce was used for cream sauces like mushroom sauce, white wine sauce and some dishes cooked in the satellite kitchens.
Demi glaze: made from beef and veal bones roaste in a large commercial frypan or oven with roasted onions, carrots, celeriac, garlic, parsnips, with tomato paste and flour until thick roasted paste, add water and redwine, bayleaves, cloves and peppercorns and cook for about5 to 6 hours. Keep topping up the liquid until finished. The lot gets strained and you end up with a thick brown base sauce. This base sauce is used for making all kinds of different brown sauces and stews, goulash and steak sauces.
Meat glaze: we used raw meat scraps from our butchery, mainly beef scraps, roast them with diced vegetables like the Demi glaze and add red wine and Demi glaze and reduce it down about 50%. Strain the sauce and you end up with a very thick meat glaze. Used mainly for different sauces or as a meat glaze over a nice steak.
Napoletana Sauce: Again a basic sauce made from tomatoes we used to make different tomato based sauces and as a topping for pizza's. The importance of a good Napoletana sauce is that the sauce is not watery. To test that, we took a flat plate, placed a small amount of sauce into the middle of the plate and waited to see if any water runs of the edges of the sauce onto the plate. If there was no water along the edges of the sauce, the Napoletana sauce was ready. The secret was to cook the sauce for at least 3 to 5 hours.
Curry Sauce: The curry sauce we cooked was a Indian type fruit curry sauce, very tasty. Not spicy with a slight sweet taste, that curry sauce was used a lot in the sattelite kitchens for Riz Casimir a classic Swiss curry dish with rice and chicken and also other dishes. We made that sauce where you fry off onions, garlic, carrots, celery, leek, pineapple, bananas and mango chutney and then added the indian curry powder, coconut flakes and vegetable stock. Cooked for a couple of hours and then blended until very fine and strained.
Next week I talk about what else goes on on the Hot Section of the Hotel Main kitchen. Until then, keep well, enjoy life and great foods.
In the beginning, I had to learn again the basics. In the morning, we started with the function sheets, then put together a job list of items to cook and prepare. Part of that preparation list was all the stocks, sauces and soups for the satellite kitchens. Here is a list for some of the basic sauces and stocks. Using in house recipes, we had to make sure that the end result was always the same.
Fish stock, a base stock for fish soups, seafood soups and also to make a fish veluté, a base sauce for fish sauces served with grilled or poached fish. Fumé de poison: a fumé de poison is a fish stock with a stronger fish flavor. Instead of placing the raw fish bones in cold water and with diced vegetables for a slow cook, you sauté the fishbones before adding cold water and the vegetables and slow cook until you have a clear stock. Also used as a base for seafood chowder or a creamy or clear fish soup.
Lobster bisque: a red lobster sauce made from lobster shells or can be used for lobster soup.
Beef bouillon: made from beef bones, beef marrow bones, large diced vegetables, onion halves blackened, bayleaves, cloves, salt, peppercorns. All ingredients are placed in a large stockpot, filled with cold water and slowly bring to the light simmering point. The simmering time will take several hours, the longer the more flavor. We would simmer the lot for about 8 to 12 hours. Once finished, we would strain the stock using a cloth and a chinoise (Chinese hat shaped strainer). Bouillon can be served as a clear soup with fine diced vegetables or with small vermicelli noodles.
Beef bouillon in the making, see photo.
Consommé: using a mix of beef mince mixed with egg whites and ice cubes, A stockpot filled with cold buillon, we mix in the beef mince mix with a whisk. Then we heat the bouillon very slowly but not bringing the bouillon to the boil, just before simmering point. The mince mix will slowly work itself to the top until it forms a cake like surface. This process will take again at least 3 hours. After you strain the consommé very carefully through a cloth and strainer without disturbing the mix on top of the bouillon to much. Consommé is a clear strong beef soup served with bone marrow or other like consomme with julienne of vegetable, see photo
Cream sauce: This sauce we made was 95% made from full cream with a fat content of 35%. We would make 50 liters of cream sauce using 50 liters of cream, seasoning like salt, pepper and nutmeg and thicken the heated cream with a roux. A roux is a mix of melted butter and white flour made to a thick paste. Roux is used as a thickening ingredient for soups and sauces. The trouble with this sauce is that you have to stir it all the time. I once burned 50 liters of cream sauce and I got yelled at by the Executive Chef. The cost of that sauce was SFR 460.00 or about USD 490.00. It was my fault becauce I left the sauce and did not stir it all the time.
This sauce was used for cream sauces like mushroom sauce, white wine sauce and some dishes cooked in the satellite kitchens.
Demi glaze: made from beef and veal bones roaste in a large commercial frypan or oven with roasted onions, carrots, celeriac, garlic, parsnips, with tomato paste and flour until thick roasted paste, add water and redwine, bayleaves, cloves and peppercorns and cook for about5 to 6 hours. Keep topping up the liquid until finished. The lot gets strained and you end up with a thick brown base sauce. This base sauce is used for making all kinds of different brown sauces and stews, goulash and steak sauces.
Meat glaze: we used raw meat scraps from our butchery, mainly beef scraps, roast them with diced vegetables like the Demi glaze and add red wine and Demi glaze and reduce it down about 50%. Strain the sauce and you end up with a very thick meat glaze. Used mainly for different sauces or as a meat glaze over a nice steak.
Napoletana Sauce: Again a basic sauce made from tomatoes we used to make different tomato based sauces and as a topping for pizza's. The importance of a good Napoletana sauce is that the sauce is not watery. To test that, we took a flat plate, placed a small amount of sauce into the middle of the plate and waited to see if any water runs of the edges of the sauce onto the plate. If there was no water along the edges of the sauce, the Napoletana sauce was ready. The secret was to cook the sauce for at least 3 to 5 hours.
Curry Sauce: The curry sauce we cooked was a Indian type fruit curry sauce, very tasty. Not spicy with a slight sweet taste, that curry sauce was used a lot in the sattelite kitchens for Riz Casimir a classic Swiss curry dish with rice and chicken and also other dishes. We made that sauce where you fry off onions, garlic, carrots, celery, leek, pineapple, bananas and mango chutney and then added the indian curry powder, coconut flakes and vegetable stock. Cooked for a couple of hours and then blended until very fine and strained.
Next week I talk about what else goes on on the Hot Section of the Hotel Main kitchen. Until then, keep well, enjoy life and great foods.
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