A Basic Roux
March 8th, 2008 | Posted in Food Info, Food Prep, Odds & Ends, Quick Tips, Recipies | 3 CommentsA Roux is basically a thickening agent that’s used in stews, soups, sauces and plenty of other dishes and after trying a few times and having it not come out right, I finally got it down. At first I had to keep referring to the notes I took while watching Alton Brown on Food Network one day, but I finally managed to commit it to memory. (though sometimes I wish I could buy an extra memory card for my brain ;-) )
Anyway, the formula for making the Roux is pretty simple…. 1 cup liquid + 1 tablespoon flour + 1 tablespoon fat = about 1 cup Roux. For the Roux I’ve made so far I’m using butter for the fat requirement and chicken broth for the liquid.
You start out with the butter in a nonstick pan or skillet. When it’s melted stir in a tablespoon of flour. As you stir this into the butter it will get thicker. Let it cook for a minute or two, stirring constantly and then add the liquid, stirring it in to mix thoroughly and work out the lumps of flour.
Cook this on a medium heat until it comes to a boils. At this point it’s ready to add to whatever you’re going to be using it in.
There’s a lot more about Roux and I’ll have to revisit this topic sometime soon but this is enough to get started with it.
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Yay for using a roux-although the roux is actually just the fat and the flour.
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From my experience, making a roux is one of those cooking skills that requires a certain amount of patience and practice. Mixing the butter and flour together is never much of a problem, but unless you add in the liquid very gradually at first, you will wind up with a lumpy gravy that is very difficult to fix without starting all over again.
Of course, it is possible to “cheat” and use cornstarch for the thickening agent (to avoid lumps, mix it with water first) and then add whatever other ingredients are required to make the sauce. But I suppose that learning how to make a proper roux is still a good skill to learn if one wants to create authentic traditional recipes.
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