Cook exam: The mother sauces

Key points

• Béchamel: milk thickened with white roux.
• Velouté: white stock thickened with blond roux.
• Espagnole: brown stock with brown roux and tomato.
• Hollandaise: egg yolks emulsified with butter.
• Tomato sauce: tomatoes, often with aromatics and stock.

Study tip

Learn one small sauce for each: Mornay from béchamel, suprême from velouté, demi-glace from espagnole, béarnaise from hollandaise.

Try these

1. Béchamel is based on:

   1. White stock
   2. Milk
   3. Brown stock
   4. Egg yolk
   Show answer

   B. Milk Milk and white roux.

2. Béarnaise is a small sauce of:

   1. Velouté
   2. Espagnole
   3. Hollandaise
   4. Béchamel
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   C. Hollandaise Hollandaise with tarragon reduction.

3. A hollandaise that has broken is best fixed by:

   1. Adding flour
   2. Whisking it into a fresh yolk
   3. Boiling it
   4. Adding cold stock
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   B. Whisking it into a fresh yolk A new yolk re-forms the emulsion.

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