Main French Sauces

Nadia Galinova
Translated by
Nadia Galinova
Basic sauces

If you have always wanted to move to romantic France and enjoy its rich cuisine, then today you have this opportunity. With their unique main sauces you will be able to immerse yourself in this splendor and get acquainted with a new culinary adventures for true gourmets and connoisseurs of culinary creations with French flavor and a pinch of splendor.

Here are the main French sauces, that every good chef should know and be able to make.

Béchamel Sauce

Bechamel Sauce

This is one of the most popular sauces and its homeland is France. It is quite easy and quick to prepare and we can add it to the group of the so-called base sauces. It is suitable for a number of meat or vegetable dishes, as well as for thickening the various dishes based on our favorite cheeses.

The main must-have ingredients for this French cuisine classic are milk, flour, butter, salt and fresh nutmeg. If desired, you can also season it with black or white pepper, crushed blue cheese or grated harder cheese. In general, today this sauce has many varieties, but the classic originates from France and is one of the 5 main in the country of eternal romance.

Veloute Sauce

It can be said that this is the most French sauce on our list, as it contains ingredients such as cream, chicken broth and butter. Be sure to add flour, salt and black pepper to them, because that way the sauce thickens, but also aquires the pleasant taste that distinguishes it. It is ideal for garnishing various seafood, meat, fish and many other dishes.

Hollandaise Sauce

Hollandaise sauce
Image: Nina Ivanova Ivanova

This sauce is one of the most loved ones in the world, not only in its homeland. The delicious milky and insanely tender sauce is made from melted ghee. An important feature is that the butter must be poured in a very thin stream to the yolks and also a little water is added and the obligatory juice of freshly squeezed lemons. This French sauce is cooked in a water bath and it is important to stir it at all times, since it can lump up very easily.

The Hollandaise Sauce is served as soon as it is ready, so that it does not lose its delicate structure. Although it may sound very easy, you will have to practice a lot in the kitchen to prepare it perfectly.

French Tomato Sauce

Maybe in our country they would name this delicious and fragrant sauce tomato chutney, but surely every Frenchman would be offended by that. It is prepared slowly and very carefully and it is important to observe some subtleties. For example, fresh tomatoes are always used, which must be peeled beforehand, as they are cooked over low heat with a small amount of fat and this way they achieve the dense and delicate taste of French tomato sauce.

Sugar is also added to it, which regulates the acidity of the sauce. Various fresh spices are added to it, such as oregano, basil and others (optional). Only the real French can reveal to you all the subtleties of this incredibly tasty and exquisite sauce, which goes perfectly with meat and vegetable dishes.

French Espagnole Sauce

Espagnole Sauce
Image: Yordanka Kovacheva

The ingredients in this sauce are more, but on the other hand, this effort to prepare it is worth it. In the beginning, vegetable ragout is made from carrots, leeks and onions. Once they have been stewed, grind or puree them, then pour them back into the pan and fry them with a little butter and flour to make a thicker sauce.

Beef broth and good brandy must be added to it. Be sure that the taste of each meat dish will be revealed in a completely different way, if you add this insanely fragrant and refined French sauce.

There's obviously a reason why the French cuisine is one of the most beloved in the world. It is thanks to such exquisite culinary creations, that it has managed to earn a place of honor in the hearts of thousands of fans of true gourmet cuisine.

And while we're on the subject, be sure to see the best meat sauces, fish sauces or mushroom sauces.

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