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White Stock (Fond Blanc) The White Stocks Whether they be beef, chicken, fish, or other, are cooked in the same way as brown stock . They are either reduced or thickened with a roux although the use of flour is always a subject of controversy among cooks. The beurre manie is used, with excellent results, to correct and adjust sauces in some of the greatest kitchens in France as well as in private homes. When the stocks are thickened with a roux they are called veloutes (mother sauces). With the addition of cream, a veloute becomes a cream sauce and the cream sauce, in turn, takes on different names depending on the garnish. For example, a fish stock becomes a veloute of fish after it is thickened with a roux, then a cream sauce with the addition of cream, then a sauce Duglere with the addition of sliced mushrooms and tomatoes. In a first-class restaurant, where portions are cooked individually, the white stocks are often reduced to a glace, cream is added and the mixture boiled down until it reaches the proper consistency without the addition of flour. It makes a richer and more expensive sauce than a sauce made from a veloute. However, for economy as well as health, home cooks, except on special occasions, do not adhere to the criteria of a starred restaurant and a veloute is more the norm than the exception. Both methods have their own place and can be enjoyed at different times. A sauce should be light and if it looks and tastes like glue, the culprit is the cook, not the flour. |
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