Grunnteknikker og sausebaser

Combined butter-and-flour thickening (beurre manié): equal parts butter and flour kneaded together and stirred into the sauce in small portions; simmered 5 minutes. Used when you have no roux on hand.

Blood thickening for game and poultry sauces: the blood is mixed with lukewarm water, vinegar or lemon to prevent coagulation, strained and stirred into the sauce a few minutes before serving.

Brown roux: equal parts butter and flour browned together slowly in a cast-iron pot to a dark brown color. Used for brown sauces.

Egg yolk liaison: egg yolks beaten thick with a little cream/milk/stock, tempered with hot sauce and strained into the sauce, which is kept just below boiling. Must not boil.

Erken's white roux: equal parts butter and flour are stirred over low heat for 10–15 minutes without taking on color, cooled a little and thinned with liquid. The basis for pale sauces.

Starch thickening: arrowroot, cornstarch or potato starch is stirred into a little cold liquid, stirred into the boiling sauce and cooked at least 2 minutes so the starch is cooked through.

Erken's sauce browning: 2 kg sugar is burned dark brown with 1 tbsp water in a frying pan, carefully thinned with 1.5 l boiling water, cooked down to a syrup, cooled, and bottled.

Light roux: equal parts butter and flour cooked over low heat or in a moderate oven until the mixture takes on a faint yellow color.

Mirepoix I from Erken 1914: veal, side pork, ham, carrot and onion are cut small, browned light brown, cooked out with 2.5 l meat stock and thyme for 2 hours and strained. Used as a flavor base in brown sauces.

Mirepoix II from Erken 1914: carrot, onion, celery hearts, and raw ham diced and braised until tender in 50 g butter with bay leaf and thyme, finished with 2 tbsp Madeira. A flavor base for sauces.

Butter and cream thickening: equal parts butter and cream are stirred into the sauce just before serving; the sauce should not be thinned afterward.

Erken's soja from 1914: 1 l strained and skimmed brine is stirred into burnt rock sugar (about 1 kg) cooked to syrup, brought to a boil until smooth, and bottled and corked. Used as a dark, salty coloring for sauces.