One of the most common request is 'how did you make that sauce?' an easy answer is 'that's a kitchen secret', the reality is the recipe though simple enough cannot be divulged easily unless the person knows how to make a basic stock and take it through a couple or more stages, even then it's down to senses and experience.
The chapter on stocks and sauces in good cook books is usually a long one and rightfully so as it's one the many corner stones in a kitchen.
I hope to build a base for you to get a good stock, good plain sauce or derivative sauce at home.
A good stock is easy, think of 'mums chicken broth' renowned for its restorative values, it's simply a good stock with bits. Straining such a broth leaves you with a decent stock and from this you can create a decent sauce
.
I want to give a basic White stock recipe using chicken so we can achieve similar results when it comes to making sauces and trouble shooting.
There are ground rules, once these are applied you are free to play around and create derivatives.
Use fresh ingredients in correct proportion for the stock.
The meat used will be determining factor in end flavour, the cheaper cuts of meat are used, these have the most connective tissue which when cooked out release gelatine giving the stock body and strength.
Browning/roasting the meat beforehand will alter the end taste and colour of the stock.
Chicken,beef and pork can be considered as neutral flavour and used as a base for most sauces to accompany most dishes.
Lamb flavour is dominant and best used for lamb dishes only, the same with game and wild-birds Consider white fish neutral, salmon is dominant and best used for salmon dishes or in chowder.
Carrots,celery,leek and onion are the classic vegetables to use in stock, turnip/swede and parsnips are to dominant in flavour and upset the balance.
White Chicken Stock
The Ingredients.
1kg chicken drumsticks
200gms carrot, peeled and diced
200gms onion, peeled and diced
75gms celery,diced
1 leek,white only diced
2lts water
1 bay leaf
12 peppercorns
sprig of thyme
vegetable oil 2tbspns
Method.
Place the vegetables in a pot with the oil and fry gently for a couple of minutes then cook for a further couple of minutes on low heat with the lid on. Add the chicken and the water bring to the boil,add the bay leaf,peppercorns and thyme then simmer for 2hrs skimming any fat or scum that appears and discard.
Strain the stock (the meat on the drumsticks can be used for sandwiches or pie) cool the stock down as quickly as you can and chill overnight this will allow any fat to rise and sediment to settle.
When you go to use the stock discard the fat or save it (use for roasting potatoes) decant the stock leaving any sediment behind.
This will be our basic stock and I will use this as base for future sauce recipes.
This will keep for 3 days refrigerated or if frozen a month (freeze in 3 batches for easy access).
The chapter on stocks and sauces in good cook books is usually a long one and rightfully so as it's one the many corner stones in a kitchen.
I hope to build a base for you to get a good stock, good plain sauce or derivative sauce at home.
A good stock is easy, think of 'mums chicken broth' renowned for its restorative values, it's simply a good stock with bits. Straining such a broth leaves you with a decent stock and from this you can create a decent sauce
.
I want to give a basic White stock recipe using chicken so we can achieve similar results when it comes to making sauces and trouble shooting.
There are ground rules, once these are applied you are free to play around and create derivatives.
Use fresh ingredients in correct proportion for the stock.
The meat used will be determining factor in end flavour, the cheaper cuts of meat are used, these have the most connective tissue which when cooked out release gelatine giving the stock body and strength.
Browning/roasting the meat beforehand will alter the end taste and colour of the stock.
Chicken,beef and pork can be considered as neutral flavour and used as a base for most sauces to accompany most dishes.
Lamb flavour is dominant and best used for lamb dishes only, the same with game and wild-birds Consider white fish neutral, salmon is dominant and best used for salmon dishes or in chowder.
Carrots,celery,leek and onion are the classic vegetables to use in stock, turnip/swede and parsnips are to dominant in flavour and upset the balance.
White Chicken Stock
The Ingredients.
1kg chicken drumsticks
200gms carrot, peeled and diced
200gms onion, peeled and diced
75gms celery,diced
1 leek,white only diced
2lts water
1 bay leaf
12 peppercorns
sprig of thyme
vegetable oil 2tbspns
Method.
Place the vegetables in a pot with the oil and fry gently for a couple of minutes then cook for a further couple of minutes on low heat with the lid on. Add the chicken and the water bring to the boil,add the bay leaf,peppercorns and thyme then simmer for 2hrs skimming any fat or scum that appears and discard.
Strain the stock (the meat on the drumsticks can be used for sandwiches or pie) cool the stock down as quickly as you can and chill overnight this will allow any fat to rise and sediment to settle.
When you go to use the stock discard the fat or save it (use for roasting potatoes) decant the stock leaving any sediment behind.
This will be our basic stock and I will use this as base for future sauce recipes.
This will keep for 3 days refrigerated or if frozen a month (freeze in 3 batches for easy access).
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