Elevate a main dish with a sauce

Sauces are a great way to elevate a main dish. Some restaurants employee a saucier, who is responsible for making sauces and stocks. Given the opportunity, I will always prepare a sauce for my meals. We don’t always have the time to make a sauce. Today, I want to share a way to remedy that.

One does not think of a slow cooked as a way to make sauces. They are a great way to bring the depth of flavor that good sauces contain. I am sharing two different ones. The first is a light colored Cajun Velouté Sauce. The second is a more common preparation, Cajun Brown Gravy. So grab your slow cookers, and Let’s head to the kitchen!

Cajun Velouté Sauce

Here’s a take on one of the mother sauces of French cuisine. It is made with a light blond roux, which is cooked just until the flour is colored. It’s works great with chicken, veal and fish.

2 sticks butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

10 cups stock*

3 tablespoons canola oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 bell pepper, finely chopped

2 jalapeño, chopped (optional)

1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne

2 bay leaves

1 bunch green onions, chopped

Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Gradually whisk in flour, whisking until smooth. Cook roux about 2 minutes, while stirring constantly with a wooden spoon (do not burn). Slowly pour in stock, while whisking vigorously to break up and clumps. Bring to a low boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 10 minutes, while skimming away any foam or fat that accumulates on the surface. Scrape along the bottom often to loosen any settled roux. Pour into a slow cooker on low heat.

Heat 3 tablespoons canola oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, garlic, bell pepper, jalapeños (if using), and cayenne; sauté 6 minutes or until sweated. Pour into slow cooker with stock. Add bay leaves; cover with lid and simmer on low for 4 hours. After cooking, but before stirring, carefully skim away accumulated fat from surface. Stir mixture.

Taste, adjust seasoning. Stir in green onions. Remove bay leaves. Cool completely. Chill or freeze until needed.

*Use light stock, depending on the meat you cook with it. Chicken or seafood are perfect.

Cajun Brown Gravy

This is a great gravy for cooking beef in. It’s perfect for sliced roast beef to make hot sandwiches with.

Canola oil

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 1/2 quarts beef stock

2 large onions, chopped

5 garlic cloves, minced

1 bell pepper, chopped

2 jalapeños, chopped (optional)

1 teaspoon Creole seasoning

2 bay leaves

Heat 3/4 cup canola oil in an uncoated Dutch oven over medium heat. Gradually whisk in flour, whisking until smooth, adding extra oil if needed. Cook roux about 15 to 20 minutes or until dark brown, while stirring constantly with a wooden spoon (do not burn). Slowly pour in stock while whisking vigorously to break up any clumps.

Bring to a low boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes, while skimming away any foam or fat that accumulate on the surface. Scrape along bottom often to loosen any settled roux. Pour into a slow cooker on low heat.

Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions; sauté 15 minutes or until caramelized, deglazing with a tablespoon or two of water if bottom of skillet becomes too brown. Add garlic, bell pepper, jalapeño (if using) and Creole seasoning; sauté 3 minutes to sweat. Pour into slow cooker with roux-thickened stock.

Add bay leaves, cover with lid and simmer on low for 4 hours. After cooking, but before stirring, carefully skim away accumulated fat from surface. Stir mixture. Taste, adjust seasoning. Chill or freeze until needed.

I have often been told that I sometimes overuse sauces. I guess that comes from my first job. It was at the 5-star restaurant LeRuths. No entree left the kitchen without a sauce. In my opinion, a dish is not complete until it is topped with a sauce.