White Roux, or Thickening for Sauces

The modern cook · Charles Elmé Francatelli · 1846
Source
The modern cook
Time
Cook: 45 min Total: 45 min
Status
success · extracted 15 days ago
Not a recipe
No
Ingredients (2)
Instructions (7)
  1. Put the butter into a stewpan on a moderate fire to clarify.
  2. Skim the butter, and then pour it off into a thick-bottomed stewpan, care being taken that none of the milk be allowed to mix with the butter.
  3. Fill the butter up with sifted flour in sufficient quantity to form a paste requiring some strength to work it with a wooden spoon.
  4. Place the roux on a moderate fire, and continually stir it with the spoon until it becomes somewhat softer.
  5. Take the spoon out, wipe the sides of the stewpan, put the lid on it, and place it in a moderately-heated oven.
  6. Let it remain for about three-quarters of an hour, stirring it every ten minutes, and watching it closely to prevent it from getting burnt or colored.
  7. At the expiration of the time above-named, or before, if the roux be sufficiently done (which may be easily ascertained by its becoming thinner), take it out of the oven, and put it aside until wanted for use.
Original Text
WHITE ROUX, OR THICKENING FOR SAUCES. TAKE some fresh butter—say one pound, put it into a stewpan on a moderate fire to clarify; skim it, and then pour it off into a thick-bottomed stewpan, care being taken that none of the milk be allowed to mix with the butter. Fill the butter up with sifted flour in sufficient quantity to form a paste requiring some strength to work it with a wooden spoon; the roux should then be placed on a mode-rate fire, and continually stirred with the spoon until it becomes somewhat softer; then take the spoon out, wipe the sides of the stewpan, put the lid on it, and place it in a moderately-heated oven, and care to it remain for about threequarters of an hour—taking care to stir it every ten minutes, and to watch it closely, in order to prevent the possibility of its getting burnt or coloured, an accident which would render it useless for white sauce. At the expiration of the time above-named, or before, if the roux be sufficiently done (which may be easily ascertained by its becoming thinner), it should be taken out of the oven, and put aside until wanted for use. This roux is used for thickening Velouté or white sauce.
Notes
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