The Grand Sauces (It's a Mother SHUT YO MOUTH!)

The four (or maybe five) grand sauces were invented by the French for the purpose of streamlining kitchen work. They can be made in huge batches, held aside in the cooler, and used to make an incredible amount of derivative sauces. Hence the nickname, 'mother sauces,' and their five inherent characteristics:

1. A mother sauce is thickened with roux (flour and fat cooked together)
2. A mother sauce is made in advance
3. A mother sauce is made in large batches
4. A mother sauce is nappe (coats the back of a metal spoon, yet still pourable)
5. A mother sauce is used to make derivative sauces (in smaller batches)

Four mother sauces follow these strictly. The fifth, Hollandaise, follows none except the last. According to Chef M, it is debatable whether it is a mother sauce, but we would not be making it today.

Introducing the four big mama jamas!!

• Espagnole (Brown Sauce): Brown veal stock, brown roux, mirepoix (browned carrots, onion, celery), tomato paste, herbs & aromatics. Traditionally used for roasting -- brown sauce on brown food, as a sauce should traditionally echo the meat it's served with.
• Bechamel (White Sauce): White roux & milk, onion, clove, whole black pepper, bay leaf. Essentialy a cheap version of heavy cream.
• Veloute (White Sauce): Blonde roux and chicken stock. Simple. More golden tan than white, really.
• Classic Tomato Sauce: Tomato, stock, roux, mirepoix, pork bones. Not a traditional Italian 'gravy' or spaghetti sauce, more like the the smooth stuff that comes in a can of Chef Boy-R-Dee.

All of these are strained to get out the aromatics and browned vegetables. Also, roux can be lumpy; straining assures smoothness. The tomato sauce is blended as well as strained.

After chopping our mirepoix, Chef M broke us into random teams of three -- my Arizona friend went bye-bye, and I was joined by the kid who is late every single day and the woman who speaks English as a 2nd language. At first, I was annoyed -- I don't want my educational experience to be squandered on watching two others flounder. But somehow it worked: I invoked my own mother (who was an executive director most of her life AND well-respected by her staff) and started reviewing the recipes (which we inscribed on index cards) and directed our course. Late Kid actually knew what he was doing, and 2nd Language Lady was clearly competent (so long as I explained things clearly and looked her in the eye).

Before making all the mother sauces, we made Glace de Viande, which is not a mother sauce but aspires to be. This is simply brown veal stock, reduced to a syrup. Small amounts have an intense meaty flavor, and it's all gelatiny goodness. It's extremely expensive, as a gallon of stock will become less than a pint of glace. I'm definitely looking forward to making some next time I cook up some pork at home.

The next 3 hours were a blur of activity, with students piled next to each other on the burners, crowding the wash sinks, running to watch Chef M's demonstrations. Each mother sauce had its own list of ingredients, timings, and personalities. The Espagnole smelled wonderful, like a strong beef soup. The Classic Tomato was nothing like the simple spaghetti sauce I make from scratch (which is in the Italian tradition) but smelled fantastic and porky in just the right way. The white sauces were neutral, awaiting additions for their derivative sauces.

Bechamel must constantly be stirred with a whisk till in comes to simmer, or the bottom will burn and give the whole batch a bitter, slightly acrid overtone. Chef M commanded we toss our first batch and start over.

At the end of class, Chef M prepared a few cured and slow-cooked pulled pork and lamb dishes for us to try. My team got all the sauces and the glace in the ice-baths before the other teams, none of us got hurt except for a nice little burn on my thumb, the sauces looked good, and at the very end of class 2nd Language Girl asked if she could be on my team tomorrow. I know it's a little thing, but I couldn't help but think that would of given my mom a smile. Mother sauces for my mother!

ADDENDA:
We received out mid-module report cards today, I got an A- with a note to work on knife-skills. My partner got an A, so after class I moseyed up to the Chef and asked him what the minus was suggesting that needed improvement. Without looking at me, he barked, "the lobster." Fair enough. Still, part of me wants to go to this parade this weekend with a placard that says, "I wouldn't kill a lobster with my bare hands and got and A- for it!" I keed, I keed!

At yesterday's meeting with Ilsa, she gave me a packet of laxative tea and instructions on a 1-day master cleanse. During a 24-hour period I can not eat anything other than some odd liquid mixture. Hoo-boy. How am I going to fit this into my schedule?

BREAKFAST: 6:30am, organic granola, good milk, .75 bowl, hunger 4/5
The granola I get from the farmer's market makes me happy. It's barely sweet, with the sole sweetener (honey) near the end of a list of 10 or so whole grain and nut and dried fruit ingredients.

LUNCH: 11:30, 4 different meats, pulled lamb and pulled pork prepared different ways, but all tough cuts and slow cooked, french bread, 2 bowls, hunger 4/5
The lamb was off the charts lamby, but with curing was really interesting and inviting. The pulled pork was more of what you'd expect from a pile of brown shredded meat, except it wasn't smothered in sauce like some crappy BBQ places do - this stuff was all meaty flavor.

PM BIKE SNACK: 3:30pm, 2 packets peanut butter crackers, .25 bowls, hunger 4/5
These things are retarded. I should make my own cheesy crackers and smear superhippy peanut butter on them.

PM SNACK: 5pm, baby spinach salad with a small handful of corn chips, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
Hungry after 50 mile bike ride, need to go out to a reading then dinner with B and some of her family.

PM SNACK: 5:15pm, small cup of homemade vanilla icecream, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
After getting dressed, realized if I don't get something calorie-dense into me, gonna feel crappy at the reading, which are always tough going for me anyway...

PM SNACK: 6pm, Izzy-Esque soda, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
This low-calorie juice and cane-sugar sweetened soda just kinda called to me as I walked out the door.

DINNER: 7pm, street falafel, 1 bowl, hunger 4/5
On the way near the reading, the good cart with the amazing lamb presented itself. Meated out, opted for the vegetarian.

EVENING SNACK: 8:30pm, 5 small shrimp dumplings, water, .5 bowl, hunger 2/5
For some unknown mysterious reason, by the time we sat down to eat at a restaurant, I just wasn't hungry....