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roux

 
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eehorse



Joined: 15 Jul 2005
Posts: 1
Location: Naples FL

PostPosted: Fri Jul 15, 2005 3:01 am    Post subject: roux Reply with quote

My mother grew up in german town in St Louis Mo
she and pop moved to arizona in 1947 when I was 6
to raise my brothers and I.

mom learned to cook south western with a german accent
roast pork and red cabage burritos

scrambled eggs topped with pico de gallo, a big
pile of hot german potato salad and toast
for breakfast

she made the best green corn tamalies the world
has ever tasted.

she also made a cheese & green chillies tostada.
A corn tortilla fied flat spread with a cheese
and green chile sauce topped with pico de gallo
or just chopped onions.

I can hold my own with most south western cooking but
that cheese sauce is my problem. It had a fine flavor
of both the cheese and the green chillies. It was not
stingy or greasy. It would not fall off the tortilla
if you turned it upside down ( my brother did that all
the time. I never did-- the topping would fall off)

I have asked various people how to make a cheese sauce.
the best replys start with make a roux and add some
cheese.
I have tryed this but my results vary from almost
correct to stringy greasy mess. I have not been able
to comprehend the temperature oil flower cheese thing.
There is only temp oil flower and cheese + chillies
how hard can it be ti get it right?

Here is my question for good Master Chu
if your intrest and palate I can tease
how is prepared a most perfect roux
and if you would then tell me please
if you can, 101 next things to do
one a sauce with green chillies and cheese
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Michael Chu



Joined: 10 May 2005
Posts: 1654
Location: Austin, TX (USA)

PostPosted: Sat Jul 16, 2005 8:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm not an expert when it comes to making roux, but here's how I do it.

I usually use about equal amounts of all-purpose wheat flour and butter (or bacon drippings). That comes out to 1 cup (125 g) wheat flour to 4 ounces (one stick) (115 g) of butter. Just melt the butter over low heat and once the butter starts to foam, add the flour, turn up to medium, and whisk or stir (continuously). It might clump, but that's okay - just keep stirring it around. After a couple minutes, the clumps of flour will somehow turn into a smooth velvety liquid. Reduce the heat to low (you can also stop stirring as much). Let it cook for a few more minutes to get rid of any raw flour taste.

Ta da! You have a roux! This roux (at this stage) should thicken 4 cups of liquid. If you keep cooking the roux, it will start to change color from white to light yellow brown, to butterscotch, to dark brown (brick roux). The darker the roux gets, the more flavor it has, but the less thickening power you get - so you'll need more roux. A brick roux made of 1 cup flour should thicken about 1 cup of liquid, so keep that in mind.

As for making cheese sauce... I've never had to thicken my cheese sauces - in fact, I usually stir in a little heavy cream after melting the cheeses.
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Jules



Joined: 12 May 2005
Posts: 4

PostPosted: Mon Jul 18, 2005 3:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

As stated, a roux (or as your german-descended mother would probably call it, an einbrenne) is equal parts fat (butter or oil, usually) and flour (stick with All-Purpose) cooked until a desired color is achieved. Keep in mind, the darker the roux, the less thickening power it will have. Some say that the darker the roux, the more "character" it will have, but if you are using strong flavors, such as cheese and chiles, I think character is not much of an issue.

For a chile cheese sauce here is what I suggest.

Start with 2 Tablespoons of oil, add the chiles and a finely chopped small yellow onion, and cook over low heat. You want to sweat, not saute. After the onion and chiles have wilted, add 2 T flour (remember: flour and fat in equal amounts).

Next you will need a liquid. Milk or cream would work here, but I think that this would be dairy overload; though; if you do use milk, warm it before you add it. My choice would be some kind of broth, probably chicken. If you use canned chicken broth, taste before adding any salt. Add the liquid and stir rapidly for a while, taking care to break up any lumps. Cook until slightly thickend, about 3-5 minutes.

Now would be a good time to test for seasoning. Again, be careful with salt, because of the saltiness of the cheese you will soon be adding. I would also suggest freshly ground white pepper (and not black pepper, for cosmetic reasons), and some cayenne, because this is a southwestern-themed sauce. You might also consider a little cumin.

Take the saucepan off the heat and mix in the cheese. If you do this off the heat, you will avoid the common problem of the cheese breaking, and will not see that telltale oil slick on top.

Let us know how this turns out.
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chefdavide
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 08, 2005 12:58 am    Post subject: Roux Reply with quote

Chesse sauce:
(1)A roux is the base application for making a a sauce thick-A Blond Roux is the base for clear or white coloured sauces- A Brown Roux is made by slowly cooking the Blond roux until it becomes brown, and is used for Dark sauce application-

To make a classical ROUX based cheese sauce-
(1) Take 2 cups of milk- add a half an onion, a few Black whole pepper corns, a few bay Leaves and simmer- gently- Put aside and allow to cool for 20 minutes, then strain-
(2) In a heavy pan on medium heat- Melt one tablespoon of butter, when melted add 1 tablespoon of Plain flour- mix with a wooden spoon untill combined- The ROUX is now ready- While stirring add your milk slowly in one shot- keep of stirring until the lumpy mixture turns smooth, thick and creamy- This is defined as a basic White sauce-Or a type of " Bechemel sauce"

(3) Take the white sauce of heat- add half a cup of good grated parmesan cheese or more (to taste) stir well- and walla a truly fine cheese sauce is created- This sauce can now be applied on many things-especially grilled fish, seafood and vegetables-

(4) The ultimate chesse sauce is also made via a simplier but expensive mode-using the best thermal cheese available called "FONTINA"- just add it to a pan on low heat and let it melt untill bubbling- add whatever you desire to the cheese or on top of items- and Walla a Fine cheese sauce is made-Ideal for things involing peppers and chili- Fontina is a classical cheese used as a dip for thinely slices of Raw vegetable or Crusty squares of bread-the recipe of which is defined as "Bagna Cauda"- try "Gnocchi alla Bava"- melt the chesse, add the cooked Gnocchi, toss- add salt and pepper to taste- and some chili is desired- a classial recipes using only two primary ingredients, creates one of the finest classical cheese sauce recipes-

regards
Chef davide
Expert; French (and Italian) Classical Cuisine-
as defined by Escoffier-
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Anderson Imes
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 01, 2005 8:10 am    Post subject: Roux! Reply with quote

I've tried to perfect roux over the years. A couple of things I've found that have helped me greatly:

-Roux can be prepared in any pan, but pans that hold heat better will make it easier not to burn them. Cast iron is my favorite. Anyone lucky enough to have a Le Creuset piece (unlike myself) has the perfect tool.

-Don't stop stirring. Taking a sip of beer (or beverage of choice) is acceptable, but bathroom breaks are right out.

-Roux has several levels color/flavor (some would say hundreds, although that is investing more time than the subject should really be admitted). When going for a darker color (such as those for gumbo, etc), lighten up on the heat a bit. It'll help get the color you want without getting too dark too quickly. Sure your arm will get tired from the stirring, but roux is about sacrifice.

-When going for a darker color/deeper flavor as a variation on a receipe, remember that the thickening power of the roux is reduced the darker it gets, so adjust amounts accordingly.

-When adding cheese to a roux, please be sure to check your karma, say a hail mary, and have plenty of time and cheese to give it another try. The only thing that I've found that helps me in a cheese + roux situation is the aformentioned atonements and very slow additions of cheese and constant stirring.

Hope this helps someone.
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LAN3
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 04, 2005 4:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

If I can add a tip to that excellent list, it is that it's common, when using a dark roux that has lots its thickening power, to add a little bit of white roux to compensate. Add the dark roux, and judge the thickness once it's mixed in and decide if you need it to be thicker.
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BushBass



Joined: 05 Jan 2007
Posts: 2
Location: Parsippany, NJ

PostPosted: Fri Jan 05, 2007 4:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

can i make a big batch of roux and save the rest for later applications? if so, what's the best storage solution? freezing?
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scott123



Joined: 23 Dec 2006
Posts: 15
Location: Morristown, NJ

PostPosted: Fri Jan 05, 2007 7:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

How long were you thinking of storing it for?

I've frozen roux before. A month tends to work pretty well, but beyond that and the fat in it tends to absorb freezer odors. The biggest obstacle is finding the right size containers to freeze it in to yield useable portions, as it doesn't cut very easily. Ice cube containers work well, but they increase the surface area/odor absorption rate.

Is having pre-made roux that important to you? A white roux (suitable for bechamel/cheese sauce), with the right cooking implement/utensils and a little practice takes a good 2 minutes to make and tastes better than frozen roux.
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IndyRob



Joined: 17 Dec 2006
Posts: 77

PostPosted: Sat Jan 06, 2007 12:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've often wished I had a prepared roux at hand. I've imagined it as a refrigerated stick like a stick of butter. I've never tried it though.

Although a roux is quick enough to make, it does often require another pan. I usually wish for a prepared roux when I've braised some meat and want to thicken the cooking liquid. Dirtying another pan just to do two or three tablespoons of roux bugs me.
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genetee



Joined: 21 Mar 2009
Posts: 1
Location: LoUiSiAna

PostPosted: Sat Mar 21, 2009 1:16 pm    Post subject: So you want Roux? Reply with quote

I'm from LoUiSiAna and have participated in the making of several different ways to create Roux; after all it is a main ingredient in different Cajun food dishes.

Technically the cooked (browned we say) flour is Roux.

One can do this in an oven or microwave or on the stovetop.

Oven or microwave do without oil and there are several reasons for stove top and almost all stovetop cooking of a roux involve oil of some sort.

As in all dishes, at any change in when I'll add an ingredient, time of cooking or length of cooking time changes the end result, often significantly and will be the difference in truly Great!!! taste or just good or …well…you heard the country song lyric

‘eatin burnt suppers the whole first year, and asking for seconds to keep her from tears’

As I say “me and food grew up together”
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Jim Cooley



Joined: 09 Oct 2008
Posts: 377
Location: Seattle

PostPosted: Sat Mar 21, 2009 3:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

CAKE FLOUR!

Makes an extremely smooth, velvety roux.

I use ice cube trays and freeze. When done, I pull the cubes out and put them in a Ziplock. No odor transfer.

Experiment with how full to fill the individual ice cube holes. 2 TBS is about right for thickening a scant cup of liquid.

When adding cheese, do so in multiple batches and stir, stir, stir. You don't want the cheese to cool off the mixture too much or it will drive the oil out of suspension.
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