A classic French sauce that is both creamy and light, made from a chicken velouté enriched with heavy cream.
Ingredients
- 15 g unsalted butter (82% fat)
- 15 g T45 wheat flour
- 200 ml chicken stock (homemade or store-bought)
- 80 ml heavy cream, 30% fat
- to taste fine sea salt
- to taste ground white pepper
- quelques gouttes lemon juice (optional)
Method
- Prepare the chicken stock (see the prepared component) or use a good-quality store-bought stock. The stock should be light-colored and lukewarm, not boiling.
- Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat without letting it color. Add the flour all at once and mix with a wooden spatula. Cook the roux for 1 to 2 minutes until it foams slightly and gives off a nutty aroma, without ever taking on color. Remove from the heat and let cool for 30 seconds.
- Off the heat, pour in the chicken stock in a steady stream while whisking vigorously to prevent lumps. Return to medium heat and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. As soon as the first bubbles appear, lower the heat to maintain a very gentle simmer.
- Cook the velouté at a gentle simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes with a spatula to prevent it from sticking. The sauce should reduce by about one-third and become coating: it should cover the back of a spoon and leave a clean track when you run a finger through it. Skim off any impurities rising to the surface with a clean skimmer.
- Pass the velouté through a fine chinois or sieve set over a clean saucepan, pressing gently with a spoon to extract all the solids. Discard the residue.
- Off the heat, add the heavy cream in a thin stream while whisking gently. Correct the seasoning with the salt and white pepper. If desired, add a few drops of lemon juice to brighten the sauce without masking its whiteness.
- For a glossy, even creamier finish, mount the sauce with a pat of cold butter (about 10 g) cut into small dice, whisking until fully incorporated.
- Keep the sauce warm in a bain-marie or over very low heat, covering the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. Serve immediately with poached or roasted poultry or delicate vegetables.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 105.4 kcal
- Protein
- 1.27 g
- Carbohydrate
- 4 g
- Fat
- 9.41 g
- Fibre
- 0.91 g
- Calcium
- 19.39 mg
- Iron
- 0.14 mg
- Magnesium
- 3.24 mg
