Any aspiring chef should always know these five sauces, as they are the foundations behind all cooking.
5 tbsp. butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 qt. milk
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. white pepper
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
Whisk butter and flour in a saucepan for 7 minutes on low heat. Then whisk in the milk and let the sauce simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once sauce is at the correct consistency, season to taste and serve. Optional: Add cheese to this to make a basic cheese sauce for mac n cheese.
3 tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. flour
2 cups chicken/beef stock
A pinch salt & pepper
Whisk butter and flour together in a saucepan on low-medium heat. Slowly whisk in stock and stir consistently until texture is smooth and creamy. Season and serve. This sauce is your typical "Biscuits n Gravy" sauce lol.
1 diced carrot
1 diced onion
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups beef stock
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 cloves of garlic
1 diced celery stalk
1/2 tsp. black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
Begin pan-searing the carrots and onions in butter for 7 minutes. Then, add flour and cook for 6 minutes. Next, add beef stock slowly. Once it's fully whisked in, add remaining ingredients and stir. Bring sauce to a boil and then let simmer on low heat for 45 minutes. Strain the sauce through a chinoise and serve. This sauce is spectactualr on meats or mashed potatoes.
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 diced onion
1 diced carrot
1 diced celery
1 garlic clove minced
2 tbsp. parsley
1/2 tsp. basil
1 qt. tomatoes
1 tsp. tomato paste
tt. salt & pepper
Heat oil and cook onions, carrots, celery and parsley on low heat for 15 minutes. Add garlic and begin cooking on high for 30 seconds. Then, add tomatoes, tomato paste, amd basil and let simmer for 15 minutes. Season accordingly and serve. You can also add ground meat to make spaghetti sauce.
3 eggs
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. dijon mustard
1/4 tsp. salt
A pinch cayenne
1/2 cup butter
Melt butter in a sauce pan. In a blender, add the eggs, lemon juice, dijon mustard, salt and cayenne in a blender. While the blender is running, pour the warm butter into the mixture slowly. Once fully emulsified, season and serve. This sauce is famous for two reasons: 1) For being good on eggs benedict, and 2) for being the mother sauce to mayonaise. As a bonus, here's a mayonaise recipe as well:
1 egg
1/2 tsp. mustard
2 tbsp. white vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup olive oil
In a bowl, combine all but the olive oil. Slowly pour olive oil into mixture while whisking consistently until the oil is fully emulsified. The result should stick to your whisk.