14 Oct Roux (Dark Brown) 01
Posted at 08:29h
in Instructional, International, Sauces & Gravies, Soups & Stocks, Southern Cooking, Stews & Casseroles, Universal, Utility Recipe
“Roux (pronounced “roo”) is a thickener for sauces and soups that combines equal parts flour and butter. Pre-cooking flour allows the starch granules to swell and absorb moisture, and lets you thicken a sauce base without the flour clumping or forming lumps.”
The Original Article at Allrecipes: How To Make Roux: Step-By-Step
My version of the Allrecipes article: How to Make Roux 01
This is how to make a Dark Brown Roux for use in most Cajun and Creole dishes... much darker and richer than a Blonde or Brown Roux in color and flavor, the Dark Brown Roux is more intense than the others, but less thickening power than the White, Blonde or Brown Roux's. The basic rule is Half & Half; half fat (butter, vegetable or animal oil), and half flour. Most folks start with a little less flour, and then add it closer to the end of the process to get a roux to the consistency they need to achieve the thickness their looking for in the end product; thicker roux will give you a thicker soup for instance. So for the basics, I'll start off with a batch of roux that is small for a restaurant but more than enough for most immediate home uses... 1 lb. Fat to 1 lb. Flour, but adjust these amounts up or down depending on how much liquid you need to thicken.
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| 2 lbs. of Roux |
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This is how to make a Dark Brown Roux for use in most Cajun and Creole dishes... much darker and richer than a Blonde or Brown Roux in color and flavor, the Dark Brown Roux is more intense than the others, but less thickening power than the White, Blonde or Brown Roux's. The basic rule is Half & Half; half fat (butter, vegetable or animal oil), and half flour. Most folks start with a little less flour, and then add it closer to the end of the process to get a roux to the consistency they need to achieve the thickness their looking for in the end product; thicker roux will give you a thicker soup for instance. So for the basics, I'll start off with a batch of roux that is small for a restaurant but more than enough for most immediate home uses... 1 lb. Fat to 1 lb. Flour, but adjust these amounts up or down depending on how much liquid you need to thicken.
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Ingredients
- 1 lb. Butter, unsalted (or 2 cups Oil, fat, clarified butter or melted butter)
- 1 lb. Flour, All Purpose (1-1/3 lb. if using All Purpose Flour)
Servings: lbs. of Roux
Units:
Instructions
- Melt the butter (fat, etc...) in a heavy pot over medium heat. The butter will be hot enough when a pinch of flour sprinkled over it bubbles up a little.
- Soon as it reaches the bubble stage, immediately add about 3/4 the amount of flour for the recipe, whisking as you slowly add it.
- For a White Roux; it only takes about 5 minutes of cooking while stirring for the flour to lose its raw smell; continue cooking and stirring.
- After about 20 minutes the roux will reach the Blonde Roux stage; you will notice an aroma reminiscent of popcorn. Continue cooking and stirring.
- When the roux has been cooking for about 35 minutes, it should reach the Brown Roux stage; it should appear "peanut butter" brown and have a rich nutty aroma. Continue cooking and stirring - watching very closely as the roux could easily burn at this stage.
- After the roux has been cooking for about 45 minutes is should reach the Dark Brown stage. The roux will have the look and consistency of melted milk chocolate... think melted Hershey Bar... the aroma as well will take on a little bit of chocolate overtones, and it is time to remove the roux from the heat.
- Pour the roux on to a baking sheet, NOT LINED, as the hot roux will melt right through wax paper or plastic wrap... however, lining it with non-stick foil is OK, but not necessary. Refrigerate immediately to stop the cooking process and harden the roux.
- After the roux hardens (overnight), it can be broken into pieces and store, refrigerated or frozen in air-tight containers or plastic zip bags.
Recipe Notes
The Roux will keep almost indefinitely in the refrigerator or freezer.
The Original Article at Allrecipes: How To Make Roux: Step-By-Step
My version of the Allrecipes article: How to Make Roux 01
Links to the of Roux Types:
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