Chicken Velouté

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Gather the ingredients.

2. Step 2

   Bring the chicken stock to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Lower the heat to keep the stock hot.

3. Step 3

   In a separate heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the clarified butter over medium heat until it becomes frothy. Take care not to let it turn brown, as velouté must be off-white in color. Browning the butter will yield a darker sauce.

4. Step 4

   With a wooden spoon, stir the flour into the melted butter a little bit at a time, until it is fully incorporated. The resulting pale yellow-colored paste is called a roux .

5. Step 5

   Heat the roux for another few minutes or so, until it has turned a light blond color. This helps cook off the raw flour flavor. Don't let the mixture turn brown for the same reason the clarified butter needed to be kept light in color: The sauce must be pale.

6. Step 6

   Using a wire whisk, slowly add the hot chicken stock to the roux, whisking vigorously to make sure it's free of lumps. Keep whisking while adding the stock.

7. Step 7

   Simmer, reducing the heat as needed, for about 30 minutes or until the total volume has reduced by about one-half, stirring frequently to make sure the sauce doesn't scorch at the bottom of the pan or form lumps while cooking. Use a ladle to skim off any solids or impurities that might rise to the surface.

8. Step 8

   The sauce should be smooth and velvety. If it's too thick, whisk in a bit more stock until it's just thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. This technique involves that the sauce has adequate viscosity to coat the back of the utensil without running off it.

9. Step 9

   Once you can coat the back of a spoon, remove the sauce from the heat. For an extra smooth consistency, carefully pour the sauce through a wire mesh strainer lined with a piece of cheesecloth .

10. Step 10

    Keep the velouté covered until you're ready to use it.