The Mothers of All French Sauces

Béchamel is the mother sauce most of us learn first. The French call them les sauces mères—bases that have simmered over centuries, changing in character and execution with the arrival of elements—peppers, nutmeg, tomatoes—from neighboring royal courts and global trade routes.

The five modern mother sauces were codified in A Guide to Modern Cookery , an abridged 1907 English-language translation of the original Le guide culinaire by Georges Auguste Escoffier, the chef and writer famed for updating his country’s culinary canon. Kate Berry Béchamel is the mother sauce most cooks learn first: A simple white roux of flour and butter, whisked with milk or cream, then simmered until thickened. This is the base for daughter sauces such as onion-infused Soubise or cheesy Mornay , which chef Darroze uses to assemble her creamy vegetable gratins .

Sauce Velouté Veal or chicken stock, thickened with a pale, blond roux. Kate Berry Velouté means “velvety” in French, and is the more complex sister of Béchamel.

The method begins with a flour and butter roux that is cooked until slightly “blonde” in color, then blended with light stock instead of milk. Sauce Velouté is often used as a base for soups such as this creamy chestnut potage .

With the addition of lemon, egg yolks, and heavy cream, it’s as well the base for a daughter sauce called Allemande or Parisienne, while adding shallots and white wine creates Sauce Bercy. Hollandaise Sauce This eggy mother sauce is the star of brunch menus the world over, and the base for zippier adaptations like sauce béarnaise. Kate Berry Hollandaise Sauce is an egg emulsion—the glorious liason of butter, vinegar or lemon juice, and egg yolks that appears most often atop eggs Benedict .

In addition luscious drizzled over asparagus or poached salmon, it’s the base for equally beloved daughter sauce Béarnaise , in which we love to dip french fries. Sauce Tomate This French-style tomato sauce differs from its Italian counterparts in that it’s thickened with roux and enriched with veal stock.

Kate Berry This enriched tomato sauce is the French interpretation of the base most often appearing in the company of pasta. One of its best-known daughters is the sunny sauce Provençal, made fragrant with the addition of capers, olives and herbes de Provence.

Sauce Espagnole Rich sauce Espagnole is the base for a plethora of traditional French brown sauces. Kate Berry This rich brown sauce is characterized by strong meat stock, thickened with a dark roux.

Rarely used alone, this mother sauce is essential to preparing daughters such as peppery Sauce Poivrade and wine-splashed Sauce Bourguignonne , both excellent with big, beefy dishes. Mayonnaise While not one of Escoffier’s 5 original “Mother Sauces,” mayo is often given equal billing for its importance to classic French cuisine.

Kate Berry Mayonnaise was not one of Auguste Escoffier’s original mother sauces, but the chilled, eggy dressing is as foundational to French cuisine as its five sisters, and so many believe it deserves equal status.