Michel Roux and Sauces (file under REALLY?)

As I mentioned in my post on Saturday Executive Chef loaned me another book, Michel Roux’s; “Sauces.” I’ve been reading it this morning for about five hours I guess it is now and I’ve just finished tearing through it. This book is a must for anyone who is serious about cooking. Sauces are, as I’ve mentioned before, one of the foundations of all that is right and just in cooking. Of course, as I mentioned in a previous post, the French developed sauces because the ingredients they had were not great as a stand-alone item and therefore had to be hidden by a sauce. In a current context sauces are not used to hide ingredients or make something that doesn’t taste good taste good. Today sauces are used as a compliment. An element that can add colour, texture, aroma, etc.

Upon opening the book I got a wider understanding of the Roux principles. With a mastery that few have on the planet today he takes items and enhances them. Sauces, as the title would suggest, is all about sauces, how to make them and how to enhance them. One of the things that struck me was when Roux said; “Any excess is ridiculous!” This stands out in my mind because I have been in some of the finer eating establishments in the world and some of them practice excess as a means of disguising something, such as an inadequacy. I know this sounds like a harsh comment but after reading that I started to think to some of the restaurants I’ve been too and wondered whether what I was eating was adding complexity and character. I started to look at the excess of a certain one and was actually able to isolate what they were attempting and why. I could only think of two restaurants where I believe that excess was the principle and I will not name them here.

I spend a good portion of my work concentrating on stocks. As Roux says stocks are the base of a great sauce. As I’ve mentioned before the veal jus that I work on is the result of a veal stock and remi combination allowed to reduce which takes three days to come to the proper consistency, clarity, colour and flavour. A sauce, it would seem to me, among certain people, is nothing but an additive, something added as an afterthought for some unknown reason. I however, as stated earlier, look at sauce as one of two things. A wonderful compliment to an extraordinary meal or as a so so drab going through the motions experience. Stocks are the very lifeblood of sauces. It is from their complexity that the seemingly simple sauce is born.

Roux talks about striking a happy balance and that’s what I believe a sauce is for. To create harmony between the ingredients, to accentuate rather than to thrill. Sure a sauce can be absolutely divine and thrilling but what is its purpose?

Having read this book this morning and learning that Roux created more than 100 sauces (most of which were included in the book) caused me to see that there is so much to learn. For example he has one sauce that he uses that caused me to think that perhaps I would use it as a base and change minor elements within it to reflect the flavour profile that I am seeking. And I am seeking a flavour profile. I just don’t know exactly how to explain it yet.

Roux is a talented writer and an even more talented Chef. I would strongly recommend this book for anyone who is serious about cooking. It opened up my eyes to how I can create a dish starting at the end (the sauce) or at the beginning (the main ingredient or star of the plate). There are no hard and fast rules as to how to create a dish and lately I seem to find myself starting in the middle. With an ingredient but no divine inspiration with what to do with it. That is of course until I figure out accompaniments and sauce.

I understand why Executive Chef gave me this book to go through next. It is another element in the classical training that I am receiving.

I also went through the Nigel Didcock book over the past week or so. I really liked some of the elements of his dishes, he presents beautiful plates and without knowingly having eaten something he created (I’ve been to the Granite Club quite a bit growing up) I can’t comment on flavour. I can say that there is a great complexity to his dishes and I wondered whether or not the complexity would still allow the flavour to come through as the star or whether it was the presentation itself. I can tell you that the recipes sound incredible and I will attempt to do one or two of his dishes.

I keep going back to the question form over function. Form? Or Function? Or both? Can there be a harmony between the two on the plate. I believe there can be and it is something that I work on. I also believe that Head and Executive Chefs present plates that are beautiful but moreover that the taste is the star of the show no question.

At any rate, now I’m going back to read the CIA’s “The Professional Chef.” I will be back later today with an update on that. I’m so excited at all I am learning and I can actually feel it in the depth of my soul. Genuinely happy and out there trying to be me is a wonderful place to be in my life… FINALLY!

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said; “The high prize of life, the crowning fortune of man, is to be born with a bias to some pursuit which finds him in employment and happiness.” Happiness is not some elusive conceptual dreamland. It is a reality that you can choose to live each and every day. Finally, after 33 years of life I internally (and outwardly) know that I have found that purpose and moreover that that purpose has brought me endless happiness and hitherto untold joy. Who knew?

I’ll be back, but in the time between then and now, dream inspired, love life, laugh and sing.

A la prochaine

SDM