Brown Sauces without Liaisons

Most liaisons add little if any flavor to a finished brown sauce, affecting only its consistency and appearance. Until very recently, diners expected sauces to have an ability to cling to meats or other foods. The flavor of a thick, deeply colored sauce is often a disappointment if too much thickener has been used or if the sauce has been overly reduced. Chefs often compromise the flavor of a sauce in an attempt to make the sauce thicker.

Chefs are, however, beginning to serve light, flavorful broth or consommé and natural jus instead of artificially thickened sauces. Sophisticated diners are no longer impressed by thick, clinging sauces, and usually prefer a light, natural broth to the same broth bound with too much butter or flour.