The French Foundation Sauces (Grandes Sauces)

These important sauces are internationally famous. The white Béchamel, the brown Espagnole and the fawn Velouté form the bases of hundreds of more complex sauces; while Mayonnaise, though not lending itself to so many additions still has a number of variations. A representative selection of the sauces derived from each is given here under the foundation or “parent” sauce.