Roux

Appears in

Published 1987

About

Of all the techniques used in the preparation of foods, nationally or internationally, I think that one of the most difficult to describe is the making of a roux in the Cajun or Creole style. I specify Cajun or Creole because in the French kitchen a roux—pronounced rue—is nothing more than the blending of a fat, generally butter, with flour. And to your roux you add a liquid of almost any sort, chicken broth, beef broth, fish stock, and so on. The roux in this case is made without browning.

In the Cajun or Creole kitchen, the roux is almost invariably browned or cooked until it achieves one degree of color or another—it might be a light to medium brown color; it might be light or dark red; or it might be the color of dark caramel or even black. My friend Paul Prudhomme has noted that the light or medium brown roux are to be used in the preparation of sauces that cover or are served with dark meats such as game, or with dark-fleshed birds such as duck or goose, or with game birds such as pheasant. Dark-colored roux are the bases for sauces to be served with lighter or white meats, such as pork and veal, or with saltwater or fresh water fish and seafood such as crawfish or red snapper. The latter are also preferable for gumbos because, in his opinion, dark roux produce the thinnest of gumbos.