Basics

CLASSIC SAUCES provide much of the glory of French food. Although many beginning cooks are often intimidated by even the idea of sauce making, once they realize the relative ease with which a few basic sauces can be prepared—and the wonderful elegance they add to the simplest dishes—they’ll soon find themselves making them often.

In this section are the stocks and sauces that are basic to French cooking, including the sweet sauces used in a number of different dessert recipes. Pastry Cream, Crème Anglaise, and icings are also here because they are important components of many French desserts. The following recipes form a cornerstone of most of French cooking.