Cooked Vegetable Purée Sauces

Firm vegetables cannot be made into a smooth purée when in their raw state. They must be cooked first to soften their fibers. Once cooked, they are puréed in the manner. In fact, the preparation of cooked vegetable purée sauces is virtually identical to that of cold vegetable purée soups (see Chapter 8).

When preparing purées of green vegetables, it is important to preserve their attractive green color when you cook them. Green vegetables are typically blanched à point and refreshed in order to preserve their color. Orange and orange-red vegetables may be blanched or poached. Starchy vegetables, such as potatoes and winter squashes, are rarely used to make cold sauces because their thick texture and heavy mouthfeel are unpalatable when cold.