Understanding Coating Sauces

A coating sauce is a dressing for cold food that is fluid when warm but sets up into a gel when chilled. Aspic and chaud-froid are the two most important coating sauces used in the formal presentation of cold foods. A third coating sauce, called mayonnaise collée, is frequently used in place of chaud-froid. While all three contain gelatin, they are otherwise quite different in composition.

Aspic is clarified, seasoned stock with the addition of gelatin.

Chaud-froid [show-FWAH] is a cream velouté sauce or demi-glace sauce with the addition of aspic.

Mayonnaise collée [may-oh-NEZ koh-LAY] consists of thick mayonnaise and aspic.