Advertisement
Cream Reductions
Appears in
Published 2014
In the era of nouvelle cuisine, sauces based on reduced cream became a popular substitute for roux-thickened white sauces. When heavy cream is reduced, it thickens slightly. A common fault with cream reduction sauces is reducing the cream too much, giving it a heavy texture. If it is reduced beyond this point, it is likely to break, and the butterfat will separate. For an appealing, light texture, reduce the cream until it is about two-thirds its original volume.
A reduced cream sauce is a mixture of reduced cream and a concentrated, flavorful stock. White stock is most often used, although brown cream sauces may also be prepared using brown stock. For good results, the stock should be reduced by about three-fourths. Flavored sauces can be made by reducing the stock with flavoring ingredients, as in the recipe for Chipotle Cream Sauce.