Butter-Enriched White Sauces

These sauces are prepared by finishing reduced white stock—sometimes combined with aromatic ingredients such as wine or herbs—with butter. They have a more intense flavor and more velvety texture than traditional flour-thickened veloutés. They are, however, extremely rich and require concentrated stock.

The stock used should be approximately six times as concentrated as a simple stock, lightly syrupy and similar in consistency to the desired sauce. The amount of butter needed to give the sauce the desired consistency depends on the water content of the butter; the lower the water content, the less butter is needed to thicken the concentrated stock. French butter, because of its low water content, works especially well in butter-enriched sauces. It also has a distinct and superlative flavor.