The Fundamentals of Cooking: Sauces

A perfect sauce is a key component to a successful dish, yet sauce-making can be a daunting task for the beginner cook. In this hands-on class, we’ll show you that making sauces can be far easier than you might think (once you learn a few basic tips and techniques, of course).

We’ll begin by making stocks - the foundation of any great sauce. We’ll then take a look at two French classics - béchamel and velouté. Once you have mastered the simple steps to preparing these basic sauces, you can make dozens upon dozens of sauces by varying the ingredients. Next we’ll move on to simple pan sauces, which are great for weekday cooking and can compliment any protein, from meat to fish.

We’ll continue with some essential emulsion sauces like vinaigrette, mayonnaise, and hollandaise. These sauces are often tricky, and you’ll not only learn how to make them correctly, but how to fix them should something go wrong. We’ll finish up with some contemporary sauces: red pepper coulis, tomatillo salsa, and simple fruit sauces for dessert.

Finally, we’ll put those sauces to good use, as we pair them with a meal that will include grilled strip steak, three-cheese macaroni and cheese, sautéed chicken with green beans, and ice cream with fresh fruit sauce.