The Five French Mother Sauces and Variations

This video is not one dish—it demonstrates five French mother sauces and five variations: béchamel → soubise, velouté → herb velouté, espagnole → à l’orange, hollandaise → béarnaise, and tomato → romesco. The video teaches technique rather than exact one-person measurements, so these are practical reconstructions producing enough sauce for one plate. (YouTube)

1. Béchamel

What it tastes like: Mild, creamy and milky.

Common uses

• Lasagne and baked pasta
• Mac and cheese
• Croque monsieur
• Moussaka
• Vegetable or potato gratins
• Creamy pie fillings

How to use it Pour it between pasta layers, coat vegetables before baking, or stir in grated cheese to make a cheese sauce.

Soubise

What it tastes like: Creamy béchamel with a sweet, mellow onion flavour.

Common uses

• Roast chicken
• Pork chops
• Steak
• White fish
• Roasted cauliflower or cabbage

How to use it Spoon a layer beneath the meat or vegetable rather than pouring it over everything. It works best as a smooth base on the plate.

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2. Velouté

What it tastes like: Smooth and savoury, with the flavour determined by the stock used.

Common uses

• Chicken dishes
• Poached fish
• Seafood
• Meat pies
• Soups and stews
• Sauce for vegetables

How to use it Match the stock to the food:

• Chicken stock → chicken or vegetables
• Fish stock → fish or seafood
• Mushroom stock → mushrooms or vegetarian dishes

It can also be used as a base for adding cream, mushrooms, herbs or mustard.

Herb velouté

What it tastes like: Fresh, green and slightly tangy.

Common uses

• White fish
• Salmon
• Scallops
• Chicken breast
• Peas, asparagus or potatoes

How to use it Serve warm underneath delicately cooked fish or chicken. Avoid boiling it after blending, as the herbs can lose their bright colour.

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3. Espagnole

What it tastes like: Deep, roasted, meaty and slightly tomato-rich.

Common uses

• Beef
• Lamb
• Duck
• Braised meat
• Meat pies
• As a base for demi-glace and other brown sauces

How to use it Reduce it until concentrated and spoon it around roasted or pan-seared meat. It is generally too intense for delicate fish or vegetables.

Sauce à l’orange

What it tastes like: Rich and savoury with sweet, acidic orange notes.

Common uses

• Duck breast
• Roast duck
• Pork
• Venison
• Occasionally chicken

How to use it Serve sparingly beside sliced meat. The acidity and orange flavour work particularly well with fatty meats.

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4. Hollandaise

What it tastes like: Rich, buttery and lemony.

Common uses

• Eggs Benedict
• Poached eggs
• Asparagus
• Broccoli
• Salmon
• White fish
• Potatoes

How to use it Spoon it over food immediately before serving. Keep it warm, not hot—excessive heat can split the sauce.

Béarnaise

What it tastes like: Buttery and tangy with shallot and tarragon.

Common uses

• Steak
• Beef tenderloin
• Lamb
• Grilled chicken
• Chips or roasted potatoes

How to use it Serve one or two spoonfuls alongside grilled meat. It is especially good with steak and fries because it acts as both a meat sauce and dipping sauce.

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5. Tomato sauce

What it tastes like: Savoury, acidic and naturally sweet.

Common uses

• Pasta
• Pizza
• Meatballs
• Chicken or eggplant parmigiana
• Braised meat
• Baked eggs
• Seafood stews

How to use it Use it directly as a pasta or pizza sauce, or treat it as a base for chilli, herbs, cream, meat or seafood.

Romesco

What it tastes like: Nutty, smoky, garlicky and tangy.

Common uses

• Grilled fish
• Squid, prawns or octopus
• Chicken
• Lamb
• Roasted cauliflower
• Grilled peppers
• Potatoes
• Bread as a dip

How to use it Serve at room temperature as a thick spoonable sauce. Place it under grilled food, spread it on bread, or use it as a dip. Do not treat it like a thin pasta sauce.

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Single-Serving Recipes and Methods

1. Béchamel

Ingredients

• 10 g butter
• 10 g plain flour
• 150 ml whole milk, warmed
• Salt
• Pinch of nutmeg
• White or black pepper

Method

1. Melt butter and stir in flour.
2. Cook gently for 2 minutes without browning.
3. Gradually whisk in warm milk.
4. Simmer 5–8 minutes until smooth.
5. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Good for lasagne, gratins, croque monsieur or adding cheese to make Mornay.

Turn it into soubise

• ½ small onion, thinly sliced
• 5 g butter
• Approximately 100 ml béchamel

Sweat the onion with butter and salt for 15–20 minutes until completely soft but not browned. Add the béchamel and blend until smooth. The defining technique is slowly cooking the onion to bring out sweetness without caramelising it. (Fallow)

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2. Velouté

Ingredients

• 10 g butter
• 10 g plain flour
• 150 ml good chicken, fish or vegetable stock
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Melt butter and stir in flour.
2. Cook gently for 2–3 minutes.
3. Gradually whisk in warm stock.
4. Simmer for 10–15 minutes until velvety.
5. Season and strain if desired.

Unlike béchamel, velouté uses stock rather than milk. (Video Highlight)

Turn it into herb velouté

• 100 ml prepared velouté
• 20 g spinach
• Small handful parsley
• 3–4 tarragon leaves
• ½ tsp Dijon mustard
• ½ tsp white-wine vinegar

Blanch the spinach and herbs for approximately 20 seconds, chill in ice water and squeeze thoroughly. Blend with the warm velouté and mustard until bright green. Add vinegar and salt immediately before serving.

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3. Espagnole

Ingredients

• 20 g onion, finely diced
• 15 g carrot, finely diced
• 15 g celery, finely diced
• 10 g butter
• 10 g plain flour
• 1 tsp tomato purée
• 200 ml strong beef stock
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Cook the onion, carrot and celery until softened and lightly browned.
2. Add butter, followed by flour.
3. Cook the roux for 2–3 minutes.
4. Add tomato purée and cook for another minute.
5. Gradually whisk in beef stock.
6. Simmer gently for 15–20 minutes.
7. Strain and adjust the seasoning.

The finely cut mirepoix, browned vegetables and beef stock create the darker, meatier sauce shown in the video. (Video Highlight)

Turn it into sauce à l’orange

• 100 ml espagnole
• 60 ml orange juice
• ½ tsp sugar
• 1 tsp red-wine or sherry vinegar
• 2 strips orange zest

Melt the sugar until lightly caramelised. Carefully add vinegar, followed by orange juice and zest. Reduce by half, add the espagnole and simmer until glossy. Excellent with duck.

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4. Hollandaise

Ingredients

• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tsp white-wine vinegar
• 1 tsp water
• 75–80 g unsalted butter, melted
• ½ tsp lemon juice
• Salt
• Pinch of cayenne or paprika, optional

Method

1. Whisk the yolk, vinegar and water over gently simmering water.
2. Continue until pale, foamy and thick enough that the whisk leaves trails.
3. Remove from the heat.
4. Slowly whisk in melted butter, initially a few drops at a time.
5. Loosen with a teaspoon of water if it becomes too thick.
6. Season only after it has emulsified.

The video heats the yolks into a sabayon before gradually incorporating butter. (Video Highlight)

Turn it into béarnaise

Reduction

• 1 tbsp white-wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp white wine
• 1 tbsp finely minced shallot
• 1 tarragon stalk
• Black pepper

Reduce to approximately two teaspoons and cool. Use this instead of the vinegar and water in the hollandaise, then finish with chopped tarragon and chives. Fallow’s published recipe uses roughly one yolk per 83 g butter, closely matching this serving. (Fallow)

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5. Tomato sauce

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ½ small sweet onion, finely sliced
• 1 small garlic clove
• 250 g ripe chopped tomatoes
• Salt and pepper
• Pinch of sugar, only if needed
• Basil, optional

Method

1. Gently sweat the onion in olive oil until translucent without browning.
2. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
3. Add tomatoes and salt.
4. Simmer uncovered for 20–30 minutes.
5. Blend or leave textured.

The important detail in the video is softening the onions without colouring them before adding the tomatoes. (Video Highlight)

Turn it into romesco

• 100 g cooled tomato sauce
• 25 g toasted almonds
• ½ garlic clove
• 1–2 tsp sherry vinegar
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Pinch of flaky salt
• ¼ tsp smoked paprika, optional

Blend until textured but spoonable. Adjust with vinegar, salt and olive oil. The video serves its romesco with quickly cooked squid, although it also works with fish, chicken or roasted vegetables. (Video Highlight)

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Most useful three to learn at home: béchamel, hollandaise and tomato. Espagnole is excellent but disproportionately troublesome for just one serving.

Disclaimer: The ideas presented in this post are solely my personal perspective and have not been substantiated by any verifiable evidence. Please form your own opinions on such matters.