Today: It's time to get over your fear of the roux.
. Knowing how to make a roux should be at the top of this list. From a smooth, creamy béchamel to the base of a gumbo -- not to mention your Thanksgiving gravy -- a roux is a technique to master, to love. It can be intimidating due to the ease with which it can be burned -- and ruined -- but it's nothing that a little practice can't resolve.A roux is paste that is used as a thickener. It is simply flour cooked in fat.
First, a fat—butter, oil, rendered animal fat—is melted in a heavy-bottomed pan. When it is has been heated, an equal amount of flour is added. The mixture must be whisked constantly, as it will burn very easily, until it has been cooked to the desired color. There are three major categories of roux that are dependent on the length of cooking. A white roux, used commonly in light, creamy sauces like béchamel, has the shortest cooking time. The flour has been lightly browned but it is still very pale in color. Just beyond the white roux is the blonde roux. It is darker in color and can be recognized by the almost nutty smell that develops as the flours continue to brown.
At first, the mixture will be fairly liquid but keep stirring. As it continues to cook, it will thicken into a more paste-like substance. Soon, the color will begin to deepen.Keep stirring. You will be able to smell the flour cooking—a warm, pleasant, nutty scent. Keep stirring. The only thing you need to worry about is stirring.
The amount of time it will take to cook is dependent on many things, your stove, the fat you use, the type of roux your recipe calls for. For instance, a white roux might only take a couple of minutes, whereas a dark roux will take much longer. My mother once took a cooking class down in New Orleans—the chef swore that the amount of time it takes to make a proper dark roux for a gumbo is equal to the amount of time it takes to drink an entire six pack of beer.
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