Soups/Gumbos: March 2005 Archives

Roux

"First you make a Roux" -- this phrase is repeated in almost all Creole
and Cajun recipes. A Roux is a mixture of fat and flour, cooked
together until the flour has turned an even, nut-brown color. It is
important that the Roux be cooked in a heavy pot, slowly and evenly. If
the flour is burned, it will not thicken the sauce. It will also impart
an unpleasant taste.

Accepted methods of making a Roux call for equal parts of flour and fat
(oil, bacon grease, shortening, butter, or margarine). For an ordinary
sauce (such as gumbo, daube, grillades, etc.) bacon grease or oil is
used. For more delicately flavored dishes (poultry, fish, and eggs),
butter or margarine is usually preferred.

In a heavy sauce pan, melt the butter, or slightly heat the oil, over
low heat. Stir in the flour. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly,
until a rich brown Roux is formed (about 20 to 25 minutes).

Roux may be made ahead and refrigerated or frozen, tightly covered, for
long periods of time.