A miscellaneous page for thoughts...
Simple things that when added to someone's "tool kit" in the kitchen can go a long way to making any dish.
Roux. Equal parts butter and flour. Used as a thickener to start a myriad of sauces and dishes. Melt the butter over a medium heat then whisk in the flour and then cook until the smell changes but don’t let the colour get too toasted.
Bechamel or white sauce. Add milk to a roux. Whisk a cup of milk into a roux made of a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of flour. When the sauce thickens let . Use medium heat so you don’t scorch the thickened sauce.
Mornay sauce. Add cheese to a bechamel. Whisk in a cup of shredded cheese to a bechamel. Be sure to bubble the sauce for at least a full minute to cook out all the flour.
Veloute. Add stock to a roux. Whisk a cup of chicken stock into a roux made of a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of flour. Use this as a gravy.
Mirepoix. Two parts chopped onion, to one part chopped carrot, and one part chopped celerey. An amazing place to start any recipe.
Sautee this until translucent and softened. Add stock to start a soup. Add tomatoes to start a spaghetti sauce. Add veloute and meat for a meat pie or Shepherd's Pie.
As a starting point the directions are endless.