Making Roux

Calgon, take me away... to a sun-drenched island so I can ditch my down-laden, puffy coat.

Anyone else with me?

Sadly, I know I won't be trading in my laptop for a beach towel any time soon. So, I've turned to my kitchen to counter my winter blues and pulled out the ingredients I need for roux. 

Roux is a simple thickener that's integral to French cuisine and underpins many classic soups and sauces. It's the base for tuna casserole, mac and cheese, and other traditional American casseroles. Darker shades of roux (including brown and chocolate), bring depth and flavor to gumbo, étouffée, and other Creole and Cajun classics. Yum. Let's say it together, "Fat Tuesday!" 

It's easy to prepare, requiring just a saucepan and whisk. The general rule is to start with equal parts flour to fat, but the proportions can vary. French recipes for roux commonly call for clarified butter, while Cajun or Creole recipes incorporate butter, oil, or lard. Dark shades of roux, which are cooked the longest, contribute the strongest flavors to a dish. 

How to Make Roux

Note: I’m using butter and flour to prepare a blond roux for mac and cheese. You can cook the roux for more or less time, depending on the dish.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.

Add a smidgen of flour to the butter.

When the mixture begins to froth around the edges, add the rest of the flour. Whisk the ingredients together to form a paste.

To produce a white roux, continue to whisk until the paste thins and the yellow hue from the butter disappears. The paste should look pale. This will only take a few minutes.

To produce a blond (or golden) roux, continue to whisk over medium heat until the flour begins to caramelize and the roux turns tan.

To produce a brown roux, continue to whisk over medium heat until it takes on the color of peanut butter.

Continue cooking beyond that, and you're in dark-roux territory, with dark brown roux ("red roux") next up, and even darker "chocolate" roux last in line.