Cajun Cooking 101: Taking The Mystery Out Of Making Roux
When you dig into recipes written by cooks from Louisiana you will see one word popping up over and over again - roux. If you are just learning how to cook Cajun dishes, that one word can scare you off.
But, this cooking step or ingredient, if you like, is one you will need to learn if you want to turn out perfect Cajun dishes such as gumbo or etouffee. Take heart; it is not as difficult as you may believe, but making a good roux does take practice. Let's get started.
It just takes two ingredients - fat and flour - to make a good roux. Some cooks swear by butter and others stick with cooking oil. Peanut oil is a favorite for the simple reason it doesn't burn easily, making it easier to control the roux results. White flour seems to work best, but you may like to try whole wheat on occasion just for fun. Get out these two ingredients and measure out equal parts - 1 cup oil to 1 cup flour, for instance. This will make a good size batch, enough for a large pot of gumbo.
Come to think of it, you really also need a third, fourth, and fifth 'ingredient' - a very heavy bottomed pot, a good whisk or stirring spoon, and some dedicated time to stand and stir. Wash and dry your heavy pot and whisk thoroughly. Any speck of food will stick and burn, ruining your roux before you even get a chance to test it. If you don't have a whisk, a good wooden or other heat-proof spoon will work, so long as you can stir up the bottom easily, making sure the roux doesn't stick. You will have this utensil in your hand for a long time, so make sure it's comfortable and won't get hot.
Now that your oil, flour, pot, and whisk are all ready, you will need to block out your fifth 'ingredient' - time.
A good roux can take about 30 minutes or more to come together. But, an experienced cook can speed things up considerably by turning up the heat. This takes practice, so for this discussion we're going to assume you will need about a half hour. Be sure you are set up to stay at the stove for this amount of time.
Run to the bathroom, get your beverages lined up within reach, and turn off your phone if you have to in order to remove the temptation of answering it.
You are now ready to begin.
Put your heavy pot on a burner set at medium-high heat, add in the oil and flour, and start whisking. That's the easy part. Now comes the watching, and stirring, and watching, and stirring.
As you stir the mixture at this heat, you should start to see it come to a boil. It may look frothy and pale to begin with, but the froth will soon subside and a golden color will start to appear.
At this point, when the color appears, watch for brown specks. If they appear, you can turn the heat down a bit, but keep stirring, making sure you are running the whisk along the bottom of the pot constantly. This will keep the mixture from burning to the bottom. If your hand and arm get tired, switch hands, but don't stop stirring.
The mixture, once it starts to turn brown, may now be referred to as a 'roux.' There are several shades of color, each providing a different flavor.
The first color you'll see is a very light tan color which is mostly useless as a roux. You would use this mixture more as a thickener for gravy, but not in a southern gumbo or jambalaya.
After this tan stage, you'll start to see a peanut butter color emerge. Keep stirring. This is a good base for what is to come, but you will still not get the same flavor you want if you stop there. Some cooks will, however, stop at this point if they are making a dish that they prefer to be a milder version - sometimes for kids or people not as familiar with the real deep flavors of authentic Cajun or Creole cuisine.
If you want to move on to a deeper shade of brown, what we call a 'chocolate roux' keep stirring. There are really two shades in this category of color - milk chocolate and dark chocolate - both providing a much nuttier flavor than the lighter shades. Some cooks actually have a milk chocolate candy bar and a dark chocolate candy bar handy to compare the color. This trick especially helps the novice roux maker, but is not a bad idea for anyone.
Once you have the color close, just before it reaches the shade you want, remove the pot from the burner. This is an important step as the roux will continue to cook on its own. Keep stirring even after you take it off the burner. You can stop stirring constantly when you feel the heat of the pot let up, but make sure you go back and stir it again a few times. The oil and flour will continue to blend and you will see it thickening as it cools.
Now that the roux is no longer screaming hot, you are ready to add The Holy Trinity - onion, green bell pepper, and celery - to the pot and continue on with your recipe. Or, you may want to cool the roux completely and store it in the refrigerator or freezer to have ready any time you want to make a pot of gumbo or jambalaya, or other southern dish.
Just remember - this is not as difficult as you might think. Making a good roux requires only a couple ingredients, some patience, and a little bit of careful timing. Don't be afraid. If your first batch doesn't turn out, throw it out and start another. When you get it right, you will know because your classic southern dishes will get applause and "oooohs and aaaahs!" Now that's definitely worth the time it takes to make a good roux.
No comments:
Post a Comment