Session 18 — Velouté: Stock Instead of Milk
← Block 5–6: The 5 Mother Sauces Overview
Skill: A velouté starts with the same white roux as béchamel but uses chicken (or fish, or veal) stock instead of milk. The result is lighter, more savory, and more versatile as a sauce base. It should coat a spoon lightly when done — if it's too thick, thin it with more warm stock.
Full Meal: Chicken Pot Pie with Velouté Base + Apple Salad with Candied Walnuts
The pot pie filling is a classic chicken velouté extended with vegetables and cream. You're learning the mother sauce and a classic comfort food simultaneously.
Plan ahead: The pot pie needs a double-crust whole wheat pie dough — make it the night before or at least a few hours ahead so it can chill. If you skip this, you'll be waiting on dough while everything else is ready.
Read first: Just Add Water: How to Make a Pan Sauce (and How to Fix a Broken One) — SE — linked in the pot pie recipe. Short, clear primer on how roux-thickened sauces work and what to do when they go wrong.
🎥 Compare Notes: The Secrets to Easy & Delicious Pan Sauces — Techniquely with Lan Lam (ATK) — Lan explains the science behind roux-based and reduction sauces. Watch how she builds fond, deglazes, and finishes — the same roux thinking you're using for your velouté.
| Component | Recipe |
|---|---|
| Protein | Chicken (cooked and pulled into the filling) |
| Starch | Whole wheat pie crust (make the night before) |
| Veg | Peas, carrots, and onion in the filling |
| Salad | Apple Salad with Candied Walnuts and Cranberries — sweet, crunchy, light; cuts through the richness |