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Rapid
Roux Techniques
Joel asks:
I have been using Paul Prudhomme's roux method for many years, in which you stir/whisk the roux constantly over high heat. When it gets to the desired color, you stop the cooking with the immediate addition of the chopped vegetables. It's worked pretty well for me. I am curious why I have not heard of anybody else in New Orleans cookery using this method, as if it doesn't exist. I realize it's not authentic, but it seems to accomplish almost the same thing in much less time. Tom sez: Nothing untraditional about it. Lots of people use that method, and that's the way I learned it growing up. It's in my own cookbook, in fact. And most chefs make roux that way. But it takes good timing. If you make the roux at a lower temperature, it's more forgiving if you don't stir fast enough, or have to stop, or cook it too long. That's why most sources recommend a slower roux. But I always recommend having the chopped vegetables ready to stop it when it gets to the right color. (It also has the effect of caramelizing the vegetables beautifully.) Revised 3/10/08 Copyright © 2008 Tom Fitzmorris. All rights reserved. |
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