how do you make your roux?

[Gerald]

Roux


A Roux is just oil and flour cooked until brown. Now doesn’t that sound easy!

Making a Roux is not hard and does not have to take very long after you get the feel of how to “brown” the flour without burning it. Small portions can be frozen for later use.

To Make a Roux (Small batch)

Remember ....... While cooking the Roux, you have to almost continuously stir it to prevent burning the flour. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the skillet to completely mix the Roux.

• Add 1/8 cup Vegetable oil to skillet.........this can be either an iron or non-stick skillet.
• Turn on high heat and sprinkle in about 1/8 cup flour.
• Mix the flour and oil using a wooden spoon or spatula, as the mixture heats up. Add more flour until the mixture is fairly thick.
• When the skillet is fairly hot, turn fire down to medium heat.

Continually stir the mixture while it cooks. The cooking time should be 15 to 30 minutes and depends on how hot the burner is set. If there is no browning after 5 minutes, turn the burner up a little. If the mixture starts to turn brown too fast, remove skillet from burner for a couple of minutes to slow down the cooking but keep stirring it. Lower the burner temperature a little and then continue to cook the Roux.

Learning how to cook the Roux takes some experience. Too hot a fire and it can burn........Too low of a fire and the mixture will take 10+ minutes to just start turning brown.
If the Roux starts turning brown fast (less than 5 minutes) the fire is too hot, remove from fire, keep stirring and allow it to cool.

Once the Roux gets to the desired color (somewhere between light brown and dark brown) turn the burner off and quickly cool it or the Roux will continue to cook. The Roux is very, very hot.

Cooling can be done by slowly spooning the Roux into your cooking pot (Gumbo, Jambalaya, etc.) and mixing with the liquid.

Or.........slowly adding water to the Roux and mixing.
Or.........I often add chopped onions, to sauté them a little first and then add water to cool down.

Smell Test

If you have any doubt that you may have burned the Roux...smell it....... If it smells bunt......better to start over than to use it and ruined your food.

Uses for Roux

A Roux is used to boast the flavor of and expand various recipes. A Roux can be added to any of the following:

Gumbo Soup Bisque Stew
Jambalaya Sauce piquaute Pot roast Gravy
Creole Fricassee

[Douglas Gilbert]

.
TRADITIONAL
CAJUN & CREOLE ROUX
Ingredients:
Flour (white or wheat)
Oil or Butter (optional)
Water (optional)
Seafood Stock (optional)
My grandmother claims that the
secret to a good roux is to stir and
stir and stir until you’re almost wore out.
Roux is the foundation for many Louisiana dishes, such as gumbo,
ettouffees, sauce piquantes, and more. Many authentic Cajun &
Creole dishes require a roux, otherwise known as a Cajun gravy
that gives the recipe rich flavor. Roux is a mixture of flour and oil.
The proportion is roughly 1 to 1 portions. There are levels such as
light, which Cajuns call "blond", medium "peanut butter" colored,
and dark roux. Some
Creole cooks prefer a
blond or medium
roux, and many
Cajun cooks prefer a
very dark smoky flavor
roux.
To make a LOWFAT,
healthier roux, do not
use oil or butter as
the traditional roux
called for. You can
brown your flour in
the skillet without
oil. Just stir it continuously
until the flour
is the brown color
that you want. It can
be dark or light
brown. The darker,
the more flavor. You
can also brown the
flour in the oven or
the microwave. I
remember my great
grandmother standing
at the stove stirring
for what seemed
like hours. I know it wasn’t really hours, but it was long enough to
make my stomach begin to growl. To make the gravy, add a little
water or seafood stock with the onions. Stir and add more until the
gravy is the consistency that you need it to be.

Now your roux is ready to use in a Cajun recipe that requires it or
you can just pour a roux over rice or biscuits or french bread.
NOTE: In a separate skillet while the flour is browning, you can
brown onions in a little olive oil or broth until they are wilted to add
to the gravy for more flavor. ANOTHER NOTE: You can store
browned flour in jars until you need it to make it roux for future
dishes.