Food

[Dan R]

Any time, Dan!

What shocks me is that they sell a box of those for $1.79. $1.79! That's barely more than a single candy bar! I mean, how do they make any money?

I have never figured that out myself either!

[Henry Krinkle]

Chicken and andouille gumbo. This is the lightest roux I have made in years.

[geoffbot]

Chicken and andouille gumbo. This is the lightest roux I have made in years.

Nom. Isn't a roux flour, eggs and milk?

[meijlinder]

Nom. Isn't a roux flour, eggs and milk?

Flour and fat (often butter).

[geoffbot]

Ah yes of course - the roux is before the white sauce. Wondering what it's doing in this dish.

[meijlinder]

Any gumbo starts with a roux, you cook it for quite a long time so it darkens, then the liquid is added. so it's basically colouring, flavour and thickening.

[Henry Krinkle]

Flour and fat (often butter).

Butter is good, but for gumbo I infintely prefer duck fat. It gives better flavour and you can go so much further with it, unless you are using ghee.

[meijlinder]

Butter is good, but for gumbo I infintely prefer duck fat. It gives better flavour and you can go so much further with it, unless you are using ghee.

When isn't duck fat better?

[Henry Krinkle]

Ah yes of course - the roux is before the white sauce. Wondering what it's doing in this dish.

Any gumbo starts with a roux, you cook it for quite a long time so it darkens, then the liquid is added. so it's basically colouring, flavour and thickening.

Cajuns describe there roux by colour. My cajun friend usually goes from latte to milk chocolate rouxes. I rarely go lighter than milk chocolate. My seafood gumbo may be a tiny bit lighter than milk chocolate and if I am doing duck and sausage gumbo I make it darker than espresso. This takes about 45 minutes of continuous stirring with a good whisk. I usually drink when I make roux and the bottle needs to be within reach.

Here's a cajun roux colour chart I just found now.



Yesterday I tried a technique where one fries the sausage in the fat first, for added flavour. The sausage I used, while delicious, was much too delicate and started to crumble. I stopped at around the 7th or 8th square on this chart, which would be a caramel roux. I was afraid that the bits of sausage I couldn't strain out of the fat might burn. Burnt roux is one of the worst things ever.

[Henry Krinkle]

When isn't duck fat better?

Can't say I've ever found out.