french sauce supreme

Wichita, KS
Updated on Mar 17, 2015

Sauce Suprême is one of the classic "small sauces" of French cuisine, that is, one made by combining a basic or mother sauce with extra ingredients. When I was at Cordon Bleu, we worked a lot with sauces, and this one is versatile and tasty. It is extremely easy to make, and it packs amazing flavor. This is an excellent sauce for a pile of mashed potatoes, or as a base for a chicken stew, or even a chicken potpie. In America, we might classify this as a gravy; however, don’t ever use that word around the French… they are very proud of their sauces. So, you ready… Let’s get into the kitchen

prep time 10 Min
cook time 30 Min
method Stove Top
yield several

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons sweet butter, unsalted
  • 3 tablespoons flour, all purpose variety
  • 3 cups cold chicken stock, freshly made
  • 2 tablespoons crème fraîche
  • 2 tablespoons dry sherry
  • - kosher salt, to taste
  • - freshly ground black pepper, to taste

How To Make french sauce supreme

  • Step 1
    Chef's Note: This sauce (gravy) is so good you'll want to suck it up with a straw. Kidding aside, this sauce is absolutely wonderful.
  • Step 2
    Gather your ingredients. Isn't it amazing what you can do with a few simple ingredients.
  • Step 3
    Add three of the four tablespoons of butter to a saucepan over medium heat.
  • Step 4
    Melt the butter, and wait until the foaming subsides.
  • Step 5
    Add the flour, and begin to whisk until thoroughly combined.
  • Step 6
    Chef’s Note: We’re making a blond roux, so make sure that the mixture does not brown.
  • Step 7
    Chef's Tip: Most roux's are made with 50% flour and 50% fat.
  • Step 8
    Add the cold chicken stock to the roux, and whisk as the mixture begins to thicken.
  • Step 9
    Chef's Tip: You might want to have a bit of additional chicken stock on hand just in case you need it. We're not looking for thick gravy. But something silky smooth.
  • Step 10
    Chef’s Note: When you add cold chicken stock to a hot roux, you are working with different temperatures, and this is essential to avoiding any lumps.
  • Step 11
    Continue to whisk, as the mixture begins to thicken.
  • Step 12
    Bring to a lite boil, and continue to whisk for an additional 15 minutes.
  • Step 13
    Add the crème fraîche, and whisk and allow it to reduce for another 15 minutes.
  • Step 14
    Remove from heat and pass through a chinois, or fine sieve.
  • Step 15
    Chef’s Tip: Use a rubber spatula to push the sauce through the sieve.
  • Step 16
    Chef's Note: Do you really need to pass the sauce through a fine sieve? Well, if you followed the advice of adding a cold stock to a hot roux... probably not. However, I do like to complicate things.
  • Step 17
    Season to taste, and then return the mixture to the pan, and bring to a lite boil.
  • Step 18
    Add the remaining tablespoon of butter, and whisk until combined.
  • Step 19
    Chef’s Note: The addition of the remaining butter at this point will help to give the sauce its silky consistency.
  • Step 20
    Remove from the heat, add the sherry, and whisk to combine.
  • Step 21
    Chef's Note: The traditional thing to do here is add Madeira wine, but I like the sherry better.
  • Step 22
    Pour the sauce over a mound of garlic mash potatoes, some baked chicken, or use in a stew or potpie. Enjoy.
  • Step 23
    Keep the faith, and keep cooking.

Discover More

Culture: French
Category: Other Sauces
Keyword: #sauce
Keyword: #gravy
Keyword: #French
Ingredient: Chicken
Method: Stove Top

Comment & Reviews

ADVERTISEMENT
Just A Pinch Sweepstakes