Brown Thickening (Brown Roux)

Ingredients

• half a pound of fine dry flour
• the same quantity of butter
• two slices out of the centre of a good-sized onion

Method

1. 1

   Melt the butter in a stewpan until it runs to oil, skimming off the frothy top.

2. 2

   Pour back the clarified butter and gradually mix in the dried and sifted flour to form a pudding.

3. 3

   Stir over the fire until it changes color to light brown, adding onion slices to impart flavor.

4. 4

   Continue stirring until bubbling ceases, then pour into a dish for storage.

As published

This recipe was extracted from Cassell's dictionary of cookery (1892) by Cassell & Company, page 25. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

the same quantity of butter, an enamelled stewpan, a clear brisk fire, and an onion. First place the butter in the stewpan, and melt it till it runs to what cooks call oil. It will be found that there is a white scum at the top, and a milky sediment at the bottom — recollect, melt the butter, but do not boil it — simply melt it. Skim the frothy top, and pour off what may be called the clarified butter, leaving the milky sediment in the pan. Now you have got rid of what is often called the milk in the butter. Next take the stewpan, and having wiped it clean, pour back the clarified butter into it, and gradually mix in the dried and sifted flour : tliis will make a sort of pudding, which will all cling together, and will not — or ought not if proper care has been taken to follow these directions — cling to the stewpan. Keep this pudding over the fire, and keep stirring with an iron or wooden spoon till it begins to change colour — i.e., it will gradually from being almost white turn to the colour of underdone pie-crust or the covers of those old-fashioned books which treat of mediaeval times. As soon as the colour begins to change, redouble the stii-ring, and occasionally remove the stewpan from the fire for a few minutes alto- gether, in order that the flour should not be fried brown too quickly, for this is really all that is being done. It will be found that the butter and flour will go on boiling in the stewjjan for a long time after it has been removed from the fire — ten minutes or more : such is the power enamelled stewpans possess of retaining the heat. Have ready, close at hand, two slices out of the centre of a good-sized onion about a quarter of an inch thick. Keep sth-ring the butter and flour till it is of a light brown colour, not quite so brown as ripe corn, then take the stewpan off the fire, throw in the two slices of onion, which have the double advantage of slackening the heat and of imparting a rich flavour to the thickening. This will cause a great spluttering, and care should be taken to avoid a few little splashes on the backs of the hands. Keep stuTing the mixture till all bubbling has ceased, and this will be longer than many would imagine. Pour off what will now be a rich brown fluid, which will assume the appearance of light chocolate when cold, into a deep dish — old marmalade pots are as good as anything — for use. It will keep for months, and is always at hand for thickening gravy. A good-sized table-spoonful of this mixture, CASSELL S DICTIONARY OF COOKERY. which is called, as we said, brown thickening, or brown rou

Cook this with the app: pantry check, scaling, and the assistant.