Definition

1. Noun:
   • A foundational brown sauce in French cuisine: "sauce espagnole" is a classic, rich brown sauce made from a brown stock (typically veal or beef), thickened with a brown roux (butter and flour cooked until brown), and often flavored with a mirepoix (sautéed diced carrots, onions, and celery), tomatoes, and herbs. It is a key component of the French "mother sauce" system.

Usage

• As a culinary term: "Sauce espagnole" is used as a specific, proper noun in cooking to refer to this foundational sauce. It is often used as a base for creating other, more complex sauces.
  • The chef prepared a traditional sauce espagnole to serve as the base for the demi-glace.
  • Many derivative sauces, like sauce Robert or sauce Chasseur, begin with a well-made sauce espagnole.

Advanced Usage

• In professional kitchens: The term is used precisely to denote this specific preparation, distinguishing it from other brown sauces or gravies. Its correct preparation is considered a mark of classical French culinary skill.
• "Espagnole" style: While the name means "Spanish sauce," its origins and refinement are firmly in French haute cuisine. The term itself is used to label this particular recipe.

Variants and Related Words

• Demi-glace (n): A rich, concentrated sauce made by combining and reducing equal parts of sauce espagnole and brown stock.
  • The steak was served with a silky demi-glace.
• Brown sauce (n): A more general term for sauces based on brown stock; sauce espagnole is a specific type of classical brown sauce.
• Roux (n): A mixture of fat (like butter) and flour used as a thickening agent, which is browned for sauce espagnole.

Synonyms

• Brown mother sauce: A descriptive synonym within the framework of French cuisine, identifying its role as one of the five foundational "mother sauces."
• Spanish sauce: A direct translation of the term, though this is less commonly used in professional English culinary contexts than the French name "sauce espagnole."

Related Phrases

• To mount with butter (v): A finishing technique often applied to sauces derived from sauce espagnole, where cold butter is whisked in to add shine and richness.
  • After reducing, he mounted the sauce espagnole with butter for a perfect gloss.

Noun

1. bouillon or beef stock thickened with butter and flour roux and variously seasoned with herbs or Worcestershire etc.
2. brown sauce with tomatoes and a caramelized mixture of minced carrots and onions and celery seasoned with Madeira