Christian Millau published the Ten
Commandments of nouvelle cuisine, of which
the seventh was: “You shall eliminate brown
and white sauces.” The new cooks still
thought that, in the words of Michel Guérard,
“the great sauces of France must be described
as the cornerstones of cuisine,” but they used
them more selectively and with restraint.
Lighter-flavored veal, chicken, and fish stocks
served as poaching and braising liquids;
reductions of these were used to give depth to
last-minute pan sauces; and sauces in general
were thickened less with flour and starch,
more often with cream, butter, yogurt and
fresh cheese, vegetable purees, and with
bubbly foams.
Post-Nouvelle: Diverse and Innovative
Sauces At the opening of the 21st century, the
classic brown and white sauces have become
scarce, so much so that perhaps we’re ready to
appreciate their virtues again. Those