On Food and Cooking

among the gelatin molecules, with a very
smooth texture the result. Brown sauce is
cooked for the longest time because it’s meant
to be quite clear to the eye, and this requires
that the gluten proteins coagulate and be
carried to the surface, where they and the
tomato solids can be skimmed off.
Escoffier said that a sauce should have
three characteristics: a “decided” taste, a
texture that’s smooth and light without being
runny, and a glossy appearance. The taste is a
matter of making fine stocks and being
judicious in seasoning, while the consistency
and appearance depend on how the thickening
is accomplished. Generally, long and patient
simmering is necessary, so that there will be
little or no vestige of granular structure left to
the starch, and the insoluble gluten proteins
will be caught up in the surface scum and so
removed from the sauce. Gelatin contributes
some body to the stock-based sauces, but the
starch is what gives them most of their