Skip to main content

Roux

Roux

My grandmother, Ruby Fayard, taught me how to make a proper Roux when I was a young girl. I'd stand at the stove in our seafood market and stir until I thought my arm would fall off! I saw this article posted on a Cajun blog and it is pretty much the same way I was taught. I thought I'd share for anyone who dares...


http://acadianatable.com/first-you-make-a-roux/
















Recipe by:
Ingredients
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups oil
Instructions
  1. A Cajun roux starts out in a large cast iron pot on medium heat. With no distractions and approximately one hour of time at your disposal, begin by adding the flour and oil.
  2. With a long-handled wooden spoon, begin to stir. Constant stirring and moving the flour around the bottom of the pot is the key to browning the flour evenly to prevent burning. This early stage will go slowly as you begin to see the white flour take on a beige and then a tan color.
  3. Continue stirring slowly and evenly, scraping the bottom and the circular crevices of the pot to move the flour around in the hot oil.
  4. At about the half-hour mark, you will begin to see a brown color developing and smell the first hints of toasted flour. This is where the stirring becomes even more crucial.
  5. At this point, you begin to enter the quickly developing phase where the least bit of inattention could result in burnt flecks of flour appearing – a sure sign you’ve ruined the roux. Watch your heat and lower it if cooking too fast.
  6. Constant stirring to keep the flour from staying in one place too long prevents burning. You will begin to smell an even nuttier aroma as you see the color turn darker mahogany. Most stop here, but you will keep going until you achieve a deeper, darker chocolatey consistency and color.
  7. Forget time at this point since you are now cooking by instinct, sight and smell. The utmost attention is needed to your stirring, and when you see that Hershey chocolate darkness, you will know you have arrived.
  8. Turn off the heat, but continue stirring until it begins to cool down and quits cooking.
  9. Spoon the roux into a bowl and let cool.
Notes
I like the neutral taste of canola oil, but vegetable or peanut oil work fine as well. Refrigerate your roux in a glass jar for up to a week and place in the freezer for longer storage.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Carla Shellis’s Tomato Basil Soup

This soup is sooooo good! I doubled it and froze lots for winter! Ingredients 1 Large (20oz) Can Crushed Tomatoes 1 Large (20 oz) Can of Whole Tomatoes (or another crushed) 2 Large Cans (15oz) Tomato Sauce 1 Pint Heavy Whipping Cream (2/3 at first) 1 Quart Half and Half 2 Sticks Butter 1 Regular Size Can of Cream of Mushroom (optional) 1 Regular Size Can of Cream of Chicken 2 Tablespoons  Basil Chopped  Garlic Salt To Taste (for salt) Garlic Powder To Taste (1-2 TBS) Pepper To Taste Handful of sugar (2/3 Cup?) Directions In a 15 qt dutch oven or large stock pot, combine crushed tomatoes and whole tomatoes. Emulsify whole tomatoes (or in a blender) tomatoes based on your liking. You can also just use two cans of crushed tomatoes instead of the whole tomatoes. Add tomato sauce and stir. Add heavy whipping cream and half and half and stir to a slight boil. Add butter and stir until melted. Then add cream of mushroom and cream of chicke...

Crockpot Chili

From Barefoot Neighbor Place ingredients in crockpot in this order: 2# LEAN ground beef (raw) Season beef w: S&P, Chili Powder, & Garlic Powder 1 chopped onion 1 chopped bell pepper 1 chopped deseeded jalapeño 1 small can green chilis 1 can pinto beans drained and washed 1 can black beans drained and washed 1 can beef stock 1 can diced tomatoes 6 oz can cento tomato paste 1 packet chili seasoning Stir everything on top (leave beef alone) Cook on high 4 hours or 6-8 on low  Half way through, chop up beef and stir into chili season more if needed (s&p, hot sauce, etc) Serve w Fritos, sour cream & shredded cheese

Creamy Chicken Pot Pie (No peas or Carrots 😳)

Creamy Chicken Pot Pie *Makes 1-3 Pies* I love a good chicken pot pie. Traditionally they aren’t particularly creamy and they usually involve a bag of frozen peas & carrot mix. However, Julie doesn’t eat either so I subbed the two veggies she does eat - green beans and corn. You can use fresh or frozen veggies. I used the the steamer bags that came with garlic butter in the bag and I used fresh local corn cobs, boiled with kernels cut. They are crisp and sweet! I added cream and cream cheese to the filling to make it extra savory for my picky eaters! I usually make & bake 1 pie, and freeze the rest of the filling for another day in a freezer bag Ingredients: (1) Rotisserie chicken picked and chopped. Place in large bowl. (1) bag green bean steamer bag w seasoning - cooked and chopped (1) bag little potatoes steamer bag w seasoning cooked and chopped (1) Vidalia onion chopped (1) yellow bell pepper chopped (2) stalks celery chopped (2) cloves garlic chopped (1) Handful fresh pou...