Espagnole Sauce

By
Rebecca Franklin
Rebecca Franklin
Rebecca Franklin is a freelance lifestyle writer and recipe developer. Her expertise is in French cuisine, which she writes about and teaches.
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Updated on 06/21/21
Espagnole sauce
Dorling Kindersley / Getty Images
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 60 mins
Total: 70 mins
Servings: 6 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
190 Calories
16g Fat
9g Carbs
4g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 190
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 16g 20%
Saturated Fat 10g 48%
Cholesterol 41mg 14%
Sodium 336mg 15%
Total Carbohydrate 9g 3%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 4g
Vitamin C 3mg 17%
Calcium 35mg 3%
Iron 1mg 5%
Potassium 406mg 9%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

This espagnole, or brown sauce recipe, is one of the five, classic mother sauces of French cuisine. It is made from simmering mirepoix, tomato puree, herbs, and beef stock. Rumors have abounded for years that French brown sauce was named for the Spanish tomatoes used in one of its earlier versions, or that Spanish cuisine played a large part in its evolution to what we know today. Contrary to popular thought, espagnole sauce has nothing to do with Spain, but rather because of French stereotypes of Spaniards at the time.

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Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter

  • 1 medium carrot, coarsely chopped

  • 1 small onion, coarsely chopped

  • 1 stalk celery, including leafy tops, coarsely chopped

  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

  • 4 cups hot beef stock

  • 1/4 cup tomato puree

  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 small bouquet garni

Steps to Make It

How to Make Sauce Brune

  1. In a large saucepan set over medium heat, melt the butter and sauté the carrots, onions, and celery in the melted butter until the vegetables turn translucent.

  2. Sprinkle the flour evenly across the vegetable and stir it in, until the flour is fully mixed into the melted butter.

  3. Allow the mixture to cook and thicken into a roux; this takes about 1 to 2 minutes.

  4. Whisking constantly, pour the hot beef stock and tomato puree into the roux.

  5. Add the garlic, peppercorns, and bouquet garni into the sauce and simmer it, uncovered and stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

  6. Remove the bouquet garni and discard it.

Use the sauce as a base for demi-glace or other sauces.