Espagnole sauce () is a basic brown sauce, and is one of Auguste Escoffier's five mother sauces of classic French cooking.
Escoffier popularized the recipe, and his version is still followed today.Escoffier (1903), Le Guide culinaire, Editions Flammarion
Espagnole has a strong taste, and is rarely used directly on food.
As a mother sauce, it serves as the starting point for many derivatives, such as sauce africaine, sauce bigarade, sauce bourguignonne, sauce aux champignons, sauce charcutière, sauce chasseur, sauce chevreuil, and demi-glace.
Hundreds of other derivatives are in the classical French repertoire.
Escoffier included a recipe for a Lenten espagnole sauce, using fish stock and mushrooms, in Le Guide culinaire, but doubted its necessity.
Preparation
The basic method of making espagnole is to prepare a very dark brown roux, to which brown stock (stock made from simmering roasted bones, meats and aromatics) is added, along with  roasted bones, pieces of beef, vegetables, brown sugar and various seasonings.
This blend is allowed to slowly reduce while being frequently skimmed.
The classic recipe calls for additional veal stock to be added as the liquid gradually reduces, but today, water is generally used instead.
Tomato paste or pureed tomatoes are added towards the end of the process, and the sauce is further reduced.
Another version can be made with white stock and butter by adding onion, ham, red pepper, celery, cayenne pepper and parsley, with flour as thickener.Lowney's Cook Book (1912) p121 Etymology
Espagnole is the French word for "Spanish", but the sauce's origin story is argued by French cooks.
According to Louis Diat, the creator of vichyssoise and the author of the classic Gourmet's Basic French Cookbook:
In Kettner's Book of the Table, published in 1877, an entirely different explanation is given:
The name "Kettner" in the title refers to Auguste Kettner, former chef to Napoleon III, who emigrated to England and in 1867 opened a restaurant in Soho, Kettner's, one of the oldest restaurants in London.
See also
Brown sauce
Demi-glace
References
External links
The Cook's Decameron from Project Gutenberg
Emeril Lagasse's recipe at emerils.com
Category:Brown sauces Category:French sauces Category:Mother sauces
de:Spanische Sauce#Spanische Sauce
