A family favorite at our house is a big bowl of gumbo and rice. The secret to making a great gumbo is homemade roux. A lot of people are intimidated by the process, but it’s really quite simple and well worth the time.
To make your roux, you need equal amounts of flour and fat. I use vegetable oil as my fat, but you can use clarified butter, lard, or other cooking oils. Since making roux can be a time consuming process, I always make a big batch and store the excess roux for future use. My gumbo requires a 1 cup ratio so I use 4 cups flour and 4 cups oil. This is enough for 4 gumbos.
Add your oil to a heavy pan or dutch oven. Heat the oil over medium heat and add the flour. Using a wooden spoon, stir the mixture continuously until you achieve the desired color.
You will be able to see, feel, and smell when your roux changes to a new color.
If you are making roux for a milk based sauce, you want to stop cooking it before the color and smell change. I use this “white roux” for cheese sauce for my son’s veggies and in my mac n cheese.
After your roux changes color, it will become golden brown (“blond”) and smell similar to popcorn. This roux is used as a thickening agent for stock based sauces. You would use this to thicken your soups or stews.
In the next stage, the roux takes on a peanut butter color and a nutty smell. I’ve never used this particular roux, but some prefer this flavor over a darker roux in their gumbo dishes.
Finally the roux will turn the color of milk chocolate. This roux is the perfect ingredient for making your gumbo.
You don’t want to cook your roux past this point or it will burn. Please be aware that your roux can burn at any stage if your heat is too high or you aren’t continuously stirring. If you see any black flecks in your roux, it has burned and you need to throw it out and start over. You cannot save a burned roux.
Stayed tuned to future posts where I will show you how to store your roux and how to use your roux.
