A • Tomato Sauce
Recipe: Breaded cutlets, mozzarella, Parmesan, pomodoro sauce.
Rationale: Pomodoro is an authentic tomato mother sauce derivative made from simmered tomatoes and aromatics to coat baked cutlets.
C • None
Recipe: Butter browned in pan, fresh sage leaves, lemon zest.
Rationale: Beurre Noisette (brown butter) is an independent compound/pan butter preparation, not an emulsion or roux-based French mother sauce.
B • Béchamel
Recipe: Roux + heavy cream, egg yolk liaison, sherry, shrimp.
Rationale: White roux + cream/milk base constitutes a Béchamel/cream sauce foundation, finished with egg yolk liaison and fortified wine.
A • Espagnole
Recipe: Veal stock, Marsala wine, shallots, flour-thickened pan sauce.
Rationale: Brown sauce derivative: browned veal drippings, flour/roux, and brown veal stock reduced with Marsala wine form an Espagnole/brown sauce reduction.
Sauce Sleuth Answer Key • Items 1–10 Verified Section I: Items 1–10 (50 Pts)
Instructor Key Section II • Items 11–20
Page 2 of 2
Secondary classifications, independent preparations, and common student pitfalls.
Answer Verification & Grading Notes
A • Béchamel
Recipe: Roux, milk, Gruyère cheese, mustard, folded lobster meat.
Rationale: Traditional Thermidor coats lobster in a rich Mornay (cheese-enriched Béchamel) flavored with dry mustard and egg yolks before broiling.
A • Velouté
Recipe: Butter, flour, chicken stock, heavy cream over chicken.
Rationale: Sauce Suprême is the benchmark secondary sauce derived from chicken Velouté (blond roux + white chicken stock), enriched with heavy cream.
A • None
Recipe: Hot sauce, melted butter, vinegar, cayenne pepper.
Rationale: Simple hot vinegar-and-butter suspension created in 1964 (Anchor Bar). It has no roux, stock, or French culinary lineage.
A • None
Recipe: Sautéed zucchini, eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, oil.
Rationale: Provençal vegetable stew cooked in olive oil and natural juices. Although containing fresh tomatoes, it does not employ a classical mother sauce.
D • None
Recipe: Melted butter, heavy cream, Parmesan, garlic, pasta.
Rationale: Frequent Misconception: Students often guess Béchamel, but authentic and standard Alfredo is a cream reduction emulsion without flour roux.
A • Hollandaise
Recipe: Egg yolks, butter, tarragon vinegar, shallots emulsified.
Rationale: Béarnaise is the most famous daughter sauce of Hollandaise, replacing lemon juice with a reduction of white wine, tarragon vinegar, and shallots.
D • None
Recipe: Coconut milk, green curry paste, aromatics, fish sauce.
Rationale: Traditional Southeast Asian culinary preparation founded on a coconut cream fat emulsion and curry paste, independent of French taxonomy.
A • Béchamel
Recipe: Butter, flour, milk, chicken, mushrooms, peppers.
Rationale: Recipe explicitly specifies a white roux (butter + flour) thickened with milk, defining a classic Béchamel sauce binding the stewed ingredients.
D • None
Recipe: Eggplant, capers, olives, tomatoes, vinegar, sugar.
Rationale: Traditional Sicilian sweet-and-sour (agrodolce) vegetable relish. The sauce is formed by caramelized sugar and vinegar reduction, not a mother sauce.
D • None
Recipe: Tomato paste, vinegar, brown sugar, molasses, spices.
Rationale: An independent American regional condiment. While tomato-based, it is not derived from French Sauce Tomate (which requires roux, mirepoix, and veal stock).
Grading Notes & Distinctions Liquid Base + Thickening Mechanism
Remind students that French Mother Sauces require both a designated liquid base and a classical thickening method (white/blond/brown roux, tomato reduction with starch/pork, or egg emulsion). Modern sauces, pan butters, and global condiments belong under "None".
Score Conversion
19–20: 95–100% (A) 16–17: 80–85% (B)
18: 90% (A-) 14–15: 70–75% (C)
Sauce Sleuth Instructor Assessment Key • Classical Brigade Curriculum Complete Solution Guide
