Tuesday, October 27, 2009

roux en y

roux en y

The process of preparing Cajun food is in no way hurried and involves a layering of flavors which allows each ingredient
to maintain its own identity.

The foundation of preparing authentic Cajun dishes like gumbo, sauce piquant and etouffee is the Cajun roux (pronounced ‘rue’). Good roux is neither undercooked nor overcooked. Undercooking will yield a less full-bodied flavor and overcooking to the point of being burned will yield a bitter taste.

The French roux is usually a blend of equal parts flour and
butter cooked slowly until bubbly and well blended, but not
browned. The typical Cajun roux is a blend of equal parts of
flour and fat, cooked together in a heavy pot over high heat
until a medium brown color is reached. Roux must be stirred
constantly to prevent burning. Some people prefer a roux made with approximately one-fourth cup more oil than flour.