Join Chef Douglas J. Weber, CEC, an honors graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, for a series of courses introducing you to the world of sauces. A sauce, whether bechamel or barbecue, is a key component to any culinary endeavor, lending your food flavor, moisture, and presentation. Weber leads students through a classic approach to sauce making, starting with the five classic French “mother sauces” which form the basis of hundreds of variations, and building from there with a hands-on approach. You’ll practice thickening methods including roux, slurries, purees, emulsions and reductions. And you’ll learn contemporary sauces such as coulis, hot sauce, barbecue sauce, and salsa. We recommend you register for the complete series, but it’s not required.

Week 1: Espagnole Sat, June 1, 2024, 11:00 AM

We kick off with espagnole, or brown sauce, which employs roux for thickening. Through a demonstration and lecture, Chef Weber will lay the groundwork for remaining classes, which will be hands-on. Students will see demonstrations of many of the skills they will execute in future classes. You’ll cap off the evening with an excellent version of beef stroganoff.

Week 2: Veloutés Sat, June 8, 2024, 11:00 AM

We’ll begin class with a short discussion about the different types of veloutés. Students create a basic sauce with roux and chicken stock, then build from there. By adding cream, we’ll create classic sauce supreme. We’ll plate this dish with chicken, rice pilaf and a vegetable, giving us a chance to practice our plate presentation skills. Our goal is to create the experience from start to finish—and enjoy the results!

Week 3: Cream sauces Sat, June 15, 2024, 11:00 AM

Cream sauces can be challenging because milk or cream, which forms the base of the sauce, can break down if too much heat is applied. We’ll learn proper technique for making béchamel, then add cheese to make a cheese sauce, which can be spiced up in any number of ways. For class, we’ll make mac and cheese and create several garnishes for a mac and cheese bar.

Week 4: Tomato Sauces Sat, June 22, 2024, 11:00 AM

Tomato sauces are thickened through reduction—and patience! This very popular sauce has many uses, from spaghetti and meatballs to veal parmesan and chicken cacciatore. We’ll make stuffed pasta shells and eggs baked in tomato sauce, served with crusty bread.

Week 5: Butter Sauces Sat, June 29, 2024, 11:00 AM

Butter sauces, thickened through emulsion, have a reputation for being tricky. You’ll gain the skills and confidence to create your own hollandaise from scratch, then sample it with eggs benedict. We’ll modify the hollandaise into bearnaise and taste that with grilled salmon. Chef Weber will also demonstrate how to make classic beurre blanc.

Week 6: Contemporary Sauces Sat, July 13, 2024, 11:00 AM

After mastering the mother sauces, we will explore contemporary sauces. These include salsas, coulis, hot sauce, barbecue sauce, peanut sauce, and chimichurri sauce. We will assemble a tasting buffet using chicken to dip into the various sauces, and celebrate the end of the series with an awesome dessert.

• You will be standing, cooking, and working for most of the class
• Please wear comfortable, closed-toe shoes and have long hair tied back.
• If you need to cancel your class booking, you can do so up to 48 hours before the class to receive a refund or class credit.