Chaud Froid-Notes

                                         CHAUD-FROID-Notes

Described in simplest terms,

chaud-froid sauce

is a white saucecontaining enough gelatin that it sets like an aspic.The name

chaud-froid

is French for “hot-cold.”The sauce is so called because the classic versionis made hot but eaten cold. Today,chaud-froid sauce is rarely used exceptfor display pieces on buffets.Its main purpose there is to provide asmooth,uniformly white background for colored decorations. Because it isnot eaten in these cases,it does not have to have a good flavor,and it maybe made out of a simple béchamel sauce thickened with a roux made withwhite shortening.

 

 

Nevertheless,chaud-froid sauce finds occasional use in cold dishes—forexample, as a component of some aspic moulds and terrines. A brief discussion is warranted without going into the kind of detail found inbooks on garde manger.Many kinds of white sauce may be used as a base for chaud-froid,including cream sauces, white stocks enriched with cream or creamand egg yolks, veloutés, and mayonnaise. There are also colored chaud-froid sauces, but they are not often used. Red sauce can be made with the

Addition of tomato paste and, sometimes, paprika. Green sauce is coloredwith spinach and watercress, puréed with some of the hot sauce,andstrained. Brown chaud-froid can be made by combining glace de viande,tomato sauce, and aspic jelly in equal proportions

.

Preparing Chaud-Froid Sauce

Two basic types of chaud-froid sauce are considered here, one based onwhite stock and cream,the other on mayonnaise. Both of these are of good eating quality and can be used for first-class cold foods. Heaviertypes based on roux-thickened sauces may be economical to make butare more appropriate for inedible display pieces. Two recipes for chaud-froid are given here.

Classic chaud-froid

isessentially an aspic jelly with the addition of cream or a cream and eggyolk liaison. In fact, it can be made by combining aspic jelly and cream,butthis mixture would have to be reinforced with extra gelatin because of the quantity of cream.

Mayonnaise chaud-froid

, also called

mayonnaisecollée

,which means something like “glued mayonnaise,” is simply amixture of aspic jelly and mayonnaise. It is easy to make and,if the twoingredients are of good quality, is a tasty and useful chaudfroid. The basicproportion is equal parts aspic jelly and mayonnaise.The proportion canbevaried to taste,however, from 1 part aspic and 2 parts mayonnaise to 1part mayonnaise and 2 parts aspic jelly.Using a commercially made mayonnaise is recommended. If you are usinga homemade mayonnaise, it is best to prepare the chaud-froid at the lastminute and use it at once.Reheating it to melt it could cause themayonnaise to break. Commercial mayonnaise, on the other hand, cangenerally be melted without damage, but it is still best touse the sauce as soon it is made.

Galantines, timbales, terrines, whole or smaller joints of poultry and ham are some of the products that can be coated with a chaud – froid. The purpose of coating items with a chaud – froid are :a.protection of the item from the air while it sits on the buffet. b.the sauce acts as a background or a canvas on which to decorate.c.the chaud – froid is an adornment itself.the sauce can complement the flavor of the coated item

TYPES OF CHAUD - FROID

The two primary methods of preparing Chaud – froid are the classical and the contemporarymethods.

THE CLASSICAL METHOD:

The classical method calls for the use of Béchamel or Veloute. This is reduced with a stock,suitable for the product that needs to be coated. This reduction is then fortified with a suitableaspic jelly and cream.

THE CONTEMPORY METHOD:

A modern variation of the sauce is prepared without a base of the roux. The result is a sauce,which has a less starchy mouth feel. The method is also faster to prepare.

VARIATIONS:

Chaud – froid can be made in a variety of colors. Only natural ingredients must be used toobtain the colors using the basic colors. For a brown chaud – froid, replace the cream with areduced

jus

. A green chaud – froid can be made by using spinach puree. Red chaud – froidneeds paprika plus tomato puree. Carrots, red peppers and even saffron are used to create avariety of colors.

USING CHAUD-FROID SAUCE

As discussed earlier, aspic and chaud-froid are used to enhance both theappearance and the flavour of cold foods. For best results, the aspic andchaud-froid, as well as the foods to be coated, should be prepared andhandled in specific ways. The following sections offer general proceduresfor handling these products. Specific applications, such as recipes foraspic-based terrine moulds, are included later in the chapter. Aspic jellymust be cooled to just above congealing temperature before it is used tocoat foods. If it is too warm, it will not have enough body to coat and will just run off.

Coating with Chaud-Froid

Apply chaud-froid sauce according to the same procedure as for aspic.Because most chaud-froid is thicker than aspic, it is usually kept a littlewarmer when poured. If the first layer of chaud-froid is too transparent ornot thick enough ,apply one or two additional layers. After the chaud-froidhas chilled and set,apply decorations if desired. Finish with a layer of aspicfor best appearance.

APPLYING THE CHAUD – FROID

There are a series of steps involved in the application of chaud – froid.

a.Preparing the item for coating

-Items to be coated should be well chilled. This helps to adhere the sauce to thesurface. Chaud – froid will run off the surface of a warm item before it can set.-The surface of the food to be coated should be smooth and trimmed of any roughedges. It is not possible to create a smooth finish to a product if the under surface isrough and jagged.-Surface grease must be removed before the coating of chaud – froid is applied. Thecoating will not stick to a greasy surface. If there is a skin attached to the product, itshould be removed. This will ensure that the fat and the grease are also removed.-The item to be covered should be blotted/dabbed dry. This will allow better adhesionof the sauce.

b.Tempering the Chaud – Froid

Chaud – froid sauce should be tempered before applying. Once the item has been properly prepped, the sauce may be tempered. This involves bringing the temperature of the sauce,either by heating or cooling, to a point that will allow the best and easiest coating. Gelling

kes place at around 85

°

F. Normally, the closer you can maintain the sauce to thistemperature without it getting too thick, the more evenly it will coat. In the ideal situation, itshould take only 2 or 3 coats for a smooth and glistening finish.If the sauce is too warm, it tends to wash over the item leaving only a thin layer of the sauce.If extremely warm, it might even melt the previous layers that have already been applied.If the Chaud – froid is too cold and thick, it will not form an even layer. The sauce will formlumps and might even leave air bubbles on the surface. The sauce will not coat the itemsmoothly, because it sets too quickly in runs.A sauce that is tempered properly will be easily controled, it will give a smooth and evencoating and it will make the application of the coating easier and more efficient.

c. Ladle Method or Dipping Method?

There are two ways to apply a Chaud – froid sauce. It can either be ladled onto the product r the item to be coated can be dipped into it. The ladling method is suitable for large joints or pieces of meat. Smaller items are more evenly coated by dipping. Also, unevenly shapeditems are more easily coated by the dipping method. In each case, it is advisable to applymore than one coat of the sauce to give an even appearance and a smooth complete finish.Whichever method of coating is used, it is essential to refrigerate them between each coat and before the final trim.

d.Trimming

Trimming is the final step in preparing the item for decoration. Carefully remove the itemfrom the pan in which it was coated taking care not to rip the product away. The item should be cut away with the help of a palette knife being run around the base of the product.Preferably, dip the knife in hot water first. Line up the trimmed chaud – froid on a clean andfresh tray.At this point, they are no longer items or products….they are now Chaud – froids. They nowneed only to be decorated before they can be set out on display.

e.Decorating the Chaud – froids

The Chaud – froids can now be decorated tastefully with a variety of food items. There aremany choices available. Aspic cutters can be used to punch out a variety of shapes out of vegetables. These may be applied in pleasing patterns such as geometric shapes, floral or abstract.A more natural, pleasing effect comes from using foods in their natural shapes. Capers,caviar, chives and slices of olives are a few examples. Each component must be dipped intowarm aspic jelly and placed onto the surface of the chaud – froid. Avoid dripping excessaspic jelly onto the surface. These droplets of aspic are difficult and almost impossible toremove and can make the most beautiful designs look sloppy. After the decorated chaud – froids have been chilled; they are glazed with a single coat of well-tempered aspic jelly. Thiswill protect the surface of the chaud – froid that could become dull and dry looking. The finalglaze of aspic will keep the chaud – froid looking sparkling and fresh.

QUALITY INDICATORS FOR CHAUD – FROID

The quality of a chaud – froid coating has a major effect on the overall quality of the finished product. The quality of a chaud – froid is judged according to flavor, tooth, color andappearance.1.Flavor – The flavor should complement the dish.2.Tooth – The chaud – froid should have a very delicate tooth. As it melts in the mouth, itshould have a silky smooth texture, similar o that of well made veloute or béchamelsauce.3.Color – Chaud – froid can be made in various colors. However the colors should originatefrom natural ingredients. Avoid using artificial colors, instead, pastel shades are the best.4.Appearance – The appearance should be neat and clear-cut, smooth and shiny and free of air bubbles. The thickness of the coating should not be more than 3/16-inch and thethickness of the glaze 1/8-inch thick.

Handling & Storage

Chaud – froid sauces can be cooled and stored. Reheat gelled chaud – froid sauce over a hotwater bath to avoid scorching.

COLLEES

Collees are chaud froid sauces using mayonnaise, sour cream, heavy cream or a combinationof these as their base. Collees are often used with fish and other light items. Combine 3 partsof mayonnaise, sour cream or heavy cream with one part of strong aspic jelly. Use and treatlike normal chaud – froid..