Gumbo Roux also popularly known as Gumbo base is the heart and soul of an authentic Louisiana style Gumbo Recipe. A dark roux is the building block of Cajun and Creole cooking. It acts both as a seasoning and a thickener.
The longer the roux is cooked, the darker the roux will become and will make your Gumbo more flavorful. To make a good Gumbo roux, White flour is slowly cooked and browned in oil stirring frequently over low heat until it resembles a darker chocolate color. A Gumbo roux both acts as a thickener and a base for a Gumbo recipe. It adds both flavor and color to any Gumbo dish. Roux lends a rich, complex and intense taste to a Gumbo, builds great depth of flavor. But, for darker Cajun or Creole roux the above mentioned oils works the best because they have a high smoke point which means you can cook it longer and darker.
The best oil for making roux are peanut oil, vegetable oil, canola oil, corn oil. Avoid Olive oil by all means. Add oil and when the oil becomes moderately hot add the white flour and stir briskly to mix it with the oil uniformly. Once the flour and the oil forms a smooth, lump free slurry reduce the heat to low and cook the roux stirring frequently until you reach the desired dark brown or chocolate color as show in the picture.
It should take you about minutes to reach the dark brown color state depending on the amount you cook. The roux will transition from white — blonde — peanut butter — brown — dark brown or melted chocolate color. Never leave the roux unattended.
It burns super quick. Continuously stir it to prevent burning and also never be tempted to increase the heat to hasten the process. Devillier's favorite use of white roux is milk-and-sausage gravy for biscuits. Blond roux is cooked until it starts to smell toasty and is the color of peanut butter, 5—10 minutes. Devillier uses blond roux in a bisque or creamy soup. Medium-brown roux takes 15—30 minutes to develop its coppery brown hue and nutty taste and aroma.
Devillier uses it in etouffees, while Spicer uses it in thinner seafood gumbos. Dark-brown roux looks like dark melted chocolate and tastes like rich campfire coffee with hints of tobacco. Dark roux is essential in building the flavor of traditional gumbo and usually achieves its color within 30—45 minutes of cooking, but it depends on the amount you make as well as the heat you use to cook it.
For Devillier, the cooking time varies "depending on how dark I want to take the roux, and also how high of heat I cook it over. If I want to get the task done fast, I can put it on a higher heat and stir the whole time, or I can use a lower heat and stir every few minutes. Note: Microwave safe glass bowls like Pyrex is recommended over plastic bowls when cooking with hot oil. Stir in the flour until no lumps remain and the mixture is smooth.
Continue to microwave at a medium setting, in 3-minute increments, stirring each time, until the roux is dark brown the color of peanut butter.
Cook until the desired color is reached. It takes approximately 20 minutes to make the medium or peanut butter colored roux in the microwave. NOTE: Each microwave is different so you will have to determine if you need to cook your roux for another minute or two. This is not how the traditional southern roux is made, but it is a easy version that takes less attention. Start the roux on the stove top to get it going, preferably in a cast iron pot, by heating the oil to medium high.
Then reduce heat to medium and gradually whisk in the flour, a little at a time, until fully incorporated. Animal fats like lard or bacon grease will also work fine. I have never made roux that much roux. Check out this website address for help: Gallons of Great Gravy.
Per the recipe: After adding all the flour, reduce heat to low and cook, stirring frequently, about 45 to 60 minutes or until roux ranges from a peanut butter color to a dark brown red brown or color of milk chocolate and has a nut-like odor it will be very thick and pasty.
My mom in law always used Kitchen Bouquet in her roux, was that just for color to cut cooking time? Kitchen Bouquet is a bottled condiment sauce used as an ingredient in cooking, rather than as a table condiment. It adds flavor and rich color to soups, stews, sauces and gravies. My roux looks and smells awesome! But my gumbo has an odd, gritty texture from the flour. Did I do something wrong? I prefer to make my own roux instead of buying it. Does microwave roux seriously work?!
I have really bad carpal tunnel syndrome which prevents me making anything beyond light roux. Being able to do that step in the microwave would be incredibly useful. What are the results like, vs stove top roux? Can you season the flour at all? So is there anyway to add flavor to the flour at all?
Add the seasonings at the end. Remove from the heat and whisk the seasonings in just long enough to distribute them well. How much Roux do I add to this amount? Learn How to Easily Make a Roux by simmering and stirring equal parts flour and either butter or oil. You can then use this homemade roux to thicken your favorite sauces or flavor a batch of Cajun gumbo.
A few tips and tricks will also teach you how to master this cooking technique so you never mess it up again!
And runny or bland rouxs? A roux is composed of flour and fat and is used to either thicken sauces or flavor soups and stews. It is typically comprised of equal parts flour and fat. Rouxs can be white, blonde, or brown in color with their flavor intensity increasing as they darken.
However, the thickening ability of roux is inversely proportional to its flavor potential. So a white roux has a stronger thickening ability while a brown roux will only slightly thicken sauces and stews. The lighter the color of a roux, the more thickening ability it will have. As mentioned previously, you will only need two very basic ingredients to make a roux from scratch: fat and flour.
You can make a roux in whatever type of skillet, saucepan, or pot such as a Dutch oven you have available. Generally, the larger the pot, the more you will have to watch it since the roux will burn more quickly. You can also either use a wire whisk if making your roux in a metal pan or a wooden spoon if making it in a ceramic-coated one. The most common culprit for a roux not thickening up is the type of flour. Regular all purpose flour is the best to use.
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