There are worse things you can do at a business meal than order steak tartare medium rare. That is why it is helpful to know how to pronounce items on the menu correctly, so as not to look like a rube to co-workers, clients, interviewers or investors. Please forgive us, if we are a little saucy in today's Etiquette Tip on how to pronounce a few sauces.
Roux (roo): a mixture of flour and fat used to thicken sauces
Bechamel (BAY-sha-mel): a white sauce with milk, butter, flour and onions
Mornay (mohr NAY): a thick cheese sauce, that is a variation of bechamel sauce
Beurre blanc (burr-blahn): a butter sauce made with white wine or vinegar
Demi-glace (dehm-ee-GLAHSS): a rich brown sauce reduced to a syrupy consistency
Espagnole (es-puhn-YOL): a brown sauce made with veal stock, vegetables, herbs and tomatoes
Veloute (veh loo TAY): a white sauce made with chicken, veal or fish stock and thickened with flour and butter
Remoulade (ray moo LAHD or ray mah LAHD): a mixture of mayonnaise, seasonings and herbs, often served cold
Hollandaise (hol UHN days): a butter sauce made with egg yolks and lemon juice
Bearnaise (BEHR-nays): a variation on hollandaise, with vinegar and tarragon or shallots
Coulis (koo LEE): a sauce made with pureed vegetables or fruit
Au Jus (OH zhoo): "with juice," natural juices extracted from the meat after cooking, sometimes combined with another liquid and seasonings
Pesto (PEH stoh): an Italian sauce made by blending crushed garlic, basil, pine nuts, olive oil and parmesan cheese
Pistou (PEES too): a cold sauce made of basil, garlic and olive oil
Bon appétit!
The Etiquette Tip of the Week may be forwarded to others who really, really need it, pinned to billboards, taped to the water cooler, blogged, Twittered or used to fill that last little hole in your newsletter. Thank you to our friends at the Culture and Manners Institute for sharing their insighg -- we encourage you to give them credit if you share this as that is the polite thing to do.
