At the Bottom of Many a Stew: Roux

It could be called the soul of Cajun cooking. Time and again, a recipe will tell the cook to start with a roux. The popular roux of today is a dark concoction promoted by Paul Prudhomme, the chef who revitalized the culinary art of New Orleans. 

   Roux is often described as a thickener but, in modern manifestations, it is very much a flavoring as well. In classical French cooking it is generally just a simple white sauce made by whisking flour and butter. 

 
In the Cajun style that Prudhomme learned from his mother, the whisking goes on and color progresses from the initial white through perhaps ten stages including  peanut butter, milk chocolate, mahogany, reddish brown (favored in Prudhomme recipes) and at last noir. This style is usually made with oil or lard and, with the possibility of serious burns resulting from splatters, earns a title, “Cajun Napalm.” 

   Added to gumbo, Prudhomme's style of roux changes the nature of the dish from a soup to a robust stew. To reach the desired consistency may take an hour or, some say, even hours of concentrated effort.

   The old style roux - basis of bechamel sauce - seems to have appeared in the 17^th century and became quite popular with French cooks. Creole recipes call for a similar mild roux, tracing to the 1800s in New Orleans.

   It is not unusual to find “instant” roux recommended, as few cooks today have the patience for home-made. The Tony Chacheris version seems quite popular. “Ready in three minutes!” It receives rave reviews on Amazon which is why I linked there; it may be you would like to see the comments.

   Another source is the popular Cajun Grocer site. Simply enter roux in the search box.

   An excellent account of the various roux mixtures may be found on Chef John Folse’s site.  
   And here's an interesting idea, dry roux.