Robuchon's stocks — the foundation of classical French cooking — are the complete reference for the French fond system: fond brun de veau (brown veal stock), fond blanc de volaille (white chicken stock), fumet de poisson (fish stock), and fond de gibier (game stock). Each has a specific application, and the techniques differ significantly between them.
**Fond brun de veau (brown veal stock):** - The backbone of French sauce-making. Veal bones and shin, roasted until deep golden-brown (the Maillard browning of the bones' surface proteins and the collagen provides colour and flavour), then simmered with mirepoix, tomato, and bouquet garni for 6–8 hours. - Veal specifically: the high collagen content of veal bones produces a gelatin-rich stock with body and a neutral flavour that beef bones cannot replicate — beef bones produce a heavier, more assertive stock. - Reduction: to produce glace de viande (meat glaze), the brown veal stock is reduced by 95% — producing a thick, syrup-like concentrate of extraordinary flavour intensity. **Fond blanc de volaille (white chicken stock):** - Whole chicken or chicken carcasses — blanched (cold-start, brought to a boil, water discarded) before the actual stock-making begins. The blanching removes the blood albumins that would cloud the stock. - Second cook: fresh cold water, the blanched chicken, mirepoix, bouquet garni. Gentle simmer (never a boil) for 2–3 hours. **Fumet de poisson (fish stock):** - Fish bones and heads — only white fish (never salmon or oily fish). A maximum simmer of 20 minutes — beyond this, the fish bones' bitter compounds dissolve into the stock. - White wine added with the bones.
The Complete Robuchon