Velouté is the most versatile of the five mother sauces — a white roux moistened with white stock, producing a velvety base that adapts to any protein depending on which stock is used. Chicken velouté, veal velouté, and fish velouté are three distinct sauces with a shared technique, each giving rise to its own family of derivatives. The roux is made as for béchamel — white, cooked 2-3 minutes without colour — but the moistening liquid is fond blanc (white stock) rather than milk, which gives the sauce a savoury depth that béchamel cannot achieve. The hot stock is added in stages, whisked smooth at each addition, then brought to a gentle simmer. Unlike béchamel, velouté requires 45-60 minutes of simmering with regular skimming — the stock contains dissolved proteins that coagulate as the sauce heats, rising to the surface as a grey scum. Each skimming refines the sauce's flavour and clarity. The long simmer also allows the roux's starch to fully hydrate and the raw flour taste to disappear entirely. The finished velouté should be ivory-coloured, silky, and taste predominantly of its stock — chicken, veal, or fish — with no flour taste whatsoever. Pass through a chinois for absolute smoothness. Like espagnole and béchamel, velouté is rarely served alone; it is the starting point for suprême (with cream), allemande (with egg liaison), vin blanc (with fish fumet and cream), and dozens of other derivatives.
White roux as for béchamel — no colour. Moisten with hot white stock appropriate to the dish. Simmer 45-60 minutes with regular skimming. Must taste of its stock, not flour. An intermediate sauce — always finished with cream, liaison, or garnish.
For a more refined velouté, make the roux in a separate pan and add it to simmering stock — this gives you more control over the thickness and avoids the risk of scorching the roux in a large pot. If the velouté will become sauce suprême, use a slightly thinner roux and let the cream addition bring the final consistency — this produces a more delicate result than a thick velouté thinned with cream. A cartouche laid on the surface during simmering prevents a skin from forming.
Under-simmering — the flour taste persists and the sauce lacks refinement. Not skimming — impurities remain and the sauce tastes muddy. Using water instead of stock — produces a flour-thickened liquid with no flavour. Making fish velouté with chicken stock (or vice versa) — the stock must match the dish.
Escoffier, Le Guide Culinaire; Larousse Gastronomique