Gumbo Roux

[Gulf Comanche]

Figured I'd start a new thread on this as everybody in this end of the world has a way to make a roux. Here's mine ( per Chef Paul Prudhomme):
4 cups finely chopped onions
1 cup finely chopped choped green bell pepper
1.25 cups vegetable oil
2 cups all purpose white flour
Cut up onions and bell pepper, combine in a bowl, and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large cast iron skillet or Dutch oven ( I prefer the Dutch oven) to almost smoking. Gradually stir in the flour, not all at once, always stirring with a wooden spoon or metal whisk. When all the flour is gone and dissolved and you have it at the color called for in the recipe, shut off the heat. Pour the onion/bell*pepper mix into the roux. This will stop it from cooking and changing color. This mix ends up as a kind of thick paste. Take it out of the pan and set aside. Then, get your water or stock boiling and add this mix a little at a time, stirring till it dissolves. Continue on with your recipe.

This stuff is good.
Mike
Baton Rouge*

 

[Keith]

Here's an easy and foolproof way to make a roux from Alton Brown. It uses the superior heat control of the oven.

4 ounces vegetable oil
4 ounces all-purpose flour
(You can obviously change the amounts, as long as the ratio doesn't change. WEIGH the flour.)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the vegetable oil and flour into a 5 to 6-quart cast iron Dutch oven and whisk together to combine. Place on the middle shelf of the oven, uncovered, and bake for 1 1/2 hours, whisking 2 to 3 times throughout the cooking process.

 

[Moonstruck]

Keith wrote:

Here's an easy and foolproof way to make a roux from Alton Brown. It uses the superior heat control of the oven.


4 ounces vegetable oil
4 ounces all-purpose flour
(You can obviously change the amounts, as long as the ratio doesn't change. WEIGH the flour.)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the vegetable oil and flour into a 5 to 6-quart cast iron Dutch oven and whisk together to combine. Place on the middle shelf of the oven, uncovered, and bake for 1 1/2 hours, whisking 2 to 3 times throughout the cooking process.

Kieth, never heard of that one.* How does it come out?

*

 

[Keith]

Great! And you don't have to stand there stirring for hours. Just watch near the end to get the color you want. I prefer darker.

 

[Gulf Comanche]

No stirring for hours on mine. Roughly 30 minutes start to finish. To get a roux right you've got to stand over it and pay attention. No Yankee short cuts allowed.

 

[Steve]

When we are on the boat my wife makes gumbo in a crockpot, using store bought, premade Kary's roux. It comes in a jar, and is consistency and color of peanut butter
We usually have Chicken and sausage gumbo, using smoked sausage and a "rotisserie" chicken from the grocery store.
The gumbo turns out very well.
Steve W.

 

[Baker]

Sorry fellas....off the deep end is where this belongs.