Dark Roux Recipes

DARK OR RED ROUX

Steps:

• Warm oil in a heavy-bottomed pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add flour carefully (it can spatter and sputter) stirring with a whisk to dissolve clumps. Make certain your whisk fits into the corners of the pan, and switch over to, or alternate between, a large spoon if not. Turn the heat to medium-low. Bubbles, rather small, should be forming but it should not be spattering. Stir constantly at this point, as the roux begins to thicken.
• After a few minutes, the roux will begin to lose its floury look, the bubbles will begin to diminish. Lower the heat so only a few bubbles are forming. At this point it is possible to leave the roux for a few seconds to do small tasks (and I do mean seconds - do not walk away at any point in the cooking process or there could be terrible results and/or fire!) and it is very helpful to have a small plate handy to set the spoon or whisk - if left in the pot, it may become too hot to handle; when it needs to be stirred. It does need to be stirred; a roux can easily burn in the short amount of time it takes to grab a hot pad or another whisk.
• After about 15 minutes or so, the roux will begin to be noticeably darker, blonde in color, and much thinner. It's normal to see some separation between the flour and the oil, and it is important to keep stirring so the flour doesn't settle to the bottom of the pan, sit in one place too long and burn. At this point, there will be very few to no bubbles, and that's ok. If you're up to standing and giving the pan constant attention, the heat could go up just a smidge. If you would like to be able to still walk away a few seconds here and there, just keep it where it's at. My opinion: slow and steady is best.
• In about 20 to 25 minutes, it will reach the brown stage and begin to smell "nutty" or "toasty." Generally, it will be finished and to the dark stage at around 30 to 35 minutes or so. Even when it's done and you've turned down the heat, do not leave the hot roux in the hot pan without continuing to stir; it will be at risk of burning. Once it has cooled down a bit, you're fine.

DARK ROUX RECIPE

Steps:

• Center your heavy bottom pot on the burner then pour the oil in it. A heavy bottom pot typically has a thicker bottom than its sides. A thicker bottom helps distribute the heat evenly which is important when making a roux. Turn the burner to medium high (#8 of a 1-10 dial) and heat the oil for 3-4 minutes. You'll know the oil is hot enough if you sprinkle a pinch of flour into the oil and it sizzles. Be careful when working with hot oil because it can splash on you and burn you.
• Carefully shake the flour into the oil. Then, whisk until the flour has dissolved. The oil will bubble a bit, but, no worries it's supposed to do that.
• Use a wooden spoon and stir, stir, stir. A wooden spoon isn't as noisy as a metal spoon. Trust me, after stirring the pot for 25 minutes you'll be glad you used a wooden spoon. Keep stirring and make sure you reach everywhere in the pot or you'll end up with burnt pieces. Burnt roux can't be fixed and will have to be thrown out. And, you'll have to start all over. I'm not kidding, don't check your phone or even think about a potty break right now! After about 6 minutes of constant stirring, the roux will be a blonde color. After about 11 minutes the roux will darken to a caramel color. It'll start to smell toasty and nutty. You might think it smells burnt but it's not as long as you keep stirring. As people say back home, we're makin it stank!! That just means it's smelling good in here!
• As soon as the roux is a caramel color, turn the stove off. Then, using your pot holders, grab the pot and set it on a trivet or a stack of towels on the counter. The pot is still going to be very hot and it'll keep cooking the roux. So, you have to keep stirring for another 13-15 minutes until it's the dark chocolate color we're going for. You'll know when the roux is done when it no longer wants to stick to the bottom of the pot. Also, when you slide your wooden spoon through it the roux will be liquidy. C'est finis! Use your roux immediately or store it for later. And, remember, I know you're busy so I want you to get it right the first time. So leave your questions in the comment section!

TRADITIONAL CAJUN ROUX

Steps:

• Use in your favorite Cajun recipe and enjoy.

OVEN-COOKED DARK ROUX

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 F.
• In a heavy iron skillet or Dutch oven, combine the flour and oil; whisk until the mixture is smooth and lump free.
• Place the pan with the roux in the oven for approximately 2 to 2 1/2 hours, stirring it thoroughly every 20 minutes until the roux is the desired color: light, medium, or dark.

AUTHENTIC NEW ORLEANS STYLE GUMBO

Steps:

• Make the Roux*: In a large, heavy bottom stock pot combine flour and oil. Cook on medium-low heat, stirring constantly for 30-45 minutes. This part takes patience--when it's finished it should be as dark as chocolate and have a soft, "cookie dough" like consistency. Be careful not to let it burn! Feel free to add a little more flour or oil as needed to reach this consistency.
• Brown the sausage. In a separate skillet on medium-high heat place the sausage slices in one layer in the pan. Brown them well on one side (2-3 minutes) and then use a fork to flip each over onto the other side to brown. Remove to a plate.
• Cook the vegetables in broth. Add 1/2 cup of the chicken broth to the hot skillet that had the sausage to deglaze the pan. Pour the broth and drippings into your large soup pot.
• Add remaining 5 1/2 cups of chicken broth. Add veggies, parsley, and roux to the pot and stir well.
• Bring to a boil over medium heat and boil for 5-7 minutes, or until the vegetables are slightly tender. (Skim off any foam that may rise to the top of the pot.) Stir in cajun seasoning, to taste.
• Add meat. Add chicken, sausage, and shrimp.
• Taste and serve. At this point taste it and add more seasonings to your liking--salt, pepper, chicken bullion paste, garlic, more Joe's stuff or more chicken broth--until you reach the perfect flavor. Serve warm over rice. (Tastes even better the next day!)

DARK ROUX

Steps:

• Place rack in center of oven. Heat oven to 325 degrees. On the stovetop, melt shortening in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat. Gradually sift flour over shortening; whisk to combine. Mixture will be thick and pasty. Continue to whisk until light brown, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Transfer skillet to oven; let roux cook until very dark brown, 3 to 3 1/2 hours, whisking every 45 minutes (whisk every 30 minutes if pan is not cast iron).