Chef Juliette
Oriental Sauce
Sauce Orientale concentrates lobster-rich American Sauce with curry, then folds in cream away from the fire: a glossy, gently spiced derivative made for lobster, crayfish, and firm fish.
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Soubise Sauce Tomatée
Created by Chef Juliette
Soubise Sauce Tomatée teaches the derivative-sauce system in one stroke: three parts silky onion soubise, one part deeply red tomato purée, joined gently so sweetness, acidity, and colour remain in balance.
Sauces & Condiments
French
Comfort Food
Dinner Party
10 min
Active Time
20 min cook•30 min total
YieldAbout 2 quarts
Soubise Sauce Tomatée (tomato-enriched onion sauce) teaches the family logic of classical sauces. The one true thing to know before touching the pan is the proportion: the tomato purée equals exactly one-third the volume of the soubise, giving you three parts soubise to one part tomato. More tomato buries the onion; less leaves its sweetness unchecked.
The original entry assumed a saucier had already prepared the first formula of Soubise Sauce in brigade quantity, with a very red tomato purée waiting beside it. At home, you begin with six cups of that finished soubise and two cups of concentrated purée. The separate station and holding pots are scaffolding and can go; the finished soubise, the deep colour of the tomato, and the three-to-one proportion are the dish and must stay. One cook, one stove, one evening.
When it is right, the sauce is smooth and glossy, warm brick-rose rather than dull orange, with onion first and tomato arriving as a clean, gently acidic finish. Judge the purée before it meets the soubise. That colour cannot be negotiated afterward.
Soubise belongs to the Parisian classical sauce repertoire, where a smooth onion preparation enriched with béchamel became a named sauce rather than merely a garnish. Its name is tied to the house of Soubise, while the tomatée derivative demonstrates the canon's family logic: a finished sauce changes character through one carefully measured addition. Tomato does not replace the onion base here; it cuts the sweetness and reddens the sauce without erasing its identity.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
prepared Soubise Sauce from the first formula
Quantity
6 cups (1.42 L / about 1.5 kg)
hot and completely smooth
very red tomato purée
Quantity
2 cups (475 ml / 500 g)
measured after any needed reduction
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| prepared Soubise Sauce from the first formulahot and completely smooth | 6 cups (1.42 L / about 1.5 kg) |
| very red tomato puréemeasured after any needed reduction | 2 cups (475 ml / 500 g) |
Equipment Needed
- •3-quart heavy saucepan
- •Wide sauté pan, if the tomato purée needs reducing
- •Heatproof whisk or flexible spatula
- •Liquid measuring jug
- •Immersion blender for rescue, if needed
Instructions
- 1
Set the proportion
Measure the finished Soubise Sauce and tomato purée separately. Volume governs the book's proportion, so use six level cups of soubise and two level cups of purée; the weights are practical guidance, not permission to alter that three-to-one relationship. Warm the soubise over low heat in a heavy saucepan, stirring along the bottom until it relaxes into a smooth ribbon.
This recipe begins with finished Soubise Sauce from its first formula. Keep that component whole rather than rebuilding it inside the derivative; c'est la même grammaire. - 2
Prove the tomato
Examine the tomato purée before combining anything. It should be thick, intensely red, and able to hold a trail for a moment when a spoon crosses the pan. If it is watery or orange, don't add it yet. Ça se rattrape: reduce it gently in a separate wide pan, stirring often, until excess water is gone and the colour deepens to brick red, then measure the full two cups from the reduced purée. The listed quantity is the post-reduction measure.
- 3
Join the sauces
Keep the soubise below a simmer and add the very red tomato purée in three additions, whisking each one completely through before adding the next. Gentle heat preserves the smooth body of the soubise while the gradual addition distributes the tomato evenly. The finished colour should be a warm brick-rose, with no pale streaks and no red pockets.
- 4
Restore the texture
Stir over low heat for three to five minutes, only long enough for the two sauces to become one. Do not boil. If the sauce looks grainy or begins to separate at the edge, take it off the heat immediately. Ça se rattrape: whisk steadily as it cools for a minute, then blend briefly with an immersion blender until the gloss returns. A second passage through a fine sieve is unnecessary when both starting components were properly smooth.
- 5
Hold and serve
Use the sauce at once, or cover it and hold it for no more than thirty minutes in a bain-marie (hot-water bath) kept below a simmer. Stir occasionally so no skin forms; if one does, whisk it back in rather than scraping it away. Spoon the Soubise Sauce Tomatée generously beside roast lamb, veal, poultry, or baked eggs, letting its onion sweetness and measured tomato acidity do their work. À table!
Chef Tips
- •The source asks for very red tomato purée because colour and concentration are part of the formula. Good canned tomato purée is often the honest choice; watery passata must be reduced before measuring, while tomato paste is too concentrated and changes the sauce.
- •Measure the three-to-one ratio by volume. Tomato purée and soubise have different densities, so treating the listed weights as the governing ratio can push the sauce out of balance.
- •Never repair a dull purée with sugar, herbs, or an extra spoonful of tomato paste. Reduce it before combining, or replace it with a deeper canned purée. Technique first, then sourcing.
- •The finished sauce should coat a spoon without sitting like paste. If reheating makes it too tight, stir it slowly off the heat; vigorous boiling only encourages the béchamel-based soubise to separate.
Advance Preparation
- •Prepare the Soubise Sauce and concentrated tomato purée up to two days ahead, refrigerating them separately. Warm each gently before measuring and combining so their final proportion remains exact.
- •The finished sauce can be cooled promptly in a shallow container and refrigerated for up to three days. Reheat over low heat while stirring; if the texture turns grainy, blend it briefly until smooth.
- •For longer storage, freeze in tightly sealed portions for up to one month. Thaw in the refrigerator, then reheat gently and use the texture rescue in step four if separation appears.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 63g)
Calories
80 calories
Total Fat
6 g
Saturated Fat
4 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
2 g
Cholesterol
20 mg
Sodium
200 mg
Total Carbohydrates
6 g
Dietary Fiber
1 g
Sugars
2 g
Protein
1 g
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