---
title: "Espagnole: what it means in cooking — Tiny Plates"
description: "Espagnole is the classic French brown sauce of brown stock, a brown roux, mirepoix and tomato. It is a mother sauce and the starting point for demi-glace."
url: "https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/espagnole"
---

# Espagnole

Espagnole is the classic French brown sauce of brown stock, a brown roux, mirepoix and tomato. It is a mother sauce and the starting point for demi-glace.

Also called Espagnole sauce, Brown sauce, Sauce espagnole.

Espagnole is a rich brown sauce made from brown [stock](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/stock)thickened with a brown [roux](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/roux), flavored with browned [mirepoix](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/mirepoix) and tomato. It is one of the French [mother sauces](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/mother-sauces). It is rarely served alone; instead it is used to make [demi-glace](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/demi-glace) and other brown sauces.

## How to do it

For about 1 liter (4 cups):

1. Melt 60 g (4 tablespoons) of butter in a heavy pan. Add 120 g (1 cup) diced onion, carrot and celery, and cook until well browned.
2. Stir in 60 g (1/2 cup) of flour. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring, for 15 to 20 minutes until the roux is the color of peanut butter.
3. Slowly whisk in 1.5 liters (6 cups) of hot brown stock.
4. Add 2 tablespoons tomato paste or 2 chopped tomatoes, a bay leaf, thyme and a few peppercorns.
5. Simmer gently for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, skimming often, until reduced by about a third.
6. Strain through a fine sieve.

## How to tell it is done

The sauce is deep brown, smooth and glossy, coats the back of a spoon, and tastes rich with no raw flour taste.

## How to use it

Simmer equal parts espagnole and brown stock and reduce by half to make demi-glace. Add red wine and shallots for _bordelaise_, mushrooms for a mushroom sauce, or mustard and vinegar for _sauce Robert_. Use it to enrich stews and braises.

## Common mistakes

* Burning the roux. A brown roux needs low heat and constant stirring. Black specks mean start again.
* Using a pale or weak stock, which gives a dull sauce.
* Not skimming. Fat and foam make the sauce greasy and cloudy.
* Cooking it too briefly, which leaves a floury taste.

## Where it comes from

The name means "Spanish" in French. Why is not certain. It became a mother sauce in the 1800s through French chefs such as Carême and, later, Escoffier.

## Related terms

* [Mother saucesThe five French mother sauces are béchamel, velouté, espagnole, sauce tomate and hollandaise. Learning them lets you make hundreds of other sauces.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/mother-sauces)
* [Demi-glaceDemi-glace is a dark, glossy sauce base made by reducing brown stock, often with espagnole, until it is rich and syrupy. It anchors classic steak sauces.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/demi-glace)
* [RouxA roux is equal weights of flour and fat cooked together to thicken sauces, soups and gravies. Cook it white, blond or brown depending on the dish.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/roux)
* [MirepoixMirepoix is diced onion, carrot and celery, usually two parts onion to one each of the others. It is the flavor base of French stocks, soups and braises.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/mirepoix)
* [StockStock is an unsalted liquid made by simmering bones, vegetables and aromatics in water for hours. It is the base of soups, sauces, gravy and risotto.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/stock)

[More in sauces and stocks](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/category/sauces-and-stocks)[Every term from A to Z](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary)