---
title: "Liaison: what it means in cooking — Tiny Plates"
description: "A liaison is a mix of egg yolks and cream stirred into a hot sauce or soup at the end to thicken and enrich it. Temper it first so the yolks do not curdle."
url: "https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/liaison"
---

# Liaison

A liaison is a mix of egg yolks and cream stirred into a hot sauce or soup at the end to thicken and enrich it. Temper it first so the yolks do not curdle.

Also called Egg yolk liaison.

A liaison is a mix of egg yolks and heavy cream used to thicken and enrich a sauce or soup in the last minutes of cooking. It gives a silky texture and a pale golden color. It is classic in cream soups, chicken [fricassée](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/fricassee), _blanquette de veau_ and sauces built on [velouté](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/veloute). The word is French for "binding".

## How to do it

1. Whisk 1 egg yolk with 60 ml (1/4 cup) of heavy cream for every 250 ml (1 cup) of liquid you want to thicken.
2. Take the soup or sauce off a boil and lower it to a gentle simmer.
3. Ladle about a third of the hot liquid slowly into the yolk mix while whisking. This is called [tempering](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/temper-eggs).
4. Pour the warmed mix back into the pot, stirring.
5. Heat gently, stirring, until the sauce thickens slightly. Do not let it boil.
6. Serve soon.

## How to tell it is done

The sauce coats the back of a spoon, looks glossy and smooth, and has no specks of egg.

## Why it works

Egg yolk proteins unfold and link together when heated, which thickens the liquid. Cream dilutes the yolks so they set more gently. Tempering raises the temperature of the yolks slowly so they thicken instead of scrambling.

## Substitutes

For a thickener that tolerates boiling, use [beurre manié](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/beurre-manie) or a starch slurry. These do not add the same richness.

## Common mistakes

* Adding cold yolks straight to hot liquid, so they [curdle](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/curdle)into strands.
* Boiling the sauce after adding the liaison. Most egg sauces start to curdle above about 82°C (180°F).
* Reheating leftovers too hard. Warm them slowly and stir.

## In recipes

"Finish with a liaison" or "bind with egg yolks and cream" means this method. Greek _avgolemono_ works the same way, using egg and lemon juice instead of cream.

## Related terms

* [Temper eggsTempering eggs is slowly whisking hot liquid into beaten eggs so they warm up without scrambling. It is the key step in custards and pastry cream.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/temper-eggs)
* [CurdleCurdling is when milk, cream or egg sauces separate into lumps and thin liquid. It happens from too much heat or acid. Here is how to stop and fix it.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/curdle)
* [VeloutéVelouté is a French mother sauce of light stock thickened with a blond roux. It is silky and pale, and it is the base of cream sauces for chicken and fish.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/veloute)
* [Beurre maniéBeurre manié is soft butter kneaded with an equal weight of flour. Whisk small pieces into a hot sauce or stew to thicken it at the end, without lumps.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/beurre-manie)
* [FricasséeA fricassée is a French stew of chicken or other pale meat cooked without browning, then simmered in stock and finished with a creamy white sauce.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/fricassee)

[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)