Debating about which sauces are 'mother' sauces is pointless. The 5 mother sauces ARE hollandaise, tomato, béchamel, espagnole and velouté. Why? Because someone decided so. Beurre blanc isn't a mother sauce because it's simply an acid reduction with butter mounted into it (or a hollandaise gone wrong, depending on perspective). We mount butter into a meat sauce to finish as well but that doesn't really warrant giving it separate sauce status...
It doesn't really matter, most restaurants don't use these sauces anymore, they've been replaced by jus de viande, beurre blanc, puréed vegetable sauces (either on their own or worked into another sauce), and many combinations of these.... As well we've got foams, froths and other air-infused sauces, gastriques, and emulsions of all kinds. |