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Any Cajun Cooks here? Question about Roux

post #1 of 12
1/11/08 at 7:50pm
Thread Starter 
I love to make gumbo but it seems as tho the final product is thinner than what I would like. The best gumbo I have ever eaten had about the same taste but the texture of the better gumbo was thicker.

Question 1-the only recipe I have ever used for roux was 1-cup of oil to 1 cup of flour. That is usually for one chicken or hen and one to three cups of each vegetable. I make considerably more with at least 3 chickens, lots of vegetables, at least 3 to 6 cups (onions, celery, Bell Peper, garlic.) Should I make more roux when making this much gumbo. Should it be closer to 3 cups of oil to 3 cups of flour or more or does the original 1 to 1 still work here.

And how do I make the final product just a little thicker.

Anyone with gumbo and roux experience here????

Thanks,

Rob
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post #2 of 12
1/11/08 at 8:56pm
Whenever my mom and I make gumbo, we use a dry roux. Try baking flour until golden-ish brown and adding that to the mixture after you saute up the trinity. Hope this helps a little.
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post #3 of 12
1/12/08 at 6:44am
How long are you cooking it?

The longer you cook a roux, the darker it gets and the thicker it becomes. However, the flour undergoes some changes, one of which is that it's ability to thicken liquids lowers.

Try not cooking the roux as long, and see if that doesn't help.

For after-the-fact thickening: That's what okra and file' are for.
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post #4 of 12
1/12/08 at 8:51am
You will want to weigh the ingredients out ie a pound of oil to a pound of flour. I always use salad oil (canola or peanut to make a roux) and use pastry or cake flour (higher starch content) try using 1 1/2 times as much as you would for a normal soup if you like a thicker gumbo.
I normal use a 2 pound roux for 2 gallon of stock (yield 3.5 gallon )
I like my gumbo to just coat the back of a spoon.
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post #5 of 12
1/12/08 at 9:25am

Lets Not Get Carried Away

I first learned to make gumbo in the swamps around Lake Maurepas, and know folks all over southern Louisiana. I've yet to meet a Cajun who weighs the flour and oil for a roux.

Bad enough the bakers are unnecessarily hard-nosed about this. Weighing ingredients for something that's merely a rustic stew sounds a little obsessive.
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post #6 of 12
1/12/08 at 9:50am
Thread Starter 
KY, that may be a problem. I do a slow roux. about 45 to 50 minutes and up to an hour at times on a low to medium heat. It is dark tho which is something I always thought was a must. I may try your suggestion next time.
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post #7 of 12
1/12/08 at 9:52am
Thread Starter 
i have never heard of a dry roux. you just put the baking flour in a dish in the oven at 350 degrees or what???
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post #8 of 12
1/12/08 at 12:53pm
We spread it out in an even layer and bake it at around 350, I can't be exact on that. After even browning, add it to the trinity which is sweating in the pot with a tad of oil. Then you add the meat or seafood and the liquid and cover it and let it cook. There's a bit more to it than that but that is the main idea.
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post #9 of 12
1/12/08 at 1:56pm
My thoughts exactly.
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post #10 of 12
1/14/08 at 6:24am
I will never deny that I am obsessive nor would I question your authenticity.
I have found that if you weigh your ingredients you are more precise. I demand consistency in all of my recipes so everything we cook is weighed to the smallest amount possible. I also learned to cook gumbo from true Cajuns
and my mother weighed everything (we made roux in 5 pound batches) I guess it just depends on how you were taught.
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post #11 of 12
1/14/08 at 7:47pm
Follow my sig link for gumbo and roux recipes. Add more roux to make it thicker.
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post #12 of 12
1/18/08 at 5:08pm
Never made gumbo, so not an expert, but saw a show once where the cook (cajun cook) made it so dark it was almost black, just short of it - he reckoned this was the most important part of the process.
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