Microwave Roux
June 8th, 2007 by Lou
Making a good roux is a time-consuming pain. I cheat.
Don’t tell any Cajun, or any fine Creole chef about this, they will shoot you. My mother would have killed me if I didn’t have small children to support. My children are bigger now, but she’s too old and slow now to catch me. If such a purist does come over, make sure its after you’ve made the roux. You can tell them you slaved for hours over the pot.
Put the 1/2 and 1/2 butter and flour mixture in a heavy microwavable dish, preferably Corning ware. Plastic will melt. This stuff gets really hot. Microwave in 3 minute spurts, stirring between each round. NOTE: IF THE MIXTURE IS TOO FOAMY IT WILL MAKE A HUGE MESS, CAUSING SPOUSAL AGONY, POTENTIALLY RESULTING IN BATTERY! What can I say, like many really good things, there is some danger involved. If the mixture is foaming too much add a little flour. Watch carefully so it doesn’t overflow.
As it starts to darken the foaming will lessen. Shorten the cook time between cycles to avoid “hot spots” and smoking. You can pretty much get even a notoriously difficult butter roux as dark as you want without burning. In my opinion, really dark is really good.
Obviously be very careful throwing this mess into a pot of broth or your “holy trinity” or whatever: it will explode. If it’s really dark it may be a little grainy, force it through a small sieve into your stock.
Good luck, and don’t call me if there is a fire or something. I didn’t tell you how to do this.
cajun, creole, gumbo, roux
Heathen. I’d shoot you if I knew where you lived. :)
I found this roux recipe and have no issues with microwaving. My mom did it this way.
So, are you in the Bay Area? I would be interested in connecting with Cajuns, as sometimes I get a bit homesick.
I’m actually more Creole than Cajun, my grandmother was Virgie Fayard from Biloxi, MS. Her brother was S.L. Fayard. Gumbo Filé was a staple in my Grandmother’s family, and I *used* to be able to get fresh filé powder from someone in southern Louisiana. I do like Cajun cooking though. I have the full rig for deep frying turkey that’s all the rage these days.
My wife and I live in Denver, but I used to get to California regularly, not so much anymore.
Happy Holidays, and best wishes. I’m glad you like the recipe!
Thanks for the great tips!
I made my first roux (and my first gumbo) this evening, and it was oh-so tasty.
My mom showed me how to make roux using the micro, but she uses oil. On a whim, I started w/butter. But I wasn’t sure how to tell when it was done. Your post gave me great direction.
As I determined my roux was just about done, I figured that cajun food/southern food was called “soul fool” for a reason - you can’t just cook by numbers, it takes some intuition and a bit of soul to pull it off. :)