Sauce Aurore
The science
Named for the rosy aurore (dawn) color the tomato lends, this is a hinge sauce between the white and red worlds: a modest amount of tomato adds acidity, sweetness, color, and umami without converting the sauce into a true tomato sauce. The velouté's gelatin and starch keep the body; the tomato is a seasoning, not the base.
Flavor profile
Velouté (chicken or veal) tinted and flavored with tomato purée, often finished with butter.
Culinary uses
Eggs (œufs Aurore), poached chicken, sweetbreads, pasta and gnocchi in classical service.
Reference notes
Parent: Velouté. Cross-family link: Sauce Tomate. Compare to Choron (tomato applied to a Hollandaise base) for the recurring "add tomato" motif.