Blonde and Brown Roux

Roux is flour fried in butter and allowed to attain more or less color; it is used for thickening gravies, soup stocks and sauces; there are two kinds of roux, the blonde and the brown; the blonde is made as follows: Put into a saucepan to melt, one pound and two ounces of butter, add to it one pound of sifted flour and place the saucepan on a moderate fire to let it cook slowly while stirring until it becomes of a light blonde; this is used for veloute. For the brown, leave it on the fire or in a slack oven until it assumes a darker color; should it not be necessary to use it at once, pour it into a vessel, and employ it as needed, but when required for immediate use, take it from the fire, leave it in the pan and let it lose a few degrees of its heat before moistening it. For a veloute, dilute it with a white veloute stock, and a brown espagnole stock if needed for brown; the proportions for both veloute and espagnole being: one pound and two ounces of butter, one pound of flour and four quarts of either white or brown stock.