Liaison is a thickener made of egg yolks and heavy cream, often used to finish sauces.

Liaison is a thickener made of egg yolks and heavy cream, often used to finish sauces.

• A. Temper
• B. Liaison
• C. Slurry
• D. Beurre Manie

Answer: (B)

This item tests understanding of a finishing sauce technique that uses egg yolks and heavy cream to enrich and subtly thicken a sauce. A liaison is exactly that: whisked egg yolks blended with heavy cream, then tempered with hot sauce and stirred into the sauce off the heat to finish it. This brings a smooth, creamy body and richness without relying on starch, and it’s added at the end to finish rather than as the primary thickener. Tempering refers to gradually heating eggs to avoid curdling, which is a technique used when making a liaison, but the term itself describes the method rather than the finished mixture. Slurry is a starch-based thickener (usually cornstarch or flour and water) used earlier in cooking, and beurre manié is flour whisked with butter to thicken sauces.

This item tests understanding of a finishing sauce technique that uses egg yolks and heavy cream to enrich and subtly thicken a sauce. A liaison is exactly that: whisked egg yolks blended with heavy cream, then tempered with hot sauce and stirred into the sauce off the heat to finish it. This brings a smooth, creamy body and richness without relying on starch, and it’s added at the end to finish rather than as the primary thickener.

Tempering refers to gradually heating eggs to avoid curdling, which is a technique used when making a liaison, but the term itself describes the method rather than the finished mixture. Slurry is a starch-based thickener (usually cornstarch or flour and water) used earlier in cooking, and beurre manié is flour whisked with butter to thicken sauces.