Cajun (Dark) Roux
This is the basis for many Cajun recipes, such as gumbo and étouffée. Cooking the flour until it is very dark adds a wonderful, complex flavor when it is used in a dish.
Patience and constant stirring are a necessity! Don’t let it burn! You want it to have a rich, caramel flavor. You don’t want it to have a charcoal flavor.
You can double, triple, quadruple the recipe if you need. The basic idea is 1:1 ratio of flour to oil. Sometimes I add in a bit more flour. You can store the roux in the fridge or the freezer to use in the future. The oil will help it keep (it will smell rancid if it’s gone bad).
