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1
Place a heavy, iron Dutch oven, (or iron skillet with deep sides) over medium heat and heat the oil until just smoking.
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2
Whisk in flour, a little at a time and cook, whisking constantly, until roux becomes smooth and thick.
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3
Continue to cook, constantly stirring with a wooden spoon and reaching all over bottom of pan, until roux darkens to desired color.
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4
Be careful not to produce specs of black.
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5
The roux must remain an even color throughout process.
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6
If specs appear you must start over.
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7
For a Light Brown Roux, cook the mixture, over medium heat for 1 1/2 hours, or until the color of peanut butter.
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8
Remove about 1 cup of the light colored roux, cool completely, and set aside for the Delmonico's Seafood Okra Gumbo.
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9
For a Medium Brown Roux, cook the mixture, over medium heat for an additional 30 minutes, or until the color of a copper penny when ready.
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10
Remove about 13/4 cups of the medium colored roux, cool completely, and set aside for Emeril's Country File Gumbo.
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11
For a Dark Brown Roux, cook the mixture an additional 35 to 45 minutes.
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12
The color should resemble dark chocolate when ready.
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13
Remove all of the remaining dark roux from the pan and cool completely.
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14
Set aside for the Chicken and Sausage Gumbo.
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15
NOTE: The timings for various shades of roux will vary depending on the cooktop as well as the amount of roux made.
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16
(A smaller amount will cook in much less time.)
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17
If this is your first time making a roux, the slower you cook it, the less likely you will be to burn it.
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18
The important thing is to cook the roux to the desired color, as specified above.
