If you want to knock several hundred calories out of your gumbo or étouffée, consider the following suggestions. Roux baked without oil in the oven imparts the same flavor to your favorite Cajun and Creole dishes with no added fat.
- Baked roux is more shelf stable than the type that uses oil so you can keep it for a couple of months. Store it in a tightly closed jar in the refrigerator.
- Because it keeps longer, you can make a big batch to use whenever: put from two to six cups of flour evenly over the dry bottom of a big iron skillet or baking pan.
- Bake at 400 degrees for about an hour, stirring every 15 minutes to brown evenly. The closer you get to the end of cooking time, the more you need to stir. Doneness is determined by color—you’re basically aiming for golden brown. The roux will darken when it is mixed with water.
- Use the minutes between stirrings to chop the vegetables for your gumbo, stew or étouffée.
- To use the roux, mix equal parts dry roux and water until smooth.
Source: Pennington Biomedical Research Center