Which of the following is a derivative of Brown Espagnole sauce?

• A. Bearnaise
• B. Bordelaise
• C. Creole
• D. Maltaise

Answer: (B)

The concept being tested is which sauces are built as derivatives of a brown, or Espagnole, base. A derivative sauce starts from Espagnole and is finished with added elements to create a new flavor profile.

Bordelaise is the classic derivative of Espagnole. It uses the brown sauce as its base and is enriched with a red wine reduction and shallots (often with bone marrow), then finished with butter. This creates a winey, beef-friendly sauce that bears a Bordeaux-style character, clearly tying it to the Espagnole lineage.

Bearnaise and Maltaise come from Hollandaise, not Espagnole, so they aren’t derivatives of the brown sauce. Creole is a Louisiana-style sauce that’s not a standard French Espagnole derivative, and it doesn’t follow the same classic base-to-derivative path.