Roux
My family is not from the south, but boy, did my Grandma know her rouxs. For those of you not familiar with roux, it is basically the foundation for making white sauce, gravies, souffles, etc. Flour is mixed with a fat, (usually butter, oil, bacon fat, or lard,) and then cooked slowly, until the flour is, "cooked," and the mixture becomes a smooth paste. From there, it can be used to thicken many kinds of sauces, or as a foundation for souffles and some types of pastry dough. I'm sure that there are more uses for it, if I think hard enough.
Grandma had different rouxs for different recipes. The roux for white sauce was light and only slightly done, while her turkey gravy required a dark, nutty roux that had been cooked for awhile over a low burner. If it was constantly stirred, the gravy came out deep brown and silky smooth, with not a lump in sight. She always used the turkey drippings for the fat element and the brown bits for color and flavor.
What do you use roux for?