When well made, white sauce has a proper
place in homey, creamed dishes, often making leftovers stretch
or giving cooked foods new life. The French term for this medium-thick
white sauce is béchamel. The foolproof way to attain a
perfectly smooth sauce is to have the milk hot when added to
the butter and flour. It uses an extra pot, but as you become
more proficient, this cautionary measure may not be necessary.
White Sauce (Béchamel Sauce)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups milk, heated
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
- Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan.
- Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly,
until the paste cooks and bubbles a bit, but don't let it brown,
about 2 minutes.
- Add the hot milk, continuing to stir as
the sauce thickens. Bring it to a boil. Add salt and pepper to
taste, lower the heat, and cook, stirring for 2 to 3 minutes
more. Remove from the heat.
- To cool this sauce for later use, cover
it with wax paper or pour a film of milk over it to prevent a
skin from forming.
Makes about 1 cup.
For Cheese Sauce: Stir
in 1/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese during the last 2 minutes of
cooking, along with a pinch of cayenne pepper.
Note: How hot should the milk be? Warm
the milk on low heat just until little bubbles begin to form
at the edges. Then remove from heat.
