Recipe: How to make a cheese sauce
Versatile: You'll use this basic recipe time and time again
This tasty mornay sauce is suitable for use in vegetable gratins, fish pies and pasta bakes. Hard cheeses give this dish a great flavour.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
- 400ml (14fl oz) full cream milk
- 1 bay leaf
- 25g (1oz) butter
- 25g (1oz) plain flour
- 100ml (3½fl oz) double cream
- 100g (3½oz) finely grated cheddar
- Pinch of white pepper
- Pinch of nutmeg
- Salt optional
METHOD
Heat the milk gently with a bay leaf in a pan until it almost reaches boiling point. In a separate pan, melt the butter over a very low heat and blend in the flour using a wooden spoon. Stir for about 2 minutes, ensuring it stays a pale colour.
Discard the bay leaf and pour in a quarter of the milk. Stir to mix in well. Increase the heat a little and continue to add the rest of the milk, bit by bit, until each time it thickens a little then goes smooth with stirring. Use a whisk if any lumps start to form.
Lower the heat and let it cook for about 2 minutes, whisking gently. Add the double cream and bring to boiling point, then add the cheese, pepper and nutmeg and whisk until smooth.
Check the seasoning - the sauce will be used with other flavours so it needs to be quite tangy. Can be used hot or cold.
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