Making a basic white sauce is a necessary skill for any cook. It is so versatile, and has many different variations. Every time I make white sauce, I remember the time when my husband and I were invited to a friend's for dinner. He was a single guy living on his own, and he was cooking. He was pretty good cook, and he wanted to make cheese sauce for something. His mom gave him directions, so he figured it was no problem. We were standing around in the kitchen as he was making it. First, he put in butter. "I know my mom said this much, but that doesn't seem like enough, I'll put in some more." Then flour. "I know my mom said this much, but I think I need more." Last he added milk. "This doesn't look right. I think there's a problem." He asked me to take a look and see what I thought. I told him it needed more milk. "But I used the amount my mom said to use, it should be okay."
Once you've made this a couple of times, you won't need a recipe. It is a great thing for experimenting with and adapting on the fly. Keep in mind that all these measurements are approximate. I can't remember the last time I measured for white sauce.
Basic White Sauce
3 tbsp butter or margarine
3 tbsp flour
2 c milk
In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. When it is liquid, sprinkle in the flour and stir with a spoon or whisk. Cook for about three minutes. This is called a roux ("roo") and can be used to thicken gravy, soup, etc.
Pour in milk and cook, stirring constantly. The sauce will thicken up.
To make cheese sauce, just add cubed or grated cheese (cheddar is great) and stir to melt.
Stay tuned for many variations of white sauce.
