Cheese sauce

White sauces are really easy to make and are generally used to coat veggies or variations like a mushroom sauce or mstard sauce for meat and fish. I usually use a plain white sauce over poached smoked haddock for breakfast and it’s become a staple breakfast. There is a cheese and a mushroom sauce below. This amount of sauce should be enough to smother veggies, meat or fish for 4 people.

The basics are that you use the same amount of flour and butter.

Basic white sauce (Bechamel)

What you need for 250ml sauce

1 heaped tablespoon butter
1 heaped tablespoon flour
250ml milk
Salt and pepper

The process

Heat the butter in a pan over a medium to low heat until the butter is foamy.

Add the flour and whisk constantly for about 2 minutes. You want to cook the flour but not brown it.

Then begin adding the milk in a stream whicking constantly until the lumps have dissapeared and the sauce is smooth and glossy and begun to thicken nicely.

Season with salt and pepper.

That’s the basic sauce done.

If you are going to let it stand and want to prevent a skin forming, take a lump of butter and with a fork melt a little over the entire surface.

A classic spinach and ricotta lasagna use bechamel or a light cheese sauce

Cheese sauce

Make the bechamel and add 4 tablespoons of grated cheese. if you are using a strong cheese like parmesan or gruyere taste after each tablespoon.

Whisk until completely melted and smother you favorite veggies, eggs, fish…..

Easy hey!!!

Mushroom sauce

take about 60g off finely sliced mushrooms and add 2 tablespoons of water, a squeeze of lemon and season with salt and pepper. Gently simmer them until they are soft.

Add the bechamel sauce

Smother a steak or quick roasted chicken pieces…

Simple and delicious.