Most commonly known as a white sauce, this is a classic basic sauce. It is widely used, particularly for egg, vegetable and gratin dishes, and for filled scallop shells. It can be used as a basis for other sauces, made by adding different ingredients (Larousse Gastronomique)

© nutmeg

photograph sourced from http://www.deviantart.com

ingredients:

500mls milk

1 bay leaf

1 thick slice of onion

1 blade mace if you do not have any mace, use nutmeg instead

40g butter

40g flour

freshly ground black pepper and salt for seasoning

nutmeg

method:

gently heat the milk with the bay leaf, onion and mace

remove from the heat just before it comes to a boil

cover and set aside to infuse for 30 minutes

strain the milk and discard the flavourings

melt the butter over a low heat

add the flour and stir briskly until it is smooth

you do not want the flour to change colour (this is known as a roux)

gradually stir in the milk

bring to the boil and beat to prevent lumps forming

season and add some nutmeg if desired

simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occassionaly

Tandy

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