I cannot post my next recipe until I have posted my cheese sauce recipe. This is another recipe, where I am sure, there are lots of variations. This is mine – from Lavender & Lime.

Cheese Sauce
Ingredients
- 375 mls milk
- 1 baby onion, peeled and halved
- 3 black peppercorns
- 1 bay leaf
- 25 g butter
- 25 g flour
- 125 mls cream
- 5 mls English mustard powder
- 100 g grated cheese
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to season
Method
- place the milk, onion, peppercorns and bay leaf in a pot and heat to just before boiling point
- remove from the heat and infuse for 30 minutes
- pour the milk through a sieve
- in a saucepan melt the butter and then add the flour
- stir until golden in colour
- add one ladle of the milk and mix until smooth
- add another ladle of milk and mix until smooth
- add the rest of the milk and keep on a low heat for 30 minutes
- add the cream and mix until smooth
- remove from the heat and add the mustard and cheese
- season to taste
Notes
Click on the links for conversions and notes.
I make béchamel sauces on a regular basis. When not making them for the blog I just go by feel. To me, the key thing is weighing out the butter. I cut a slice off the block and weigh that. And then just match the weight of my flour to be the same. If I am in a rush I add the milk straight out of the container. This means it has zero flavour so I make sure to season the sauce more generously than usual. And if I am feeling lazy I do not bother to grate the cheese. I just chop it up roughly and add it to the sauce. This means I have to stir like crazy to get it melted. When whisking I use a special whisk, and you can see which one by reading this post. And I always use a wooden spoon for stirring. For my taste buds, Dijon mustard is a must, and well aged cheddar cheese. But you can make it sweeter by using Gouda, or change it up and use a smoked cheese. Also, the cheesier the better! Make extra if you want and freeze half. It won’t look great once defrosted – which you can do in the fridge overnight. But it is perfect for pasta bakes.
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