Sauce Mornay
A basic cheese sauce
Ingredients
[Bechamel]
- 2 Tb butter
- 2 Tb flour
- 2 cups milk or white stock
- 1/4 tsp salt
[for cheese]
- 1/2 cup grated cheese
- Pinch of nutmeg
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions
[Bechamel]
- Heat milk and salt just to boiling in a small saucepan.
- Melt butter in larger saucepan over low heat.
- Blend in flour and cook slowly until butter and flour froth together for 2 minutes without coloring. This is now a white roux.
- Remove roux from heat. As soon as roux has stopped bubbling, pour in all the hot liquid at once. Immediately beat vigorously with a wire whip, gathering in all bits of roux from the inside edges of the pan.
- Set saucepan over moderately high heat and stir with the wire whip until the sauce comes to the boil. Boil for one minute, stirring.
[Cheese]
- Remove from heat, and beat in the cheese until it has melted and blended with the sauce.
- Season to taste with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and optional pinch of cayenne.
Notes
When used for mac and cheese, this is enough for 500g of macaroni.
If sauce is lumpy: Force the sauce through a very fine sieve OR put in electric blender. Either way simmer for 5 minutes.
If sauce is too thick: Bring to a simmer, then thin out with milk, cream, or stock a tablespoon at a time.
If sauce is too thin: Boil down over moderately high heat, stirring continuously.
Source: Mastering the Art of French Cooking