SAUCES
SAUCES
Cheese sauce
From Mummy
INGREDIENTS
METHODS
  1. Grate about 1 cup of cheddar cheese to have ready.
  2. Put about 2-3 tablespoons of butter into a dish, cover it, and microwave for a minute until it's melted and hot. The measurement doesn't have to be exact, but aim for slightly more than 2, and slightly less than 3 tablespoons of butter.
  3. Add 2-3 tablespoons of flour to the melted butter. Add the tablespoons one at a time until you get a smooth creamy paste. If you have to add slightly more flour than 3 Tbps, do it in small increments. Too much flour will make it too thick and lumpy. Don't take too long to do this, because the next step requires that that butter/flour mixture still be fairly hot. Don't re-heat it unless you haven't added flour yet.
  4. Once the flour is mixed in, add 1/2 cup of milk gradually, and whisk it fairly quickly so the butter mixture doesn't lump. You should get a silky texture, as the milk warms and the butter cools. Then add another 1/2 cup of milk. If you think you added too much flour and are afraid the paste was too thick, you can add another splash of milk.
  5. Once milk and butter/flour are whisked together well, put the cover on the dish and microwave for about 1-2 minutes (depending on the microwave strength.) Whisk as soon as it's done in the microwave, and then repeat 1-2 more times at about 30 sec - 1min each until you feel the sauce getting thick. Do not overcook! It will be the ruin of your sauce!
  6. Add the grated cheese and whisk until it's melted. It should melt on its own without needing to be microwaved again. If you do have to put it back in the microwave, do this well after you're sure the cheese isn't going to melt enough. The sauce should be getting cool. Otherwise you'll run the risk of overcooking it.
  7. Add salt and pepper as needed.
  8. For 500g pasta, what I usually measure out for our macaroni and cheese, double the recipe. The cooking times will also require a bit longer. Say, about 2-3 minutes for the first cook of the sauce, then 1-2 minutes, then 30 sec-1 min.