Kitchen Craft Episode 15: Cheese sauce

Ingredients:

• 6 T butter
• 4 T flour
• 4 cups milk
• 2 bay leaves
• ¼ t freshly grated nutmeg
• Salt, to season

Method:

1. Melt the butter in a pot over a medium heat.
2. Add the flour and steadily mix it into the butter to form a roux. Cook until the mixture beings to smell slightly nutty.
3. Slowly start to pour in the milk, whisking to combine with the roux. (If any lumps form, just whisk faster, until the mixture is completely smooth.)
4. Add the bay leaves and allow the béchamel to simmer gently, still stirring to prevent it from catching and burning. At this point you can reduce the heat slightly.
5. Add the nutmeg and salt and stir through.

*If you’re using the sauce a little later, cover the surface of the sauce with a piece of plastic wrap to prevent a skin forming on the surface. To reheat, simply place the pot over a medium-low heat and stir until warmed through. The sauce will thicken as it cools, but will thin slightly when reheated.

Use the béchamel sauce as a base and add cheese for extra deliciousness.

Ingredients:

• 1 large head of cauliflower
• Olive oil to coat
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 150 g smoked Stanford cheese, grated

Method:

1. While the béchamel is still in the pot, gradually add the cheese, mixing through until combined with the sauce. (Adding all the cheese at once will cause the cheese to clump together, forming a ball in your sauce). When all the cheese has melted into the sauce, cover the pot with plastic wrap and set aside.
2. Drizzle the cauliflower with olive oil and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
3. Place the cauliflower in a roasting dish or tray and roast at 180°C until tender and browned on the surface (this should take about 40-45 minutes).
4. Remove the cauliflower from the oven and pour over the cheese sauce. Return the dish to the oven and roast for another 10 minutes, or until the sauce is golden and bubbling.
5. Carve the cauliflower into wedges and serve with the cheese sauce spooned over.

(Serves 4 as a side dish)

Not keen on doing it yourself?

SHOP READY-MADE SAUCES