A cheese sauce (otherwise known as a Roux or Béchamel) has 4 main ingredients: Butter, Plain Flour, Milk and Cheese. It can be adapted to suit specific allergies or intolerances. I often recommend making up a batch and freezing portions to save on preparation time. I have not specified quantities in this recipe.
Step One: Melt the butter in the pan
Step Two: Turn off the heat and add some Plain Flour
Step Three: Keep adding small amounts of flour and stirring until your mixture is a thick paste
Step Four: Add some milk (Use Fortified milk if you are trying to maximise your calorie intake) and season if you wish
Step Five: Stir in the milk until it is absorbed into the flour and butter mixture
Step Six: Add more milk to thin down the mixture and keep stirring
Step Seven: Turn on the heat and keep stirring to prevent the mixture sticking to the bottom of the pan. Once your mixture warms and thickens and appears slightly glossy turn off the heat.
Step Eight: Add the cheese and stir into the sauce. Turn the heat back on if required to melt the cheese.
Step Nine: The sauce is now ready to enjoy! Today I cooked some macaroni added the cheese sauce and served with some grilled bacon and salad.
I had some spare sauce so I also steamed some broccoli and cauliflower and added the cheese sauce and some grated cheese. This will go in the fridge for tomorrow’s tea! I will finish it by baking in the oven for around 30 minutes until it is piping hot and browned on top.
