Sauce school
A smooth sauce starts with a roux
Butter and flour make the beginning, not the finished sauce. Add the milk in stages, then give the whole thing time to cook.
THE PAYOFFA smooth, pale white sauce without raw-flour flavour
TAKE IT STEP BY STEP
The method.
Measure before heating
Weigh the butter and flour and warm the milk until steaming, without boiling it away. Keep everything nearby. This is a pale roux for white sauce, not the long-cooked dark roux used in some other dishes.
Cook the paste
Melt the butter over low to medium-low heat. Add the flour and stir into a smooth paste. Cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes without letting it turn brown. Scrape the corners of the pan so no dry flour remains.
Begin with a little milk
Take the pan briefly off the heat. Whisk in a small splash of warm milk until smooth; the paste will thicken at first. Add another splash and whisk again. Repeat before gradually adding the remaining milk.
Let it thicken
Return to medium-low heat and stir or whisk along the base until the sauce reaches a gentle simmer. Cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring often. It should coat a spoon smoothly. Reduce the heat if it starts catching.
Season the finished sauce
Taste only after cooking. Add salt, pepper and optional nutmeg. If you want a cheese sauce, remove from the heat before stirring in a modest handful of grated cheese, then taste again before salting.
WHEN IT GOES SIDEWAYS
A small fix.
There are lumps
Take the pan off the heat and whisk firmly. If a few remain, pass the sauce through a sieve into a clean pan and finish cooking.
The sauce is too thick
Whisk in warm milk a tablespoon at a time. It also thickens as it cools, so judge at the temperature you plan to serve it.
It tastes of raw flour or catches underneath
Give an unburnt sauce longer at a gentle simmer, stirring. If the base is burnt, transfer the unscorched sauce without scraping; a bitter flavour may need a fresh batch.
Use the method for a pie filling or lasagne sauce. Changing the liquid and thickness is a recipe choice; the equal-weight roux is just the foundation.
THE USEFUL TOOLS
Useful tools for this technique.
Use what you already have. If you need something, these are a few options to consider.
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Amazon.com · US store
OXO Good Grips 11-inch Balloon Whisk
A balloon whisk helps bring a dressing together and work liquid smoothly into a roux.
Before you chooseChoose a whisk that fits your saucepan; use a suitable material on coated cookware.
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