I was sitting in a bar one day with a bunch of my friends celebrating a 70th birthday party when the conversation turned to food. Conversation might not be the proper term for the discussion; it was more like a question and answer session.
My friends at our table would pepper me with questions about recipes and I would tell them what I would do or use and why. I also made sure to mention to them that although I would tell them what and why I did something, that my way was not the only way of doing it. For example, I can tell you why I use sherry for one recipe and not another but if you happen to like sherry in the second recipe, as well, then by all means use it. The biggest rule in cooking is to prepare the dish the way you like it because, after all, you are the one eating it.
Then they asked about a white sauce for macaroni and cheese. A basic white sauce is, in simple terms, a clear stock, be it veal, poultry or fish, that has been thickened with a blonde roux. A blonde roux is roux that is cooked lightly and not browned. The sauce is then seasoned and strained. The white sauce is easy to make and is the base for many other sauces.
One of the questions was if you can make a white sauce without any stock? The answer to that is yes. A béchamel sauce is a white sauce that uses milk for its main ingredient. One classic cheese sauce is a mornay sauce that is gruyere cheese melted into a béchamel sauce. It is also what you can use for mac and cheese, but for me, I would change the gruyere for sharp cheddar, but that is just my personal preference.
Béchamel is a simple sauce to make. It is simply milk that has been thickened with a blonde roux and simmered for at least 30 minutes to allow the seasonings to meld into the sauce. The seasonings are nutmeg, salt, pepper, bay leaf and an onion that has been studded with cloves. After simmering it is strained to make sure it is nice and smooth, it’s ready to go.
The next time you want to make a great macaroni and cheese without any help from Kraft, or you want to treat yourself to a nice cheese sauce for your vegetables, try making a béchamel sauce and enjoy.
Béchamel Sauce
4 T butter
3 T flour
1½ C milk
1 onion quartered & studded with 6-8 cloves
2 bay leaves
Nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste
Melt the butter mix and add in the flour and cook lightly for a few minutes not letting it brown. Scald the milk and gradually add the roux, whisking the entire time until it has thickened. Add the onion, bay leaves and a pinch of nutmeg and let it simmer for at least 30 minutes. Add a little more milk if it gets too thick. Add salt and a little more nutmeg to taste and strain it through cheese cloth or a fine strainer.
Smitty is a personal chef specializing in dinner parties, cooking classes and special events. Trained under Master Chef Anton Flory at Top Notch Resort in Stowe, Vt., Smitty is known for his creative use of fresh ingredients. To read archived copies of Smitty’s column, visit chefsmitty.com or TheTahoeWeekly.com. Contact him at tmmsmitty@gmail.com or (530) 412-3598.
