White Sauce

As the foundation for an amazing array of delicious sauces, white sauce occupies a special place in French culinary tradition, and in Western cooking in general. It’s also delicious and well worth knowing how to make.

Ingredients

Thin sauce:

• 25g plain flour
• 25g unsalted butter
• 600ml full fat milk
• 1/8 teaspoon of salt

Medium sauce:

• 25g plain flour
• 25g unsalted butter
• 300ml full fat milk
• 1/8 teaspoon of salt

Thick sauce:

• 50g plain flour
• 25g unsalted butter
• 600ml full fat milk
• 1/8 teaspoon of salt

Use the same method for each of the above options.

1. Melt the butter in a pan on a medium heat, adding a pinch of salt at the outset.
2. Once the butter is melted and is starting to foam, it’s ready for the flour.
3. Stir to incorporate it – the roux should thicken pretty quickly.
4. Cook and stir for about a minute – that should be plenty of time for it to come together.
5. To stop it cooking, turn off the heat and start adding the milk.
6. Initially, pour it in little by little, whisking thoroughly after each addition.
7. Return the pan to a medium heat and allow it to thicken once more.
8. It will take at least five minutes for the sauce to thicken properly.
9. Taste to make sure the flour has been cooked
10. Season to taste