White Sauce

 Use this as a base for cheese sauce, parsley sauce, or wherever a white sauce is called for.

It does take around 45 minutes in total, what with the half hour or so to flavour the hot milk but frankly you could have a coffee and a cheeky read of your book whilst that's happening, no? Or busy yourself with whatever, that time will fly.  As you get more proficient, the actual making of the sauce will happen in a trice.

I have given actual measurements for the ingredients here, because if I don't, and you're a complete novice, you won't thank me. The truth of the matter is, amounts here don't really matter. A knob, a glug, a slosh is how I approach my white sauces, but for starters it goes thus:

Ingredients

• 50g butter
• 50g plain flour
• 500ml milk
• 1 Bay leaf
• 10 peppercorns
• 1/2 an onion, skinned, studded with
• 3 cloves
• 1 clove of garlic, that you have peeled and leant on with the heal of your hand

Method

• Pour the milk into a pan
• Add the peppercorns, onion, bay leaf and garlic
• Bring the milk to the boil then remove from the heat
• Leave it for 20 minutes to infuse with all the flavours
• After 20 minutes, remove the flavourings from the milk with a slotted spoon and discard
• Add the butter to another saucepan and gently melt until it bubbles but doesn't turn brown
• Add the flour and stir until a paste forms
• Gradually add your infused milk, stirring as you go to form the smooth sauce.

For cheese sauce

• A handful of cheddar, grated.  Just stir it in whilst the sauce is still hot.
• You can season with white pepper and a pinch of salt.