Friday, January 15, 2010

White Sauce (Sauce Blanche)

This is also from I Know How to Cook (Je Sais Cuisiner), my new Frenchie cookbook. This is the most basic roux-based sauce, sort of the very base of French cooking.

2 heaping tablespoons butter
1/3 cup flour
Generous 2 cups hot water (I just noticed this says "hot" water, I don't know if it made a big difference, but I used cold)
Salt and pepper

Melt the butter in a pan. Stir in flour and cook for 2-3 minutes to form a paste. (I think I had the heat up too high, because once the butter melted it kind of started to boil right away, and when I put the flour in it got lumpy right away.) Gradually add the hot water, stirring all the time to prevent lumps from forming. (I managed to get all the lumps out using a whisk) Simmer for 10 minutes. Since the absorbency of flours can vary, it is difficult to specify the exact quantity of liquid needed, so add just enough water to achieve the required consistency (which is what?). Season with salt and pepper.

It turned out fine, but it was not as if I could close my eyes and feel transported to Burgundy by the taste of it.

No comments:

Post a Comment