[Sca-cooks] Help - Need Cheese Sauce Recipe (non-period)

Antonia Calvo dama.antonia at gmail.com
Tue Dec 22 13:48:24 PST 2009


Amy Cooper wrote:
> What I need help with is the cheese sauce for the cauliflower. I've
> got easy access to Walmart, Win-Dixie and Publix for food. What I need
> to know is a good recipe for cheese sauce, as well as what cheese(s)
> to get to make the sauce. We're probably grocery shopping tonight,
> although the cheese purchase can wait until tomorrow if necessary.
> Help! This list makes the BEST FOOD (period or modern), and ya'll are
> my go-to when I'm stumped food-wise :-)
>   

Baked Cauliflower with Cheese Béchamel Sauce

    * 2oz butter
    * 1/4 flour
    * 2 cups hot milk scalded with 1 bay leaf and 2 blades of mace or a
      pinch of ground mace
    * cayenne pepper to taste
    * up to 1-1/2 cups grated cheese


In a medium heavy saucepan, melt butter over low heat. When butter 
starts to foam, add the flour all at once, mixing well with a wooden 
spoon. Cook over low heat 2 minutes, stirring constantly to incorporate 
and cook flour.  Add all of the scalded milk at once, whisking 
vigourously (and removing the bay leaf and mace blades). Bring slowly to 
a boil, stirring over low heat until smooth and thickened. Stir in 
grated cheese a handful at a time, letting each handful melt completely 
before adding more. Add cayenne pepper to taste. Makes about 2-1/2 cups.

Cut the cauliflower into nice florets and blanch, but leave it 
significantly undercooked.  Drain *thoroughly*. Put in a baking dish 
*just* big enough to hold it and cover with cheese sauce.  Bake at 200F 
until cheese sauce is slightly browned and cauliflower is tender. (about 
20 min)

Now, as for type of cheese-- you need cheese that is really flavourful 
and hard enough to grate-- half strong Cheddar and half Emmenthal is 
particularly yummy, I think, but it's also good made with other hard or 
semi-hard cheese (I make this with leftover knobs of whatever hard-ish 
cheese is available, mostly).

-- 
Antonia di Benedetto Calvo

-----------------------------
Habeo metrum - musicamque,
hominem meam. Expectat alium quid?
-Georgeus Gershwinus
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