Friday, October 23, 2009

Sauce

You know, the kind you put on pastas - not the kind you dip into after a particularly hard day.

I'm going to give you a few hints on how to get sauce that will turn out creamy and smooth.

As I am sure there has to be more than just me that has struggled with how to make a fabulous creamy sauce for years.

Or maybe I am and this post will be useless to everyone but me.

In that case ... move on.

Nothing to see here.

First of all, use a pot. Not a pan. I have the worst time with pans and sauces.
Then again, maybe that's just me.
Melt butter.
Slowly, whisking vigorously as you do so, add equal amount of flour as you did butter.
I let that melt together for about a minute to let the stuff all come to the same temperature.
At least that's the logic I have going on in my brain.
This is where using a pot comes in handy as you have a smaller surface area as you slowly add in ...
SLOWLY.
May I stress slowly?
Bit by slow bit at the beginning. Whisking away as you do.
I only add about a Tablespoon at at time in the beginning as I introduce the WARM milk.
Once again, my theory on having ingredients come together and play in harmony is the main character in my thought process in using warm milk that will frolic happily with my warm butter/flour.
After you have added whatever amount of milk the recipe calls for it's useful to have one of these.That way you can work on the rest of supper and keep her out of your hair all at the same time.
Genius.
I have a firm belief that until the sauce comes to a boil, you need to stir it continually.
No word of a lie.
Probably a lie someone else engendered in me.
I blame them for my hook ups.
All of them.
Every single one.
Therefore, having an extra set of hand with my neurosis as they are, is very helpful.
Yep, by the time it has come to a boil she is really ready to get out from under my feet.
Feels like she's accomplished something.
She also got to wear the apron her Gramma Char made her, which makes the whole experience that much more wonderful.

That's pretty much it.
Pot.
SLOWLY.
Warm.
Small body.

Got it?
Get to work!

2 comments:

Liz Harrell said...

Hilarious. Love it. I need one. :)

mom said...

I think I need one of those small bodies to do my stirring