Say Cheeeeeese............Sauce

I love cheese sauce. It's terribly versatile stuff. I use it mixed with various shapes of pasta for mac and cheese, drizzled over nachos, mixed with canned chilies for queso and sometimes I pour it over French fries in an elegant baptism of velvety bliss.

Now, you can too!!

In our latest episode of the Rouxde Cooking School Podcast we covered the recipe dearest to my heart: Roux.

Roux helps to make myriad deliciously thickened sauces and soups but the one we're gonna concentrate on today is my cheese sauce.

Let's get started shall we dear reader??

First, if you didn't take notes during the podcast (and why the hell weren't you?) here is a link to a piece I wrote previously about roux complete with a recipe:

http://rouxde.blogspot.com/2009/11/well-its-about-damn-time_10.html


There, now that you know how to make a roux, lets get started on making this silky cheese sauce. Now be aware before making this. It is a little thinner than most cheese sauces. Why? Because that's how I like my cheese sauce that's why. I find it easier to work with and much better on pasta then the thick goopy shit you get from other recipes. If you try it and don't like the consistency but enjoy the flavor then just add a little more roux to the sauce to thicken to your monstrous desires.


Rouxde Cooking School Cheese Sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion- medium dice
1 tablespoon salt1/8 teaspoon (20 turns of a pepper mill) black pepper
4 cloves garlic- sliced
64 ounces (1/2 gallon) whole milk
8 ounces (1 cup) heavy cream
2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon hot sauce
8 ounces roux (see above recipe)
16 ounces (1 pound) Extra sharp cheddar cheese- shredded through the big holes on the grater


Equipment
Spatula
Whisk Blender (preferably Vitamix)
Large Cast Iron Pot (if you have one)
Ladle
Large Mixing Bowl

• Heat a large cast iron pot (or whatever large pot you have) over medium heat for at least a minute and then add the olive oil. Let that heat for 30 seconds and then add the onions. Stir the onions until they start to turn translucent and then add the salt, pepper and garlic.

• Add the milk, cream, mustard and hot sauce. Heat until hot but not to a boil (yet).

• Whisk in the roux. The onions will get caught in your whisk. Yes it's a pain in the ass but just give the head of your whisk a shimmy shake right before it gets out of the sauce and everything will clear out.

• Continue to whisk until everything is incorporated.

• Bring the sauce to a boil. Whisk vigorously. Turn the heat down until the sauce is only simmering. Let the sauce simmer for 10 minutes.

• While whisking, add the cheese a little at a time. Whisk until the melted cheese is incorporated into the sauce. It will be slightly grainy. That's OK, we're about to a put a hurting on this sauce.

• Using a ladle, move half of the cheese sauce into the carafe of a blender. Blend the sauce on high for at least 30 seconds. Transfer blended sauce to a mixing bowl. Blend second half and pour into the mixing bowl. Mix both parts together. Rejoice in the cheese family's reunion

• Serve as you would like. I recommend it on a cheesesteak or on a hot dog. It seriously makes unbelievable Mac and Cheese.

• Wait until cool to pour into a container for the fridge or freezer. It's freezes amazingly well.

So there you have it. I made it sound way more complicated than it should be. Sorry.

Making Cheese Sauce will become your super power. Embrace it and use it recklessly.

If you want to contact us by email, please send your thoughts to here:

rouxdecookingschool@gmail.com


We're also here:

Twitter
https://twitter.com/RouxdePodcast

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1205026479612382/

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/rouxdepodcast/


If you're looking for the gravy recipe that I mentioned on the podcast, you can find that right here:

http://rouxde.blogspot.com/2009/11/gravy-baby.html

Your mashed potatoes will thank you.


Thanks for listening and reading!


Cheers,
John