March 22nd: cheese sauce

We didn't just have cheese sauce for supper, but it's the only recipe I'm sharing tonight. I had been planning to eat out, but ended up at home and had to throw together supper from items in the fridge; this is not my forte, but I managed. I made pork chops, oven-roasted tomatoes (check back tomorrow for that recipe), and then, to accompany some aging broccoli and cauliflower from a veggie tray, I made cheese sauce. I've never made cheese sauce for Olivia before (how is this possible?) and man oh man did she ever love it. We ended up taking the pot into the dining room after supper and scraping out cheese sauce with our forks. I think this girl is ready for fondue. My favourite cheese sauce recipe comes from the Joy of Cooking (sorry, Mom!), and here it is:


Cheese Sauce


2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 cup Cheddar cheese*
1/2 tsp salt**
1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
1/8 tsp paprika
pinch cayenne


Melt butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add flour and blend with a whisk. Slowly add milk and whisk thoroughly until smooth and hot. Stir in cheese until melted, then season with salt, mustard, paprika and cayenne.

*the stronger the cheese the better, in my opinion
**some may find this too salty