But cheese sauce can be a tricky thing to master. The sauce depends on a delicate balance of butter, flour, milk and cheese. Too much or too little of any of these ingredients can yield a runny, stringy or curdled sauce that's not fit for any dish.
There's no need to fear, though. Follow these steps – and check out our handy troubleshooting tips – to make the Ultimate Canadian Cheese Sauce.
1. Choose the right pot. Always use a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Don't worry as much about the material it's made from as the thickness of the bottom. A thin pan conducts heat poorly and can cause the sauce to stick and scorch.
2. Make the roux. The base and thickening agent of a cheese sauce is called the roux. It's a combination of equal parts flour and butter that's cooked together before the milk is added. The thickness of the sauce is directly related to the amount of flour in the roux. For a thin sauce, use 1 tbsp (15 mL) all-purpose flour for each cup (250 mL) of milk. For a thick sauce, use 2 to 3 tbsp (30 to 45 mL) all-purpose flour for each cup (250 mL) of milk. Cook the butter and flour together, whisking constantly, for at least 1 minute or up to 2 minutes, without letting it brown. This cooking step keeps the resulting sauce from having a raw, pasty flavour.
3. Add milk. While not every recipe tells you to do so, warming the milk before adding it to the roux is a good idea. Cold milk stops the cooking process, adding extra minutes to the overall cooking time as the sauce mixture comes back up to temperature. To keep the sauce smooth and lump-free, add the milk all at once and immediately begin to whisk in all the bits of roux from the bottom and side of the pan. Bring to just under a boil, whisking constantly, then reduce the heat and simmer the sauce until it reaches the desired thickness.
4. Add cheese. Bring the sauce back to a boil. Remove from heat and whisk in the cheese until smooth. The high heat helps the cheese melt quickly and smoothly. For best results, use one, or a combination, of the good Canadian melting cheeses, such as Cheddar, Swiss, Fontina, Mozzarella, Emmental, Provolone, Parmesan or blue cheese. These are strong-flavoured cheeses, so a little goes a long way. Resist the temptation to add more cheese than a recipe specifies, as too much can make a beautiful sauce separate and become stringy.
5. Season. Unless otherwise specified in the recipe, whisk in salt, pepper and other seasonings (such as dry mustard, nutmeg or fresh herbs) off heat and to taste.
Troubleshooting tips
If your sauce is lumpy: Press sauce through a fine-mesh sieve and reheat gently, whisking constantly.
If your sauce is too thick: Bring the sauce to a simmer. Whisk in milk or cream, 1 tbsp (15 mL) at a time, until desired consistency.
If your sauce is too thin: Blend 2 tsp (10 mL) butter with 2 tsp (10 mL) flour to make smooth paste. Whisk into simmering sauce; simmer, whisking constantly, until desired consistency.
Try your newfound cheese sauce skills on these four recipes:
• Steamed Broccoli with Cheese Sauce
• Pasta Shells in Double Cheese Sauce
• Baked Eggs with Potatoes, Spinach and Cheese Sauce
• Macaroni and Four Cheeses
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