How to make White Sauce

Ingredients (9)

• butter25 g
• 25g
• of milk300 ml
• bay leaves2
• a pinch of freshly nutmeg
• pinch of salt and a pinch of white or black pepper
• caper sauce: add capers
• cream sauce: add fresh cream
• green herb sauce: add fresh herbs

Method

1. 1

   Gently melt the butter in a saucepan (non-stick is easier). Don't let it sizzle.

2. 2

   Add the flour, salt, and white pepper (black at a push, but you'll be able to see black specks in the sauce).

3. 3

   Add a litttle milk to the flour and butter mix (you have now made a roux – well done!) and mix again. When it is amalgamated, add a little more milk and mix again. Add more milk, little by little, until you have a thickish creamy sauce. Add the bay leaf. and cook the sauce for 5 minutes, stirring to stop it sticking. If you get lumps, press them with the wooden spoon against the side of the pan to mash them. If you need to, use a whisk, but be careful not to scratch a non-stick pan. Remove the bay leaf. Add the nutmeg and taste for seasoning.

4. 4

   For a richer sauce, add a little hot sauce to a raw egg yolk in a cup, mix well, then reintroduce into the main sauce.