As tasty as macaroni and cheese!
Ingredients:
1 large organic head of cauliflower (or 2 small)
1 1/4 cup milk (1% or whatever you have on hand)
8 oz good aged cheddar cheese
3 T butter
3 scant T flour
1/2 t good quality dried mustard such as Colman’s or Watkin’s
1/8 t nutmeg
black pepper to taste
1/2 cup breadcrumbs or Panko
Optional: a tiny touch of paprika Read More
Ingredients:
2 T butter, unsalted
1/4 cup onion, very finely chopped
1 large clove garlic, finely minced
2 T flour
1/8 t ground white pepper
Pinch of salt, or more to taste
2 cups 2% milk
1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar, shredded, measured while tightly packed
3 med-large (2 3/4 lbs) baking potatoes, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup sharp cheddar, shredded (yes, even more cheese!)
Paprika Read More
Let the Spoon Mage™ Help You Learn to create Mother Sauces!
Color and the Five Basic Sauces
Five sauces rule the kitchen – Béchamel, Velouté, Espagnole, Hollandaise, and Tomato. Fantastically named Mother Sauces, they form the swirling base or hefty ladle of deliciousness on top of your favorite meals.
Once you know what to look for, you’ll see Mother Sauces everywhere – in many recipes, on menus, and on cookery shows. It doesn’t take secret saucery incantations or an analysis of ancient texts to learn to identify them. The easiest way to find the big five is by mindfully considering their colors – white, light brown, deep brown, yellow, and red.
Pause a moment, breathe, and let your imagination stir up a little colorful saucy goodness. Read More
Béchamel is a rich and creamy Mother Sauce made out of milk. It’s one of the five main source sauces from which other saucy recipes spring.
The smooth white sauce is begun by making a light or white roux – briefly cooking the flour and butter until the flour begins to cook. Warm or hot milk is carefully stirred into the roux (or vice versa in the traditional manner) to create the sauce.
Béchamel is then modified with seasonings or other elements such as cheese, onions, or shallots.
Once you know how to make a Basic Béchamel, you will recognize it in many dishes from au gratin potatoes to Alfredo. Add a little of this and a little of that to make the sauce sing. Read More
Mindful Palate 