HOW TO: White Sauce

White Sauce
Here’s how to make a basic white sauce- this can be used over pasta, in lasagne, enchiladas etc. The nutmeg gives it extra flavour.

Ingredients:
40g plain flour (sifted)
50g butter/margarine
1 pint milk
Salt and pepper
¼ grated nutmeg

Method:
1. Melt the butter in a medium sized saucepan.
2. Sift the flour into the butter and whisk till it resembles wet breadcrumbs. Take off the heat.
3. Pour a little of the milk in and whisk until the flour/butter has mixed to make a thick sauce. Add a ¼ of the milk until it is runny. Turn the heat back on.
4. Keep whisking until the sauce becomes thick again (be careful it doesn’t stick to the edges of the pan or the bottom). When it gets thick, add more milk.
5. Keep going until all the milk is added. When the sauce is ready, it will bubble but without getting any thicker. Grate in the nutmeg and season with salt and pepper.
6. Leave to boil for a few minutes, taste and use.

TIP: To make a cheese sauce, simply add 50g grated parmesan/cheddar to the sauce at the end and stir in. You can leave out the nutmeg with cheese sauce if you want.