Recipe: three cheese sauces for any dish

Cheese sauce is one of the most amazing things on the planet. Not just a staple for a really great lasagne, it can be used in pies, tartlets, veggies, fish... the list goes on. But while the finished product is as versatile as a Swiss Army knife, it has a bit of a reputation for being difficult to make. There's mystery surrounding the process, particularly for the kitchen-shy, and almost everyone has their own recipe. So, what exactly is the sticking point? The secret may lie in the roux beginnings.

A roux is a sauce base that blends equal amounts of fat and flour to make a paste. Sounds simple, right? Well it is, in theory. In reality it’s all too easy for a roux to go wrong – particularly when you begin adding the components that make up a cheese sauce. In the past I’ve had to deal with lumps, separation and a thin watery sauce.

Karen Todd, a lifestyle blogger from Dundee, believes the composition of a cheese sauce can offer an insight into what is happening in your life. That’s a pretty powerful claim about food, but it’s a thought that I share. When my brain is full of nonsense, rubbish, and troubles, without a doubt those are the days my cheese sauce is lumpy and wrong. I’ll let you guess the type of language that fills my kitchen on those days! And when I start with a clear kitchen, and a clear mind I end up with a lovely, smooth, non-brain-cluttered sauce.

Rachelle O’Brien, a lifestyle blogger from Liverpool thinks that the secret to cheese sauce lies in the mixing and recommends using a stand mixer to get a lovely smooth consistency. She also believes that it’s possible to make a good cheese sauce even if you are lactose intolerant using soya milk and suitable cheese.

So, how do you make a good cheese sauce? It’s not rocket sauce-ence (groan!), just a bit of kitchen sorcery, or should I say saucery (double groan!). There are a few pointers to remember, every time you're attempting this recipe though:

• When making the roux, you must keep the levels of fat and flour equal. A tablespoon of each is a good starting point.
• You should add a cold liquid to a hot roux paste, or a hot liquid to a cold roux paste.
• Stir, stir and stir some more. Really. There is no such thing as too much stirring.

Roux Recipe

1. Melt the butter in a pan (1 tablespoon is a good amount to work with) over a medium heat.
2. When the butter is melted mix in an equal amount of flour and stir to form a paste. Keep stirring this to work the floury taste out.
3. Turn off the heat and immediate begin your sauce conversion.

With that done, now the variation sets in. Everyone has their own methods of turning their roux into a cheese sauce. So here are three recipes to suit any taste.

Karen’s Quick and Easy Sauce

1. Add 600ml of milk, splash by splash, and stir like billy-o, adding milk until it’s all in there.
2. Put the heat back on and bring to the boil – add pepper and 1tsp of powdered mustard.
3. Turn down the heat and add grated half-fat cheddar cheese to taste. Do not let the sauce boil, or you will have cheese cement!
4. Once the cheese has melted, turn off the heat and you're done!

Rachelle’s Soya Sauce

1. Stir in 600ml of unsweetened soya milk, using a balloon whisk until the sauce is completely smooth.
2. Once you have a no-lump consistency return the pan to the heat and bring to a gentle simmer.
3. Simmer gently for 8 minutes and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
4. Add in 160g mixed cheese; I use anything that is left over in the fridge that isn’t blue! I always like to add in a bit of parmesan because it gives it a lovely salty cheesy flavour. Take the pan off the heat as soon as the cheese is melted.
5. Finally, stir in 1tsp of wholegrain mustard and French mustard and serve.

Louise’s Thick and Creamy Sauce

1. Before making the roux, add an onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 3 bay leaves and a pinch of cloves to 700ml milk.
2. Bring to the boil in a small saucepan, and then remove from the heat to infuse for 10 minutes. Strain to remove the solid objects.
3. Make the roux.
4. Turn the heat as low as possible, and add the infused and strained milk bit-by-bit, stirring rapidly to blend with the roux.
5. Turn the heat up and allow the milk to boil, and then remove from the hob.
6. Stir in 100g of mozzarella and 50g of parmesan.
7. Once the cheese has melted, you are finished!

Do you have a favourite cheese sauce recipe? I’d love to hear it. Or do let us know if you make one of these sauces.

Louise balances her many daydreams with the reality of being an animal scientist. So by day she’s lab-coated and covered in animal bits and by night she’s a knitter, obsessive reader, cat-botherer and midnight baker. She lives in Yorkshire with a husband, bunnies and cats. She loves PJ Harvey, pastel hair and drinks cola obsessively.