The world of sauces is vast. Beyond the classic sauces with their own name, there are countless creations that enrich it and leave room for the use of our imagination. The cheese sauce It occupies an important place and is tremendously popular because of how easy and fast it is to prepare.
Furthermore, it is Very versatile. It serves a multitude of purposes: it goes well with vegetable, meat, egg, pasta, fish dishes and much more. It can be prepared with a number of cheeses, cold or cooked in between -which is the version that we are dealing with today-, depending on the use that you want to give it, but for it to come out perfect, a series of considerations must be taken into account.
the type of cheese
The most suitable cheeses to make sauces are:
- cheeses from cooked pastathose in whose production process the already coagulated dough is heated in its own whey (between 50º and 70ºC).
- cheeses freshgenerally goat (curly type).
- blue cheeses, with mushrooms good in its paste, good in its exterior.
- cheeses made with curdled milk with thistle flower.
the cheeses of cooked pasta, whether hard or soft, melt more quickly in contact with heat than uncooked pasta. Cheddar, emmenthal, old Amsterdam, gouda, buffalo mozzarella, gorgonzola, are some of the most suitable for achieving a sauce with a creamy consistency.
temperature and cooking time
Moderation in temperature and slow cooking are the best allies when it comes to achieving a perfect cheese sauce. It is important to avoid excessive heat, which would destroy the cheese -and, therefore, the sauce-, as well as melting it too quickly. Low fire and patience, that’s all.
The period of consumption
Cheeses lose their characteristics once melted and, on reheating leftovers, they behave differently than they did when they were first melted. You have to be careful if you want to maintain the creamy texture of the initial sauce. The ideal is to make the right amount and consume it immediately.
We have used an Old Amsterdam-type cheese, with a hard paste and a strong flavor, but you can use another one with the same characteristics. We grate it with a coarse grater. We can also buy it already grated, but our recommendation is to make it at home. Always it will be cooler.
We prepare a roux, as we say here, by melting the butter in a saucepan, adding the flour and cooking it lightly for a couple of minutes or until it begins to bubble without turning brown.
We add all the milk at once and stir vigorously with a whisk while breaking up any lumps that may form. Slow down and let it simmer over low heat for about five minutes. Add the grated cheese and cook, while stirring, for five more minutes.
if we want flavor the sauce we can add a teaspoon of paprika, sweet or spicy -to taste-, and another teaspoon of ground cumin. Before turning off the heat, taste the sauce and season to taste, as needed.
For a thicker sauce, we will use less milk. For a more liquid sauce, we will add more. Keep in mind that the cheese sauce, once cold, thickens considerably. The thick point It will depend on the use that we have left to give it and how soon or late that we are going to consume it.
Leifheit ComfortLine four-sided grater with 4 cheese cutting surfaces, stainless steel kitchen grater, cheese grater with handle
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