The Real Roux

~ 1 year ago, I made my first roux. If you don't have a clue what I am talking about, a roux is a "thickener for savory sauces" and is your most common base for your white sauces and cheese sauces and that liquidy stuff inside your chicken pot pie. I promise, even if you still don't know what I am talking about, you love a good roux. And you want to be able to make one quickly and without too much thought. It's just butter and flour after all.

Nevertheless, when I first attempted cheese sauce (gorgonzola of course, if you know Ethan, you'll know he has a weak spot for anything gorgonzola), I was running around like a chicken with its head cut off because I was sure I would ruin it. Of course I would ruin it. That's my MO.

But one full year of practice later, I have created the perfect gorgonzola sauce. 

There are, technically speaking, 3 types of roux: white, blonde and brown. They vary depending mostly on how long they are cooked (and how they taste and what you would use them for).   Today I am making a white roux for gorgonzola sauce with pasta. But I won't tell you how to make the gorgonzola sauce. It's a secret. But I'll give you one hint:

Drink at least 4 glasses of Moscato while preparing it.

Not kidding.

Béchamel sauce

(i.e. white sauce, i am trying to expand my vocabulary)

 

What will you need to make a roux?
2 TBS BUTTER (DO NOT use a butter "alternative". You will bring shame to your family.)
2 TBS Flour 

What will you need to make white sauce?
1 c. milk (and/or cream)



What will you need to make gorgonzola sauce?
Gorgonzola

secret ingredients. Get your own. 

Melt 2 TBS butter over low/medium heat

Add 2 TBS flour and whisk over heat until fully combined (~1-1 1/2 minutes).

Meanwhile, scald 1 cup milk in a separate pan. If you need practice multitasking, this is a good exercise. I have made this both with and without scalding the milk and I would testify that scalding is the way to go, even if it is a pain in the ass. It really deepens the flavor of the sauce and aids in consistency.

Heat the milk until small bubbles start to form around the edge of the pan, no more, no less. Add milk to your roux a bit at a time, whisking constantly until combined.

Continue whisking over heat until the sauce begins to thicken. Thicker is better, because you can always thin with more milk if necessary. At this point add all your secret ingredients and continue stirring until desired consistency is reached.

At this point, I don't suggest using cheddar unless you have a game-plan already (please please share it with me!). I've attempted several times and it always becomes a regular disaster - bad consistency, bad flavor - its a dinner nightmare.

Combine sauce with 2 cups cooked pasta to feed your hungry boyfriend.