Smooth Cheddar Cheese Sauce
Inspired by techniques from America's Test Kitchen and NYT Cooking.
A light roux sharpened with mustard powder and cayenne, simmered with milk, then finished with plenty of mature Cheddar and a little Parmesan.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Start the base. Melt the butter in the saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour, mustard powder and cayenne and stir for about 1 min until it smells fragrant.
- 2
Simmer with milk. Whisk in the milk slowly, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and let it bubble gently for 6-8 min, whisking often, until lightly thickened.
- 3
Add the cheese. Lift the pan off the heat. Whisk in the Cheddar a handful at a time, letting each melt before adding more, then stir in the Parmesan.
- 4
Serve hot. Taste; it rarely needs salt. Pour over steamed or roasted broccoli, cauliflower or chips while hot.
Storage
Refrigerate in a covered container for up to 3 days. Reheat slowly in a pan with a splash of milk, stirring constantly. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
EU nutrition claims
- Source of protein: 5 g protein per 100 kcal, about 20% of energy (needs ≥ 12%)
- Low sugars: 4.3 g sugars per 100 g (limit ≤ 5 g)
Per 100 g of the finished dish, worked out from the nutrition per serving and the lowest likely cooked weight (about 92 g a serving), so the true values are, if anything, lower. Thresholds from the Annex to EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. How we decide
Free sugars
0 g per serving
0 % of the 50 g daily maximum · 0 % of the ideal 25 g
Free sugars under 50 g a day, ideally about 25 g, based on WHO free-sugar guidance (not endorsed by WHO). The share shown is the share of one serving. WHO
Equipment
- medium saucepan
- whisk
- box grater
- heatproof spatula
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 225 kcal |
| Protein | 11.2 g |
| Carbohydrate | 7.2 g |
| of which sugars | 4 g |
| of which free sugars | 0 g |
| Fat | 16.8 g |
| of which saturates | 9.8 g |
| Fibre | 0.1 g |
| Salt | 0.74 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
5 g High Protein needs ≥ 5 g (20% of energy)
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
