Smooth Cheddar Cheese Sauce on a Butter-Flour Roux

What you need

• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 360 ml (1 1/2 cups) whole milk, warmed
• 225 g (8 oz) mild or sharp cheddar, grated from the block
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp mustard powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika, optional

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Grate the cheddar by hand. Bagged shredded cheese carries anti-caking powder that can leave the sauce grainy.

2. 2

   Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.

3. 3

   Whisk in the flour and keep whisking until the paste foams and smells toasty, not raw, about 2 min. Do not let it brown.

4. 4

   Pour in the warm milk a little at a time, whisking hard after each addition so no lumps form.

5. 5

   Simmer gently, whisking, until the sauce thickens enough to coat a spoon and a line drawn through it holds, 3-4 min.

6. 6

   Turn the heat down to low and add the cheddar a handful at a time, stirring until each batch melts before adding the next.

7. 7

   Take the pan off the heat as soon as the sauce is smooth. Boiling it now will make the cheese split.

8. 8

   Stir in the salt, mustard powder and paprika, then taste and adjust.

9. 9

   Serve warm. Thin it with a splash of milk if it thickens on standing.

Imported from taketwotapas.com. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.