- 2 tablespoons margarine
- 2 tablespoons flour (white or whole
wheat)
- 3/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup milk
Get out a quart-sized saucepan. Melt the
margarine in it over medium heat. When the
margarine is completely melted, remove the
pan from the heat. Stir in the flour. It
will lump up a little bit, so keep stirring
it until it is smooth. I use a whisk to do
this, but a fork will work in a pinch. Add
the salt and pepper and return the pan to
the heat. Cook and stir until the
flour/margarine mixture bubbles up and sort
of sizzles for a moment or two. This step
keeps the sauce from having a "raw" flavor,
and also permeates the sauce with the
seasonings. Gradually stir in the milk. Do
it slowly, so it doesn't lump up. Lumpy
sauce is not the most aesthetically
pleasing, although it still tastes pretty
good. So after you stir in the milk, cook
the sauce over medium heat until it boils.
Stir it quite often, to prevent it from
lumping or burning. When it boils, cook and
stir it for a full minute, and then remove
it from the heat. It is now done.
This sauce tastes really good poured over
hot toast and eaten for breakfast. It is
also used in many casseroles and a ton of
other places. Once you've mastered this
sauce, you officially know how to
cook. Whole wheat flour makes a slightly
ruddier sauce, while white flour gives you
the traditional smooth, bright white sauce.
Both give good results so use which ever
flour you prefer.
Cheese Sauce: Add 1/2 to 1-cup of shredded
or cubed cheese to the sauce after it boils
for a minute. I usually take it off the
burner, add the cheese, and cover the pan.
Then I let it sit in the middle of the stove
for a minute or two, to soften up the
cheese. Stir it up until the cheese melts.
Serve anywhere you like.
Bacon Sauce: When the sauce is cooked, add
1/4 to 1/3 cup of vegetarian bacon bits.
This is really good on baked potatoes and
over toast.
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