Cream Sauce 

Cream Sauce, also called White Sauce, with it's many uses, could be called a kitchen staple. Whether you call it cream sauce or white sauce, you'll find it has the ability to turn plain jane foods (like peas or cauliflower), into a delectable dish that brings forth oohs and ahhs.

Even those finicky children at the table who are getting ready to turn up their noses at whatever you serve them will be passing their plates for more!

Make the Pantry Mix and you’ll have this sauce ready in minutes.

Serve plain or add cheese and/or a variety of seasonings.

White Sauce can be used with a variety of dishes - chicken, fish, hard-cooked eggs, vegetables, macaroni - you'll never tire of finding ways to use it. And, you'll find, find ferocious no-veggie eaters will suddenly love their greens and oranges!

Make the Pantry Mix so it's ready to hand.

Cream Sauce (White Sauce)

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp Butter or margarine
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
pinch each pepper and paprika
1 cup milk

Directions:

1. Stir in rest of ingredients with wooden spoon or whisk. Continue stirring until smooth.
2. Remove from heat.
3. Slowly and gradually blend in milk.
4. Return to direct low/medium heat and stir constantly with wooden spoon or whisk until sauce has thickened and is smooth. Be very careful not to overheat and burn the bottom.
5. Season to taste.

To keep hot, cover and place over simmering water, as in double boiler pot.

Recipe makes 1 cup.

To make it thinner, use 1 Tbsp each butter and flour.
To make it thicker, use 1/4 cup each butter and flour.

Double or even triple this recipe for quantity.  It keeps in the refrigerator for a few days with no problem so you can use it as a white sauce with peas or kale tonight and then cheese it up for Homemade Mac n Cheese in a few days.

Best Pennywise Tip: The reason White needs to be thoroughly cooked is to make sure the flour is cooked. This avoids that "raw" (yech) flour taste.

Cream Sauce Variations

Cheese Sauce

Add 1/2 to 3/4 cup shredded cheese. Less if you use "old" or stronger flavoured cheese, more if you use a milder processed cheese.
Add 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

That's it!

Add cooked macaroni to Cheese Sauce and you have Creamy Mac n' Cheese. With or without chunks of cooked ham or tuna or veggies or cut-up weiners or...

Curry Sauce

To the melted butter in the basic white sauce, add:

1/2 to 1 tsp curry powder
2 Tbsp finely minced onions

Cook, stirring constantly for 2 to 3 minutes then proceed with the original recipe.

Curry Sauce is very good with hard-cooked eggs, seafood, and over rice.

Mustard Sauce

Once the Cream Sauce is done, simply stir in:

1 Tbsp prepared mustard (your choice)
1/2 tsp onion powder.

This is very nice with steamed fresh or frozen green beans - and really perks up canned green or wax beans.

Parsley-Celery Cream Sauce

Add to the pre-cooked basic White Sauce:

1/4 cup finely minced fresh parsley
1/2 tsp celery salt to cooked Cream Sauce

This is really nice with cooked potatoes, especially new boiled or steamed potatoes, but also over fish or croquettes.

Sprinkle a bit more of the minced parsley on top of your dish before serving or add a sprig to the side of the dish with carrot curls.

Creamed Eggs

Use the plain (no curry) Cream Sauce with 2 or 3 chopped hard cooked eggs and 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce.

Serve it over rice or toast, croquettes. It's nice with smoked or canned salmon also.

You may want to increase the milk another 1/4 cup or so.

How To Make A Pantry Storage White Sauce Mix:

Ingredients:

1 cup butter or margarine
2 cups milk powder (instant, nonfat) (or, 1 1/2 cups non-instant nonfat milk powder)
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl (or kitchen machine or mixer with whisk). Mix well.
2. Add butter and cut in until it resembles fine crumbs. Use a pastry blender or 2 knives if you don't have a kitchen machine.
3. Pack in an airtight container, store in a cool dry place (refrigerator or freezer) and use within 2 months.

To Use:

1. Add 1 cup cool water to 1/2 cup white sauce mix in a small saucepan.
2. Stir continually while cooking over a low heat. Stir with a wooden spoon until smooth.

Season as desired.

Yield about 1 1/2 cups Cream or white sauce

(If you're wondering, the reason you use a wooden spoon is so that you don't scrape anything off the bottom of the pan that is overcooked or brown.)

Best Pennywise Tip? Use all of the recipe ideas above!

You wouldn't want to add a lot of Cream Sauce to your meals if you're dieting but moderation is the key.

Creamed Salmon

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