Basics: Roux sauce

A Roux sauce, (pronounced Roo) is the basis for a great deal of cooking.  It involves cooking equal amounts of fat and flour, and  adding liquid to create a sauce, it is also used to thicken liquids.

Melt 1oz (28g) of Flora in a non-stick pan, add 1oz (28g) flour and stir to a paste over the heat to cook the flour.  Remove the pan from the heat, stir in one pint (568mls) of milk a little at a time  keeping the liquid moving all the time to prevent it forming lumps, remember to scrape it away from the sides of the pan, keep blending the milk into the mixture as you go to ensure that you get a smooth sauce.  Return the pan to the heat, bring to the boil and then turn off the heat.   If you do get lumps in your sauce don't panic, using a balloon whisk beat the sauce until it is smooth and lump free.  The consistency should be pourable.
This gives you a basic white sauce,  to make cheese sauce  removed the pan from the head and add some grated cheese and beat in well.  (By the way if you make any sauce and have to leave it to stand for a while it will form a skin but again don't worry just whisk it)

Brown Roux Sauce  this works in the same way as the white sauce but uses stock or water instead of milk.  I use it a lot when using up left over cooked chicken or ham to make a pie.  I fry some onions, mushrooms and the meat in Flora or oil and Flora mixed, then sprinkle the flour over them,  then I add the stock and stir until it is thickened.  This method is used to provide a thickened sauce in casseroles, stews and of course Spaghetti bolognaise.

There is one other way to make a white sauce, usually used for sweet sauces, like the rum sauce for Christmas pudding.
1 oz  (28g)  cornflour
1oz (28g) sugar
1 pint (568ml) of milk
Put the cornflour & sugar in a  basin and add  2 or 3 tablespoons of the milk, stir to a smooth paste.
Put the remaining milk in a pan and bring to the boil.  When it is boiling pour onto the cornflour mix stirring as you do it.  Return to the pan and bring back to the boil stirring all the time.  (When making Rum sauce I pour a couple of tablespoons of rum into the pan first and bring it to the boil before adding the milk.  Boiling will reduce the amount of rum in the pan as the alcohol evaporates but will concentrate the flavour.)

Basics: A word about butter

When it comes to any recipe which calls for the use of butter or a butter substitute I shall probably always refer to it as butter, but you can use whatever butter substitute you prefer. If I think you really need to use butter for the flavour I will say so but feel free to ignore that advice.

One other thing about butter - don't use butter on its own for frying (i.e browning chicken breasts) as it burns very quickly and will really impair the flavour of what you are cooking. Either use your butter substitute, having checked first that it is suitable for the purpose - many of them are not - or use a little butter as it give the nice brown colour, and add a little oil with it.

On student budgets, butter is not going to be a staple item in your fridge, but keep your eyes open for special offers and reduced items for an occasional treat.

Cheesy bread pudding.

Another great favourite.  This is a savoury dish rather than a dessert despite the name.

The quantities for this dish depend on the size of your pie dish.

• Approx 6 large slices of bread or more if the slices are small.
• Tub of cream cheese 
• 1 Onion
• 4 Eggs
• A little milk or cream if required
• 2oz mature cheese - grated
• A little chopped ham or bacon (Optional)

Grease a pie dish and heat the oven to 170C.  Reg 5.

• Spread cream cheese on the bread, if using large slices cut them in half diagonally.
• Dice the onion
• Beat the eggs adding a little milk or cream if you don't think you will have enough liquid to cover the bread.
• Arrange slices of bread in the pie dish in one layer, overlapping slightly, you may have to cut some pieces even smaller to fit them to the shape of the dish.
• Sprinkle some diced onion some grated cheese and ham or bacon if using, over the slices, then repeat the layering until all the bread, onion and cheese etc are used up. 
• Pour the egg mixture over the bread etc and leave to soak in for a while.
• Put into oven for 20 - 25 mins until the egg is set and just turning brown.

Results

Well the day after the results and I hope you all got what you wanted or needed.  I am glad to say that my daughter did and now the work of persuading her to learn to cook begins in earnest.  Yesterday evening she did cook, she made the Cheesy bacon pasta which was the last recipe posted on here.  It turned out very well and she was surprised at how quick and easy it was to make.

Kitchen Equipment

The pan I find most useful is my wok.  I use it for everything and I do recommend them as very useful pans, not just for stir fries.  I cook bolognaise, curries and anything else I can think of in it.  I however cook for a family so if you are just cooking for yourself it may not be worth it but if you are sharing the cooking with the rest of the flat or house then it might be worth while as they are so much bigger than ordinary pans.  It will be one of the first things I shall be buying for my daughter in preparation for university. 

18 August 2010

Tomorrow is the day when the students here in the UK get those all important A level results which will determine whether you have the university place you have been working so hard for.  Best wishes to you all and I hope you all get the results you want.

Cheesy bacon pasta

My daughter loves this dish - it is her favourite pasta dish of all time.


3oz (80g) pasta per person
2 - 3 rashers of bacon
1 onion
1 oz (28g) of flour
1 pint (568ml) of milk
cheese the amount is up to you


Place pasta in a pan of cold water and bring to the boil, simmer until just done - take a piece out and break with a fork - it should be soft with just a bit of a bite to it. 

• Dice the onion 
• Cut bacon into smallish pieces 
• Place onion and bacon into a medium sized non stick pan over a medium heat and fry together until the onion is just cooked - shiny and translucent.  If it seems too dry add a little oil or butter.
• Sprinkle the flour over the bacon and onion and stir it in
• Pour a little of the milk over the bacon, onion & flour mix stirring all the time, gradually add the rest of the milk continuing to stir as you go.  Keep stirring until the mixture comes to the boil and thickens.  The consistency needs to be sufficiently liquid to coat the pasta, and it will thicken a little when left to stand.  
• Remove from the heat and add the cheese - as much or as little as you like it - stir it in so it all melts into the sauce.
• Drain the pasta and add to the sauce.

Serve with whatever veg you prefer.