This is a cracking cheese sauce using four different cheeses. We’ve used parmesan, red Leicester, and taleggio and mozzarella.
The mozzarella gives you that stringiness, but the other three cheeses are completely interchangeable for your favourite cheeses.
Cheese Sauce
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Cuisine: English
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 2 rashers bacon, finely chopped (optional)
- 40g butter
- 40g plain flour
- Pinch cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp English mustard
- 350ml whole milk
- 150g cheese (we used grated Parmesan and Red Leicester and cubed taleggio and mozzarella) plus extra to top
- Salt and pepper
- To serve – finely chopped chives, croutons & cooked macaroni
Instructions
- If using the bacon, fry it in a heavy-based saucepan with a little oil on a medium heat until crisp and all the fat has run.
- Remove the bacon using a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the hot pan.
- Turn the heat down a little and stir the flour into the fat to make a Roux. If this looks dry and there is still flour visible, add a little butter. (If you haven’t used bacon, melt 40g butter and stir in the flour). Allow this to sizzle and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring all the time.
- Gradually add the milk, a splash at a time, stirring well to ensure no lumps before you add any more.
- When all the milk is incorporated, turn up the heat and keep stirring until the sauce begins to bubble. Add the cayenne, Worcester sauce, black pepper and mustard. Turn down to the lowest heat and allow to simmer gently for 10 minutes until the sauce is thickened.
- Take off the heat and now add the cheese (except mozzarella if using) and allow to melt in, season.
- Stir in the cooked macaroni, half the bacon and chives. Add the mozzarella and mix briefly.
- Top with the remaining bacon, chives and some croutons.
- Put the last of the cheese on top and brown with a blow torch.
