Cheese sauce is a pain. Too much heat and it gets grainy. Too much cheese and it gets grainy. Too little fat and it gets grainy. Too little acid and it gets grainy. Too much acid and it gets grainy. Graininess is the bane of cheese sauce. And usually when I’m in the midst of invoking the magical incantations required to make non-grainy cheese sauce, hungry girls are whining in the next room.
Fortunately I’ve found a working recipe, modified slightly to use ingredients that I usually have on hand. Here is the base:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 egg
- 3 fluid ounces heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
- 5 ounces shredded cheese
These are the proportions that will yield a non-grainy sauce, when heated on low and cheese added in stages. From here, I can adapt the final product to the need at hand: spicy queso, nacho cheese, fondue, etc.
Problem solved.
–Simon