Cheese Sauce (Gluten Free)

Basic cheese sauce for baked macaroni and cheese, baked potatoes au gratin, or for any vegetable au gratin.  There are many such recipes; I like this one because it is easy to learn and to remember: 2+2+2+2+seasonings.  That's it!

Cheese Sauce

2 Tb. butter
2 Tb. flour
2 Cups milk
2 Cups grated cheese

We are using rice flour, as we are cooking for someone who has gluten intolerance.  Otherwise, ordinary wheat flour is fine.

Melt butter in a pan. Stir in the flour, and continue stirring until the mixture is hot and bubbling throughout.  Slowly add milk, stirring so that lumps do not form, and continue heating and stirring until the sauce is thickened.  Lower heat and stir in 2 cups of grated cheese, stirring so that it melts and becomes smooth.

It's an easy sauce, and possible variations and additions are many.  Use things up: buttermilk, canned milk, even plain yogurt.  Any sort of cheese that needs using up, grated.  Flavor with parsley, pepper, paprika, cayenne, or any spice that goes well with the other ingredients in the meal.

To see a full set of photographs showing how this dish was made, go to this set on flickr.   (It will open in a new tab or window; to return to this page, just close it.) The small pictures are thumbnails; click on each one to see it full-size, and to read the comments under it.  If you prefer to use the slideshow feature, you won't see the captions unless you click on "show info" (top right).

White Sauce (Gluten Free)

Many sauces are made by addition of other ingredients to basic white sauce. it is normally made with white wheat flour, but it can be made gluten-free with rice flour.

White Sauce

2 Tb butter
2 Tb flour
2 cups milk

Melt butter in a pan.  Add flour, mix well, and heat until all of it is bubbly.  Add milk slowly, stirring.  Continue to heat and stir until sauce thickens.  Salt, pepper, and other seasonings can be added, depending on what will be encased in the sauce.

To see a full set of photographs showing how this dish was made, go to this set on flickr.   (It will open in a new tab or window; to return to this page, just close it.) The small pictures are thumbnails; click on each one to see it full-size, and to read the comments under it.  If you prefer to use the slideshow feature, you won't see the captions unless you click on "show info" (top right).

Multi-Grain Bread in a Bread Machine

 

 

Multi-Grain Bread made in a bread machine

This is a wonderful recipe that is pleasantly inexact, developed by Mrs. Knutson
in Minnesota many years ago.  It works in the bread machine too!

One has choices.

4 cups flour, one of which should be unbleached unenriched white.  This time I used

2 c. Whole Wheat flour
1 c. Rye flour
1 c. White flour. 

1 1/3 cups liquid (milk, water, saved cooking water). In these loaves I used

1 1/3 c. milk
1 egg
2 Tb. butter
2 Tb. honey
1 tsp. salt
1 packet yeast. 

Add butter and honey to milk, then heat to lukewarm, stirring.
Pour liquids into the bread machine first.
Pour in the egg, lightly beaten
Put flour into bread machine over the liquids.
Sprinkle salt over it.

Make a little well in the flour and into that pour the yeast

Bake on Whole Wheat setting with crust set to "dark".

When the machine has run long enough to make a ball of dough, look to see whether it is too dry and crumbly and if so, add a bit more liquid.  (Follow directions that came with the machine.)

The kneading cycle will have a pause when you can add such things as nuts or cheese if you like.

note:  you can get away with adding a bit more butter and a bit more honey if you like.   You may prefer more salt, too.

To see a full set of photographs showing how this dish was made, go to this set on flickr.   (It will open in a new tab or window; to return to this page, just close it.) The small pictures are thumbnails; click on each one to see it full-size, and to read the comments under it.  If you prefer to use the slideshow feature, you won't see the captions unless you click on "show info" (top right).