Cream Sauce

This is a foundation sauce in the classic French mold, the kind professional kitchens make in big batches because it spins into a dozen dishes. Butter-sweated aromatics, onion, green pepper, celery, and garlic, infuse a base of milk that gets thickened with roux and finished with cream, the backbone of a great white sauce.

Two techniques make it silky rather than rustic. First, sweat the vegetables gently over low heat without letting them brown, which keeps the sauce pale and the flavor clean and sweet. Second, strain the sauce after it thickens. You are infusing the milk with the aromatics and bay, then removing the solids entirely, which leaves a smooth, velvety sauce behind.

Stir the cream in at the very end, off the heat, so it blends in without breaking. Season to taste, and you have a versatile base ready to sauce vegetables, blanket pasta, bind a casserole, or build into a richer pan sauce.

Chef Tips

• Sweat the vegetables over low heat without browning. That keeps the sauce pale and clean-tasting.
• Strain the sauce after thickening to remove the aromatics, leaving it silky smooth.
• Add the cream off the heat so it blends in without curdling or breaking.

Variations

• Stir in grated cheese off the heat for a quick cheese sauce.
• Add sauteed mushrooms or a spoonful of mustard for a heartier pan sauce.
• Scale it down for a single meal, or freeze portions of the big batch for later.