I make a lot of gravies and sauces on this blog. But have you ever wondered how it’s done? Sure, I say to put this, this and this together and magically there is a perfect sauce or gravy, but what I do, I do by feel and sometimes I can’t express that well when typed. So I decided to put together a “perfect sauce” tutorial in photos to help illustrate how I make great gravies and cream sauces.

To illustrate the techniques I use to get the best results, I made a creamy cheese sauce for my homemade macaroni and cheese. I have no formal training as a chef or cook, but this is what works for me. Also, I don’t measure when it comes to a few recipes that I make. Pancakes, mac and cheese and chili are a few recipes that are like this. I do these things by feel so the measurements are not as accurate as one would think. If you’re looking for a recipe that is exact, check out this Plank Baked Mac and Cheese.

METHOD

1. In a medium sauce pan over medium-low heat (between 3 and 5 depending on your stove) melt the butter.
2. Once the butter is melted, slowly add the flour a little at a time, being sure to incorporate it completely each time you add more. You want to have a buttery paste.
   

   Add flour a little at a time until you have a nice paste.

3. Now add the cream a few tablespoons at a time. The first addition will give you a scary lumpy mess as you mix it in, but don’t let that scare you, as you add more cream it will smooth out. Also the higher the fat content in the cream or milk used to make this sauce, the better your results, but you can also use 1% milk if you want.
   

   Adding the cream may look like a scary lumpy mess, but the results don’t lie.

   Be brave.

   You’re almost there.

   Starting to smooth out.

   There you go.

4. So keep adding cream a little at a time until you reach a nice and smooth goop at the bottom of your pot. Now you can add in your milk and cream to form the body of the sauce. I know you’re thinking, “now it’s all watery!” but fret not, you need to bring the sauce to a near simmer so that it will thicken. Add the mustard and garlic powder and stir constantly until thickened.
   

   Add the cream and milk.

   Stir constantly until thickened. Add your mustard and garlic powder now.

5. Once the milk begins to thicken and bubble but not simmer, begin to add the cheese. Stirring to completely incorporate the cheese until the last handful. This handful is yours to do with as you please. You can add it to the sauce and not incorporate it completely, or you can add it to the noodles before the sauce, or you can top your bowls of mac and cheese with it, OR you can throw this all together in an oven safe dish and top it with the cheese and some bread crumbs and bake it until it is golden brown.
   

   Now add your cheese.

   Some noodles.

   Enjoy.

This process is the same for a gravy.
Instead of using butter you will use pan drippings (unless you have very little to no pan drippings). Add the flour in the same way, until you have a paste. Then add the water left over from cooking your vegetables or broth if you drained the water, just like you would if making the cream sauce. When doing gravy, you can bring to a complete simmer as you have no milk that can be scorched. But remember to stir constantly. Once thickened your gravy will be done and ready to serve.

I don’t know. I feel like I was still a bit vague, but sometimes cooking is! Doing things by feel when you’re comfortable in a kitchen and especially by the grill, that’s just how some of us roll. If you still need some clarification, give me a shout. I would be happy to help in any way I can. Email me at Sultana_of_Sizzle@napoleonproducts.com if you need to chat.

Happy Grilling!