Basic Gravy or Thick Sauce Recipe

Submitted by: Adrienne

These are basic steps you can use for making any kind of gravy or sauce for an entrée. There are 4 basic ingredients that most people always have on hand: butter, flour, liquid stock or bouillon (chicken, beef or veggie), and milk (or half & half). If you’re doing a cheesy sauce, shredded cheese would be your last ingredient. This is a great recipe to use in case you run out of cream soups to cook with; it works great with casseroles.

Every sauce is begins with a “rue”, which is a thickening agent. Start by melting 2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan on medium heat. Once it’s melted, add 2 tablespoons of flour (you always want both to be the same amount, however much you want). Whisk it together…the flour will start to clump up, but that’s okay. Let it cook for about 40-60 seconds to cook the flour taste out. Then you need to add a liquid, preferably some kind of stock or broth; you can do chicken, beef or veggie flavored. (Note: you can even use water & bouillon for your stock). Add about ½ cup to start with; you could add a little more if you want. Whisk that all together, being sure to dissolve the clumps of flour and butter completely. Then stir in about ¼ cup or so of either milk or half & half. Add any spices you’d like as you stir. The sauce will begin to thicken, and voila! If you’re doing a cheesy sauce, you can then add shredded cheese, about 1 cup or so.