Cornstarch has always been a basic staple in my kitchen pantry. When making gravy or white/cheese sauces, I prefer to make them with cornstarch in lieu of flour. Mainly because cornstarch blends better...no lumps...and it doesn't scorch or leave you with a "chalk" taste like flour can. YEARS ago I use to use it on my babies bottoms for a natural way to prevent and clear up diaper rash...yep...back in the day! So today I wanted to show you how easy it is to make a simple "white sauce" for steamed vegetables...this is also the base for a cheese/alfredo sauce for pasta and chicken or shrimp. Now evey box of cornstarch has the recipes on the side of the box for a thin/medium/thick white sauce:
Gather your ingredients: THIN WHITE SAUCE
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons Cornstarch
- 1 Cup Milk
- 1 Tablespoon Butter
- 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
- 1/8 Teaspoon Pepper
Clean and prepare whatever vegetables that you want to go with your white sauce...this week my grocery store had organic cauliflower on sale...yum yum :D Here I'm steaming the entire head in an inch of boiling water for about 15-20 minutes...or until you can insert a fork easily into the middle of the head of cauliflower.
While your vegetables are steaming you can prepare your white sauce. First combine your milk, cornstarch, salt and pepper in a shaker container (or glass jar with a lid) and shake it well; that is until the milk and ingredients are well combined to prevent lumps :D
Next, melt your butter in a saucepan.
Then add your milk mixture and stir until it comes to a full boil.
Now is the time to determine if the sauce is too thick/thin for your liking...here it was too thick so I simply added some more milk and kept stirring until it was to the consistencythat I like. If it is too thick you can add more milk w'cornstarch (blended to prevent clumps) or some shredded cheese :D
Drain your steamed veggies...over the sink in a colander...and put them into which ever bowl/dish you'd like to serve them in.
Pour your sauce over your veggie or pasta dish into your serving bowl and you are all ready to set out this yummy side-dish. I attempted to turn my head of cauliflower right-side-up for a beautiful presentation...but it was falling apart on me when I tried to flip it over...lol
Steamed cauliflower with a simple white sauce is one of our favorites and it is quick and easy! It can also be considered a low-fat alternative if you use skim milk...because if you are like our family...we tend to use more butter when I serve it plain!
I could eat this all by itself...but it goes well with so many things...here I'm serving it with bar-b-que chicken breasts...Works for Me Wednesday :}
This back-to-basics post is especially for my sons (both Mitchell & Timothy make great efforts to cook) because they get intimidated when I talk about making a white or cheese sauce and it really is easy...hope you all enjoy it as well...and that it works for you!
Be sure to hop on over to Kristen's blog and check out all the great links to more great posts for:
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