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Basic White Sauce Recipe
and Sauce Supreme

This basic white sauce recipe can be used on it's own or as the start to any number of French sauces, including supreme sauce.

Recipe Notes

White sauce is very easy to make. The only secret is to blend in the liquid bit by bit at the start. That way you won't get any clumping. The same technique is used to make lots of other sauces. If the roux (butter and flour mixture) is cooked a bit longer and you add beef bouillon for the liquid, you'll get a brown sauce recipe.

The supreme sauce variation on the basic white sauce recipe has a name that doesn't mind bragging. It is great with poached chicken, but don't forget that vegetables love it too. If you simmer chicken breasts in chicken boullion (add garlic and herbs if you wish), you can prepare this sauce using the boullion, than pour it over a bed of rice with the chicken breasts arranged on top.

Sauce blanche

This recipe is for one cup of sauce - multiply it as needed.

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup water or chicken stock
salt and pepper

Melt the butter over low heat and stir in the flour with a wooden spoon. Cook while stirring for two minutes. Add the water or stock, two tablespoons at a time, whisking the mixture to a smooth consistency after each addition. When you've added about half the liquid, you can add the rest all at once.

Continue warming on low to medium heat until sauce thickens. Whisk as needed to prevent it from getting lumpy. Remove from heat and add salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 1 cup.

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Sauce suprême

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
salt and white pepper

Melt the butter over low heat and stir in the flour with a wooden spoon. Cook while stirring for two minutes. Add the stock, two tablespoons at a time, whisking the mixture to a smooth consistency after each addition.

Whisk in the cream and cook on medium heat until thickened and nearly boiling.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Makes two cups.

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