When to much cheese just ins't enough

I had always made my cheesy bechemal fairly randomly and although it always tasted good, it was always a bit of a hassle because of the constant stirring and anxiety about getting it right. Tim must have witnessed this and finally gave me a recipe for Bechemal sauce. Although he gave me the recipe several YEARS ago, it has taken me until last week to actually try it, however, I'm completely sold! It's quick, easy, reliable, makes a huge quantity and you can freeze it. Yep, that right, make a massive amount, freeze it in plastic containers and anytime you want a hit of cheesy goodness, it's yours for the defrosting! Let me let you in on the secret (and let me write the recipe somewhere less likely to be lost than my 2006 diary!).

Bechemal
~120g butter
~120g plain flour
1 litre milk
150 g grated tasty cheese
Salt
Pepper
An onion - optional

Make a roux - in a large heavy based saucepan melt the butter, add the flour and cook it on medium heat, stirring it frequently, until it resembles wet sand.

While you are poking your roux, put the litre of milk in a saucepan with plenty of pepper (and the onion if you want. Personally, I'm not a fan of the onion, I think it gives the whole thing an odd taste) let it come to the boil.

Pour the milk, through a strainer to catch the peppercorns/onion, into the roux and, whisking it enthusiastically, turn up the heat until it boils.

Season with plenty of salt and more pepper (white pepper, finely ground, at this point is preferred so you don't have black specks of pepper in the final product). I like to add a dash of nice vinegar at this point.

If you have lumps use your stick blender to eradicate them, otherwise just add the cheese.

Taste it - you may need to add more salt. I ended up adding a lot more cheese - probably because I had cheated and was attempting to use pre-grated cheese which actually has starches in it to stop it glomping together and therefore has less flavour. On the other hand, maybe it's just because I like a very cheesy sauce rather than a traditional bechemal.

Pour it onto your dinner and/or into plastic take-away containers to put in your freezer for a wet Sunday.

Dinner with a Grandfather

Keda's father came over last Saturday and we had a couple of lovely wines. A 2005 vintage Annie's Lane Coppertrail Riesling was excellent, one of the best young drinking rieslings I've had. It did seem more advanced than I expected but was all the better for it as a young wine - lime, mineral, butter, cleansing and refreshing. The advanced nature exposing itself by the rounder/broader palate (buttery character) and a softer acid finish compared to other 2005s (eg Leo Buring). This bottle was emptied pretty much as a palate cleanser as we hadn't managed to buy or make anything for hors d'oeuvres/entrée, so just some raw cashews and almonds had to suffice. The main was worth waiting for, a duck and shitake pie with a puff pastry lid. Unfortunately no photos of this one but it was a goody, took some time but relatively easy. Roast the bird, discard the skin, pick off the meat and mix with some fresh shitake mushrooms and a master stock style sauce (water, soy, slices of ginger, dried shitake mushrooms, dried chilli, start anise - all simmered for a while, strained and added to the meat). For sides there was a simple green salad with shaved pecorino and roasted carbs (nicola potatoes + parsnips). The carbs were roasted in a combination of olive oil and some of the duck fat that was saved from roasting the duck. A 2000 vintage Pfeiffer pinot noir was provided by our dinner guest. Quite possibly Rutherglen's finest pinot (maybe its only pinot?), this was more a light dry red than pinot, pretty good with the meal but died in the glass after 20 minutes or so. As Keda and her father prefer a cheese course over sweet desserts, that's what we had to finish. All supermarket purchased cheeses but pretty good ones - King Island Roaring Forties (a mild blue), a decently matured Jindi Brie and Yea's Cheddar (Yarra Valley). Since we had no dried fruit to put on the platter I substituted some Arnott's fruit biscuits ('fruit pillows')! To help wash it down a bottle of Penfolds Grandfather Tawny (no longer called Port) was opened and it went down a treat - well, about a third to half of a bottle did, the rest will probably last a month or two! Lovely smooth rancio characters, sweet but not cloying. A couple of glasses and some cheese later, Keda's father was falling asleep at the table - mainly due to jetlag and booze rather than any lack of fascinating conversation! - so we called that the end of the night.