…ground mustard? I decided not to add some, but was a fairly tough call. The cheese sauce was made on the incremental method: start the roux, add milk every time it looked like it was going to clump up, then start adding cheddar cheese until everything looked about right. I put in some pepper, and some salt, and then some more salt after my wife noted that it could use some more — and then she brought up mustard, and I kind of had to stop and think about it at that point.
The problem was the complication it offered, you see. I was already possessed of a pretty good cheese sauce and we’re doing a catch-as-catch-can dinner because I forgot to defrost the pork chops last night. Mustard might punch it up, or knock it out. I decided to be pragmatic and not roll the dice.
Still: thoughts?
I’d lean more towards buffalo sauce for a kick.
Mustard works, personally I prefer Paprika
I’m a fan of enough mustard so you know it’s got some flavor *beyond just cheese* but .. that may just be my preference…
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Mustard over pepper (including paprika) because food allergies and because Mrs. Cat isn’t all that pleased with black pepper.
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I usually also throw in some dried onion ..
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Mew
Yes mustard and…a dash of Worcestershire sauce. They add a tang that the roux/cheese mixture loses.
Otherwise it could be quite bland.
Oh, and the sharper the Cheddar the better.
This was pretty sharp cheddar. I like all the suggestions, too. Definitely going to try some of them next time.
This.
Plus cayenne.
And throw a clove of minced garlic in the roux once it starts pulling together.
Especially if you start the roux with bacon grease. (And of course, add the bacon back in.)
Ground mustard adds some flavor and acts as an emulsifier, which helps keep the cheese sauce from breaking. Paprika and cayenne are also good additions, but I learned most of this from Alton Brown. Personally, I prefer to use onion powder to actual onion, but! I don’t care for the texture of onion, so YMMV.
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A batch of mac and cheese is on my list of todos for this week, but I’m planning to use a mix of sharp cheddar and gruyere.
Dried onions reconstituted in dill pickle brine work out pretty well.
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They’re diced pretty small already, the drying process breaks down some of the cell wall so the texture isn’t as .. weirdly slimy/crispy .. and the pickle brine pairs nicely with the cheddar.
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Mew
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p.s. For vegans, you can fake up a pretty nice “cheese” sauce by blending cashews with some pickle brine and nutritional yeast .. just sayin’