Rich Cheddar Cheese Sauce

Rich Cheddar Cheese Sauce

I made this in quantity and stored it in the refrigerator. It has been very useful on steamed vegetables, and stirred into a Mexican dish that came out too spicy for us. I like to use a sharper cheddar for more flavor, but I just learned recently that extra sharp cheddar can give you an odd, grainy texture. I wondered why that happened!

Ingredients: 1 cup heavy cream 1/2 cup water 1 lb cheddar cheese 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt 1 teaspoon mustard 1/4 teaspoon paprika 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce Use a double boiler or place saucepan into a larger pot of boiling water. (I had great luck using a temperature controlled induction burner set at medium low or 175 degrees.)  Add all ingredients, stirring very frequently until smooth (usually about 10 minutes.) Serve warm. This sauce is great over vegetables — especially cauliflower and broccoli. Or add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to make a cheesy sauce for fish! Makes 16 servings. 0.8 net grams of carbohydrate per serving.

http://www.lowcarbluxury.com/recipes/recipe-sauce05.html

1-7-16 Note: I made a big mistake the other day. I made this lovely sauce, intending to use it for a cauliflower and leftover ham faux mac and cheese concoction. All went well until I added the diced ham, cold from the refrigerator. The cheese congealed around the cold ham pieces and could not be coaxed back into the sauce. I ended up with this weird, lumpy soup with a delicious broth and large, chewy lumps of ham and cheese. Next time, I'll heat the ham first, add it to the hot cauliflower, and then pour the sauce on slowly as needed, and stir.