English Pale Ale Cheese Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour or gluten-free all-purpose flour see Notes
- 1/2 cup English Pale Ale see Notes
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1-1/2 teaspoons Old Style Dijon mustard wth seeds or regular Dijon mustard
- 2 medium garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 cups shredded white English medium cheddar cheese about 12 ounces - aged 16 to 18 months
- Serve with pretzels regular or gluten-free
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan (3 to 4 quarts), melt butter over medium heat.
- Add flour and whisk until combined. Cook for 30 seconds, while whisking occasionally.
- Add beer, whisking continuously, eliminating any lumps from the flour mixture. Slowly whisk in milk.
- Cook over medium heat, whisking often, 3 to 4 minutes, until mixture has thickened.
- Whisk in mustard, garlic, Worcestershire sauce and cayenne pepper. Season with kosher salt and black pepper to taste.
- Add cheese, a handful at a time, and whisk until completely melted.
- Serve warm.
- Sauce will keep for a week - reheat on medium in the microwave for 2 to 3 minutes.
Notes
* I recommend shredding the cheese yourself as pre-packaged shredded cheese contains an additive to keep it from caking.
* For gluten-free flour I use Cup4Cup Multipurpose Flour.
* If you can't find an English Pale Ale, use any medium bodied ale. You can also use a gluten-free beer in this recipe.
* If after you’ve added the cheese you find the sauce to be too thin, sprinkle a teaspoon of flour over sauce and whisk continuously until incorporated. You may need to add 2 or 3 additional teaspoons.
* For gluten-free flour I use Cup4Cup Multipurpose Flour.
* If you can't find an English Pale Ale, use any medium bodied ale. You can also use a gluten-free beer in this recipe.
* If after you’ve added the cheese you find the sauce to be too thin, sprinkle a teaspoon of flour over sauce and whisk continuously until incorporated. You may need to add 2 or 3 additional teaspoons.
