cuisinopedia

Cheddar Sauce (Sauce au Cheddar)

Sauce

The science

Identical stabilizing principle to Mornay, but cheddar is a higher-fat, more acidic, less elastic melting cheese than Gruyère, so it can turn oily or grainy more readily; the starch buffer is doing more work, and the cook must keep the heat gentle. A pinch of mustard powder or sodium-citrate-style emulsifying salt (in industrial versions) further stabilizes the melt.

Flavor profile

Sharp cheddar (and sometimes mustard powder or a dash of Worcestershire), melted into béchamel — the Anglo-American naturalization of Mornay.

Culinary uses

Macaroni cheese, cauliflower cheese, Welsh rarebit's richer cousins.

Reference notes

Parent: Béchamel; sibling of Mornay. Cheese database: cheddar.