Roasted Garlic Parmesan Sauce

This is a pretty basic white sauce, with a few upgrades. You can try little changes like a different cheese, or fresh instead of roasted garlic, to make it your own. Have fun and don't forget to stir!



2 T Butter
1/4 cup Flour
5 cloves Roasted Garlic
Cream - half pint
1/2 (more if needed) Milk
s/p
Fresh Grated Nutmeg
Red Pepper Flakes (RPF)
1 cup Leeks - sliced and cleaned
1/4 Parmesan Cheese - freshly grated
1 Chicken Breast and 2 Thighs (Optional) - poached and shredded

Heat a sauce pan on med to med-lo and add the butter. Slowly mix in the flour with a wooden spoon. Stir the whole time so that the flour doesn't burn on the bottom of the pan. Stir this for 1-2 minutes. You're looking for a blond roux. (So don't let it brown.)

Stir the garlic in. Smash it up and into the roux with the spoon.



Next, stir in the cream and milk. Add a little of the milk at first, then more if you need it. Remember that the sauce will thicken as it cooks.

Turn the heat down to low.

Season the sauce to taste with the s/p, nutmeg, and RPF.

Blanch the leeks. When I made this sauce I was making a lasagna, so I just threw the leeks into the salted boiling water that was ready for the pasta.

When the leeks are soft and light green (this should only take a minute), remove them from the water and dry them between two paper towels. Squeeze out the excess water.



Next, stir the leeks, cheese, and chicken (if you're using it) into the sauce and you are done.





This creamy sauce is great mixed with brown or white rice, farro grain, or pasta. Mix it with one of these in a casserole pan and top with bread crumbs and small pats of butter or a drizzle of EVOO. Then bake till it's bubbly.


Baked Orzo in Cream Sauce served with Smashed Peas

Or, you could try it as a layer in lasagna. Yummm!



White Lasagna with Roasted Veggie Sauce