Gluten and Dairy Free White Sauce

This sauce is great as a substitute for cheese sauce in mac and cheese or lasagna or as a base for carbonara and other typically cream based sauces plus a bunch of other uses. It's pretty much the most versatile sauce and it's always good to have it in your arsenal.

This main base of this sauce is milk. Make sure the milk substitute that you use is one you like. You know if you don't like almond milk this is probably not the recipe to use up your leftover almond milk before it goes bad.

You will need

1 Tbsp Cornstarch

1 Tbsp Tapioca Flour

1 Tbsp Rice Flour 

2 Tbsp Butter Substitute

2.5 Cups Whatever milk substitute you like 

(I would not recommend coconut milk by itself because it has too strong a coconut flavour unless you plan on using this sauce for a Thai inspired dish or a dish where coconut is being used elsewhere)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Bear in mind that this sauce is intended to be a base. It will likely taste fairly bland until you add some other flavours. 

Some ideas:

paprika, green onion and bacon bits 

oregano, basil, rosemary and garlic

chili paste, coriander and garlic

onion, nutmeg and cloves (standard bechamel)
For gravy use pan dripping instead of butter
Use as a substitute for cream in savoury recipes
Add garlic and use as a warm dip or as a base for chicken pizza
Use as a base for cream of anything soup (mushroom, tomato, chicken etc.)

In a small saucepan, melt the butter and remove from the heat

Add the flours and stir until perfectly smooth

Return to the heat and heat until bubbling slightly

Remove from the heat again and add the milk about 2 tablespoons at a time

Whisk each addition really well until it gets to a point when the mixture offers almost no resistance to the whisk. When it gets to this point (below) it might be tempting to add the rest of the milk. DON'T!! the whisk is still leaving marks in the mixture and it could turn lumpy if you add a heap of milk now.

Once all the milk is added return to the heat, stirring frequently until the mixture passes the spoon test. the mixture should coat the back of the spoon and when you wipe you're finger down it, it should leave a crisp line.

Remove from the heat and add in your flavourings. Stir occasionally until serving to stop it from forming a skin.

Enjoy :)