Culinary Guides

This is a proper stovetop cheese sauce, built on a quick roux so it stays smooth and glossy instead of splitting. It gets its bright orange color from Red Leicester and its kick from cayenne and Tabasco. Pour it over nachos, drizzle it on chili, or use it as a dip for pickled jalapenos.

Ingredients

• 350 ml (12 fl oz) full-fat milk
• 25 g (1 oz) unsalted butter
• 25 g (1 oz) plain flour
• 150 g (5 1/2 oz) Red Leicester, grated
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 4 shakes Tabasco
• White pepper to taste

Directions

1. Measure and prep everything first: grate the cheese, measure the milk, and have the spices and butter ready.
2. Warm the milk in a saucepan over medium heat until hot but not boiling, watching so it does not scald.
3. In a second pan, melt the butter, then stir in the flour to form a paste and cook this roux 3 to 4 minutes, stirring, to lose the raw flour taste.
4. Whisk in the warm milk a little at a time, keeping the sauce smooth before adding more, until it is all incorporated.
5. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring, about 4 more minutes, until the sauce thickens.
6. Stir in the grated Red Leicester and keep stirring about 2 minutes until melted, smooth, and glossy.
7. Season with cayenne, Tabasco, and white pepper, taste, and adjust, then serve warm.

Any good melting cheese works, so blend in some cheddar or Monterey Jack if you like. Leftovers keep in the fridge for up to a week and reheat gently with a splash of milk to loosen them.

Grower's tip: the cayenne and Tabasco heat here is easy to grow yourself. Cayenne peppers dry beautifully on the plant or on a string in a warm room, and once brittle they grind into a fresh, bright chile powder that beats anything from a jar.

Make the heat your own from the garden. Grow a few cayenne peppers to dry into powder, and keep some milder jalapenos going to slice and serve on the side.