Mornay Sauce

Mornay is simply a traditional Béchamel sauce with the addition of shredded or grated cheese. The traditional version, as found in Escoffier's Le Guide Culinare, calls for half Gruyere, half Parmesan.

It is most commonly used with seafood or pasta, but works well with a range of vegetables. Try it with grilled or steamed zucchini or summer squash, broccoli or cauliflower. One of Brian's and my favorite dishes that uses Mornay Sauce is Brian's Chicken Roll, which is a variation of Chicken Cordon Bleu adding spinach and served with linguine and Mornay Sauce. It's an ideal accompaniment for eggs. Eggs Mornay, a variation on Eggs Benedict made with Mornay sauce in place of the usual hollandaise, is a French classic.

You can use it to make any sort of gratiné dish by reserving half of the cheese out of the sauce to sprinkle over the top.

2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup (1 1/2-2 oz) Gruyere, grated or shredded (we usually substitute Swiss cheese)
1/2 cup (1 1/2-2 oz) Parmesan, grated or shredded
Dash nutmeg
Salt & pepper to taste
Dash cayenne pepper

Melt butter in a heavy bottom saucepan over low heat. Add flour and cook slowly for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. The mixture should get foamy or frothy but NOT BROWN. At this point add the milk and whisk vigorously until smooth. Add the seasonings and return to the heat and boil for about 1 minute over medium high heat. The Béchamel is now ready. Remove from heat, add cheese and stir until incorporated completely. Add Cayenne.

Makes about 2 1/4 cup.