2 favourite homemade creamy sauces

Turn any old meal into a decadent treat with these easy-to-make creamy sauces. They may even get you to eat your vegetables!

Try Hollandaise drizzled over fresh, steamed asparagus, broccoli, or cauliflower, or over delicate poached fish. It is a must for eggs Benedict or Florentine. Homemade simply tastes best; it also costs less.

What you need:

• 2 egg yolks
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) water
• 1 ml (1/4 tsp) salt
• 15 ml (1 tbsp) lemon juice
• 90 ml (6 tbsp) clarified unsalted butter, liquid but not hot
• 0.5 ml (1/8 tsp) white pepper

What to do:

1. In a one litre (four cup) saucepan over moderately high heat, combine the egg yolks, water, salt, and lemon juice, and bring to a boil, whisking constantly.

2. Remove the saucepan from the heat. The mixture will begin to curdle, but continue whisking until the mixture becomes smooth. Stir in the clarified butter, 15 millilitres (one tablespoon) at a time. Add the pepper and stir until the mixture is smooth and well blended. Makes 250 millilitres (one cup).

Thin, medium, or thick, white sauce is the most versatile of all sauces and can be adapted to suit many a dish. Thin white sauce serves as a base for creamy soups or stews; medium white sauce is added to casseroles and creamed vegetable mixtures, or used as a base for other sauces; thick white sauce works as a binder or a base for dishes like soufflés or croquettes.

What you need:

• 15 ml (1 tbsp) butter or margarine
• 15 ml (1 tbsp) all-purpose flour
• 250 ml (1 c) hot milk
• 4 ml (1/4 tsp) salt
• A sprinkle of ground pepper

What to do:

1. In a small heavy saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture is smooth, two to three minutes; do not let the flour brown. Gradually stir in the milk.

2. Increase the heat to moderate and cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce is thickened and smooth, and no raw flour taste remains, about three to five minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the salt and pepper.

3. To store, lay plastic wrap directly on the surface of the sauce to prevent a skin from forming. Let the sauce cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until needed. Reheat the sauce in the top of a double boiler. Makes 250 millilitres (one cup).

*For a classic cheese sauce, stir in 125-175 grams (half to three quarters of a cup) of shredded sharp cheddar cheese before removing saucepan from heat.

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