Since this is one of those staples that is nice to have stashed away in your freezer, I am giving proportions for a larger amount of sauce than you’ll probably have immediate need for. If you want to make less, just halve the recipe. Trying to make less than that really doesn’t work well. And, of course, you can double the recipe.

　　

Ingredients

4 tablespoons butter

　　4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

　　2 1/2 cups hot milk

　　Salt and freshly ground pepper

　　A few gratings of nutmeg

　　

Step 1

Melt the butter in a small, heavy pot. Add the flour, and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes. Do not let the butter begin to brown. This procedure is known as cooking the roux, to eliminate the uncooked flour taste. Now remove the pan from the heat, and let the bubbling die down. Pour all of the milk in, start whisking furiously, and return to a low heat. Continue to whisk until the sauce thickens. When it does, let it gently simmer another 3–4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt (starting with 1/2 teaspoon, then taste), plus several grindings of the pepper mill and a few gratings of nutmeg.

　　

Second Round

Step 2

Pour what you don’t use into 1/2-cup or 1-cup plastic containers, and freeze. Let the sauce come to room temperature slowly, then pour into a small pan and heat slowly, whisking until smooth.

　　The Pleasures of Cooking for One by Judith Jones. Copyright © 2009 by Judith Jones. Published by Knopf. All Rights Reserved.Judith Jones is senior editor and vice president at Alfred A. Knopf. She is the author of The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food and the coauthor with Evan Jones (her late husband) of three books: The Book of Bread; Knead It, Punch It, Bake It!; and The Book of New New England Cookery. She also collaborated with Angus Cameron on The L. L. Bean Game and Fish Cookbook, and has contributed to Vogue, Saveur, and Gourmet magazines. In 2006, she was awarded the James Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. She lives in New York City and Vermont.