Cheese Sauce

There are some countries you visit for the history.
Some you visit for the architecture.
And then there’s the Netherlands, where you quickly realize you may have accidentally planned an entire vacation around cheese, bread, bicycles, and snacks.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that.😂

We arrived in Amsterdam ready to experience the canals, the museums, the charming narrow houses and all the things one is supposed to experience while visiting the Netherlands.  But even more than that - we were ready to eat.  And fortunately, the Dutch were ready for us.😋

Dutch apple pie, bitterballen, fish and chips, homemade ravioli, pofferjes, fresh seafood and dutch pancakes were all amazing but I would be remiss is I didn't mention the cheese.  Cheese in the Netherlands is not merely a food group - it's practically a way of life.🧀

There is Gouda and in case you weren't aware - it's an actual town just outside of Amsterdam!!  They had aged Gouda, smoked Gouda, gouda with herbs, gouda with spices, gouda with truffles and gouda that's been aged until it's developed it's own unique personality.

We sampled our way through dozens of cheese shops and markets, telling ourselves that we were learning about Dutch culture.  This was true.  But it was also delicious.😋

Safe to say that we ate our weight in Gouda while we were in Amsterdam and we loved every bite - then we went to the town of Edam.  Have you tried Edam cheese? 😆  In a word -  amazing.   

Our trip through the Netherlands definitely confirmed my suspicions that all food tastes better with cheese.  A creamy, velvety, ridiculously easy cheese sauce that could turn an ordinary dinner into something worthy of a second (or third) helping.

My cheese sauce is wonderfully versatile, which is a polite way of saying you are going to find yourself looking for things to put it on.
Pour it over roasted vegetables.🍠
Drizzle it over baked potatoes.🥔
Spoon it onto steamed broccoli or cauliflower.🥦
Use it as a dip for bagels or crusty bread.🥖
Pour it over pasta for a quick and very comforting dinner.🍝
Or use it to make the world's easiest macaroni and cheese.
And if you happen to have leftover sauce in the refrigerator, I strongly recommend reheating it gently and finding something—anything—to dip into it.
A carrot, perhaps.🥕
For balance.😉

I like to use a combination of sharp Cheddar, Gruyere and Swiss in my cheese dip. The Cheddar gives the sauce a little personality, while the Gruyere and Swill bring that creamy, slightly nutty flavor that immediately transports me back to the Netherlands.🇳🇱🧀

Cheese Sauce
7 ounces white cheddar, grated
3 ounces Gruyère, grated
1/2 ounces Swiss cheese, grated
1 1/3 cups water
1 Tablespoon sodium citrate

​Whisk together 2/3 cup water and sodium citrate in a saucepan until dissolved.  

Bring to a simmer.  Whisk in cheese, 1/4 cup at a time.  

Add remaining 2/3 cup water and cook 45 seconds until thickened.  

Blend with an immersion blender to make extra shiny and smooth. 

The secret to a good cheese sauce isn't complicated.
It's water
It's sodium citrate.
And, most importantly, it's good cheese.
​
Ciao!

Click here for a printable version of this recipe