Low Fat Bechamel Sauce | Low Fat Sunday Gravy | Brandy Sauce | Cheese Sauce | Low Fat Slow Cooked Beef Stew
Ingredients:
- 300ml skimmed milk
- A few parsley stalks
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 slice onion (5mm thick)
- 1 blade of mace
- 10 whole black peppercorns
- 2 tbsp Carrs Sauce Flour
- Salt & freshly milled black pepper, to taste
Method:
- Place the milk, parsley stalks, bay leaf, mace, onion and peppercorns into a small pan and bring everything slowly up to a simmering point.
- Pour the mixture into a bowl and leave aside to get completely cold.
- Strain the milk back into the pan, discarding the flavourings.
- Add the sauce flour and over a medium heat bring everything up to boiling point stirring continuously.
- Taste and season, if required, then simmer for a further three minutes.
Ingredients:
- 300 ml meat stock, skimmed and cooled
- 2 tbsp Carrs Sauce Flour
- 1 tbsp Madeira (beef) or redcurrant jelly (lamb)
- Salt & freshly milled black pepper, to taste
Method:
- Place the stock in a saucepan, add the sauce flour and over a medium heat bring everything up to boiling point stirring continuously.
- Add the Madeira or redcurrant jelly, taste and season. Simmer for a further three minutes.
Ingredients:
- 300 ml milk
- 2 tbsp Carrs Sauce Flour
- 4 tbsp brandy
- 1 tsp brown sugar
Method:
- Place the milk and sugar in a saucepan, add the sauce flour and over a medium heat bring everything up to boiling point stirring continuously.
- Add the brandy and pour into a warmed jug. Serve with Christmas pudding.
Ingredients:
- 300ml milk
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- Freshly grated nutmeg
- 100g mature cheddar, grated
- 2 tbsp Carrs Sauce Flour
- Salt & freshly milled black pepper, to taste
Method:
- Place the milk, cayenne pepper and nutmeg in a saucepan, add the sauce flour and over a medium heat bring everything up to boiling point stirring continuously.
- When thickened stir in cheese, taste and season and simmer for a further three minutes.
Slow Cooking
Slow cookers offer many advantages over the usual cooking methods. The food tastes better and doesn't burn or boil over. Tough cuts of meat become more tender and you can cook delicious soups, stews and casseroles.
Steady indirect heat is the key to slow cooking. There are no hot spots in the pot so stirring is not needed. As the slow cooker is covered during cooking, the steam generated cannot escape and it condenses to form liquid which returns to the food, keeping it moist and infusing it with flavour- the taste of the meat and vegetables develop and blend and the ingredients retain many of their nutrients.
Fill a slow cooker no less than half and no more than two-thirds full. Vegetables cook slower than meat and poultry in a slow cooker so if using them, put vegetables in first, at the bottom and around sides of the pot. Then add the meat and cover all the ingredients with liquid such as stock, wine, water or sauce. Keep the lid in place, removing only to stir or check if the food is ready.
Ingredients:
- 1 onion, sliced
- 250g mushrooms, sliced
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled
- 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- 1½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp chilli powder
- 500g lean stewing beef, cubed
- 200ml beef stock
- 3 tbsp brandy
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 20 ready-to-eat prunes
- 100g pecan nuts
- 1 tbsp Carrs Sauce Flour
Method:
- Microwave the onion, mushrooms and garlic in 1 tbsp of the beef stock on high for 3 minutes and transfer to slow cooker.
- Put cinnamon, black pepper, nutmeg, coriander, salt and chilli powder in a bowl, add cubed beef and stir well to coat the meat in the spices.
- Place in slow cooker. Add the stock, brandy, soy sauce and prunes and mix well.
- Follow your slow cooker manufacturer’s instruction book for cooking times or as a guide, cook on Low for 6-10 hours, High for 4-6 hours, or Auto for 7-11hours.
- Half an hour before serving, dry fry the pecan nuts in a pan for 4 minutes or until golden brown. Add to slow cooker.
- Sprinkle the sauce flour over the stew and stir through lightly.
- Replace lid and cook for the remaining half an hour.
