Kneaded Butter

This is a paste of butter and flour, added in small pieces to a sauce at the end of cooking, rather than at the beginning, as in a roux. It gives a similarly rich consistency. The quantity of kneaded butter to sauce is 2 tablespoons to 1 cup/250 ml; 3 tablespoons to 2 cups/500 ml. A last-minute addition of kneaded butter can salvage a bland sauce, enriching both the texture and taste.

Cream the butter and, with a fork or whisk, work in an equal amount of flour. Drop chunks of kneaded butter into the boiling sauce, whisking rapidly. The butter will melt and distribute the flour evenly throughout the liquid, which will thicken at once. Continue adding pieces of kneaded butter until the sauce reaches the desired consistency.