Smart Balance Bechamel

Yeah, that title doesn't sound exactly right does it? Fake butter used to make the epitome of French classical sauces: bechamel, a creamy-rich pool of deliciousness created by the holy combination of butter, flour and milk. It is one of the best bases for any kind of cheese sauce as its mildness easily lends itself to its role as a blank canvas upon which to create any number of flavors. Well, needless to say, I like bechamel - I like eating it (as a base for other sauces; by itself it is a little bland for me) and I love making it. It is one of those classical techniques, that as a budding professional chef, I have learned to make off the top of my head. Impressive? It sure looks that way doesn't it?

Well, anyway, last night, I told my oldest daughter that I would make macaroni and cheese for dinner. (This was based on a recipe that she spotted in her American Girls' Cookbook - Great Depression era foods, to boot.) What I didn't tell her was that I was going to attempt to make it a teensy bit healthier to meet my own dieting needs. Cause, hell, let's be honest here - I sure wasn't going to miss out on macaroni and cheese. So, I decided to test the ability of my Smart Balance spread to hold up to not only a mid-range heat for melting, but also combining with the flour to make that classic thickening agent for bechamel: roux. Granted, this was one platinum blonde roux (for those of you uninitiated out there, roux has a myriad of colors, staring with blonde), but by God, it worked! I will say, that when it came time to add the milk to the cooked roux, I had to work a little harder at whisking out the lumps, but, in just a few minutes time, I had an awesome, thick and surprisingly rich bechamel. I was shocked and very pleased, especially as I enhanced it with a little Kosher salt, dry mustard, white pepper, and finally, a nice sharp cheddar, to make a pretty spectacular cheese sauce for my macaroni. Granted, no American Girl in the Depression had ever heard of Smart Balance and probably couldn't get their hands on anything other than American cheese, but, with whole wheat pasta, fresh, whole grain bread crumbs and a "smarter" and more "balanced" base (see how I made a pun there?), my macaroni was tasty and healthy besides. Nothing to be depressed about at dinner last night. (Ok, I will stop with the puns.) Until next time and the next great food experiment!